VIDEO: Meet Josh Castille, Star of 5th Avenue Theatre's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

This summer The 5th Avenue Theatre is staging an exciting new production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Joshua Castille as Quasimodo. A Deaf actor, Castille is celebrated for his performances in Tribes at ACT Theatre in Seattle and in Spring Awakening with Deaf West on Broadway.

Quasimodo, who is deaf in Victor Hugo's literary masterpiece, is a character that Castille and The 5th are excited to elevate and delve more deeply into with the real-life experiences and stories of a deaf actor leading the way. Castille, who makes his 5th Avenue Theatre debut, will use American Sign Language (ASL) throughout his performance. Justin Gregory Lopez returns to The 5th (Lerner and Loewe's Paint Your Wagon) as one of the cathedral's gargoyles and as Quasimodo's "voice" in song.

Playing June 1-24, 2018 (press opening Friday, June 8, 2018), tickets for The Hunchback of Notre Dame start at $29 and are on sale now. They can be purchased at www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206-625-1900 or at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in Downtown Seattle.

The 5th is working closely with Deaf Spotlight, a Seattle-based organization that inspires, encourages and showcases creative works of, by and for Deaf people in the Pacific Northwest, to provide access, educational resources and more for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences. There will be eight ASL interpreted performances of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in addition to one open captioned performance and one audio-described performance. Accessible performance dates are listed below.

"Ask anyone who's ever been a part of a musical production and they'll tell you that theater is meant for everyone," said The 5th Avenue Theatre's Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry. "It's this very fact that makes it so exciting to be able to celebrate inclusivity in such an impactful way and welcome the Deaf and hard of hearing community with open arms. We are honored to have the opportunity to work with Joshua Castille on The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

A glorious retelling of Victor Hugo's epic masterpiece, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a powerful tale of love, faith and prejudice that will leave audiences utterly spellbound. Its lush, beautiful score, which is complete with a 30-person choir at every performance, is unlike anything in musical theater today, featuring songs from the Disney animated feature and new music from legendary composers Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Newsies) and Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell and Pippin).