Village Theatre Announces Directors & Music Directors For 30th Anniversary Season

Village Theatre is pleased to announce the directors and music directors for next season's highly anticipated theatre line up. Artistic director Steve Tomkins gave his directorial debut at Village Theatre in the 1988. This upcoming season marks his seventeenth season with Village Theatre, after having been nominated for an NAACP Award for his work in a Los Angeles production of the new musical City Kid. Tomkins is set to direct three of next season's musical productions.

Chasing Nicolette
Music by David Friedman
Book and Lyrics by Peter Kellogg
September 17-November 22, 2009

Penned by the same writing team that brought last season's hit new musical Stunt Girl to the Mainstage, Chasing Nicolette will be directed and choreographed by Steve Tomkins with co-direction by on-stage favorite Eric Polani Jensen (Beauty and the Beast as Beast; Stunt Girl as Howard). Jensen has a long history working within the Village Originals program where he has directed a number of readings including Chasing Nicolette (2008) and Once Upon a Time in New Jersey (2004)-a production he went on to assistant direct with Steve Tomkins for the Mainstage in 2007. R.J. Tancioco returns to Village Theatre to music direct. Tancioco's previous credits include Stunt Girl and Once Upon A Time in New Jersey at Village Theatre; Hair and Smokey Joe's Café at The 5th Avenue Theatre. This team of directors will be collaborating with a number of artisans who designed Stunt Girl last season, including scenic design by Scott Fyfe and costume design by Melanie Burgess.

Meet Me in St. Louis
Music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
Book by Hugh Wheeler
November 11, 2009-January 31, 2010

Steve Tomkins will direct and choreograph the holiday production, Meet Me in St. Louis. A show that focuses on family relationships, Meet Me in St. Louis is another opportunity for Tomkins' to utilize his beautiful vision for storytelling. His last season's holiday production, Beauty and the Beast, took home a Seattle Times Footlight Award surely due in part to his masterful staging abilities. Meet Me in St. Louis boasts musical direction by Village Theatre resident music director Tim Symons (Beauty and the Beast, AIDA). Symons has been part of the music department at Village Theatre for over twelve years, and involved in over 60 productions.

Lost in Yonkers
By Neil Simon
January 20-March 28, 2010

Former Village Theatre associate artistic director, Tony-award winning author of the Broadway hit Next To Normal, and KIDSTAGE alum Brian Yorkey will be here in January 2010 to direct the Pulitzer Prize-winning Neil Simon play, Lost in Yonkers. Yorkey's theatre credits include Making Tracks, which played Off-Broadway and regionally; the musical adaptation of Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet; and the new country musical Play It By Heart. Yorkey's recent Village Theatre director credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, The Who's TOMMY, and co-direction of AIDA.

The Gypsy King
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Randy Rogel
Conceived and Created by Kirby Ward and Randy Rogel
March 17-May 23, 2010

Rich Gray makes his Mainstage directorial debut at Village Theatre with the new musical romp The Gypsy King. Gray has directed a number of Village Originals readings including last year's Festival reading of The Gypsy King and the 2007 Festival reading of Iron Curtain. Gray is a well-known director, composer, and actor around the Seattle-area with a long history of music directing for The 5th Avenue Theatre. R.J. Tancioco will return to Village Theatre's 2009-2010 Season to music direct this new work. Village Theatre's resident music director Tim Symons comments, "R.J. has a unique and wonderful ability when it comes to working on new musicals. His ability to work with composers to create the best possible sound is unmatched in the Seattle area. We are excited to have him on board for both of the season's new works."

42nd Street
Music by Harry Warren ? Lyrics by Al Dubin
Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble
May 12-August 1, 2010

A seasoned director-choreographer, Village Theatre is thrilled to have Steve Tomkins put his years of experience to work on the tap dance spectacular, 42nd Street. A Seattle Times Footlight Award winning choreographer, Tomkins has garnered critical acclaim over the years for his work, having choreographed dozens of productions for Village Theatre alone. Musical direction for Village Theatre's production of 42nd Street will be done by Bruce Monroe (Show Boat; The King and I) and Village Theatre resident music director, Tim Symons (Meet Me in St. Louis).

Village Theatre Mainstage Subscription packages are on sale now, ranging in price $75-$235 (Issaquah) and $65-$205 (Everett). Single tickets go on sale August 2009 (Issaquah), ranging $19-$59 and September 2009 (Everett), ranging $17-$52. Precise on-sale dates will be announced throughout the season. All tickets are available via the Village Theatre Box Office at (425) 392-2202 (Issaquah) and (425) 257-8600 (Everett), or online at www.villagetheatre.org. Performances take place at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah located at 303 Front Street North and at the Everett Performing Arts Center located at 2710 Wetmore Avenue.

To post a comment, you must register and login.