Signature Theatre Extends DREAMGIRLS Through January 13

Virginia's Signature Theatre announced today that the run of Dreamgirls is extended through January 13 due to popular demand – an addition of eight performances. Tickets to all performances are now on sale.

The Tony Award®-winning musical plays in the MAX Theatre. Brimming with superstar talent, and directed and choreographed by Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Xanadu, Really Really), this much-loved show captures the heart and hopes of a soulful female singing trio as they rise to international fame.

Nova Y. Payton (Hairspray) stars as Effie White, the talented and headstrong lead singer of The Dreams. She is joined by Shayla Simmons (Deena Jones) and Crystal Joy (Lorrell Robinson). David Bazemore plays songwriter C.C. White, and Sydney James Harcourt plays Curtis Taylor, Jr., the band's manager. Cedric Neal plays R&B star James "Thunder" Early. Rounding out the cast are Kara-Tameika Watkins (Michelle Morris), Bus Howard (Marty), and Sean Maurice Lynch (Wayne).

Dreamgirls features music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen. The production's Music Director is John Kalbfleisch, working with an award-winning creative team that includes Brianne Camp (Co-Choreographer), Darius Smith (Associate Music Director), Adam Koch (Scenic Designer), Chris Lee (Lighting Designer), Frank Labovitz (Costume Designer), and Matt Rowe (Sound Designer).

The musical, which won six Tony Awards® and two Grammy Awards in its original 1982 Broadway run, features the hit songs "Dreamgirls," "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," and "One Night Only."

Dreamgirls is generously sponsored by the Bernard Family Foundation with additional support from Tony Garro, MD.

Performances run Tuesday through Sunday evenings, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $40. Single tickets are available in person at the Signature Box Office at 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at (703) 573-SEAT. Student discount tickets are $30 and must be purchased the week of the performance. This production's Pride performance is scheduled for December 7. Discussion performances are scheduled for December 12 and December 18.

Signature will also host a special performance on New Year's Eve followed by a countdown celebration. Stay after the show and enjoy hors d'oeuvres, a champagne toast at midnight, and a DJ cranking tunes until the early morning! Tickets to the post-show party only are $75 for subscribers and $100 for general public. All tickets available through the Box Office at 703 820 9771.

Backstage tours are available as well! With a design that includes over 500 light bulbs in the set alone, along with countless costumes and wigs, the behind-the-scenes magic of Dreamgirls is something to see. Tours are held at 5pm on Saturday afternoons beginning December 8 and include a short film with the designers of the production, a tour of the set and backstage area, and a question-and-answer period with members of the cast. Tickets are only $20 per person and space is limited. Tickets can be booked online or through the Signature Box Office.

The remaining line-up for Signature Theatre's 2012-2013 season features a striking new adaptation of Shakespeare's R&J, the great American musical Hello, Dolly! (a co-production with Ford's Theatre), the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Crimes of the Heart, and a new production of Stephen Sondheim's musical comedy Company. In addition to the mainstage shows, Signature is presenting an eclectic year-long series of cabarets. Discount subscription packages (starting at 3 shows) are available by calling the Signature Box Office at (703) 820-9771 or by visiting www.signature-theatre.org.

Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company in Arlington, Virginia dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 38 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces.

In addition to hosting the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been home to such theatre luminaries as Chita Rivera, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Ann Reinking, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 78 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 308 nominations.

Signature is partially supported by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and by a gift from the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts.

For tickets or more information, visit: http://www.signature-theatre.org