Signature Theatre announces the cast and creative team for the play Which Way to the Stage, written by Ana Nogueira. Which Way to the Stage is directed by Signature’s new Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard (Heartbeat Opera’s Fidelio, Berkshire Theatre Festival’s A Little Night Music) in his Signature directorial debut. Music Direction is by Angie Benson (Signature’s The Color Purple, RENT) and Choreography is by Ashleigh King (Ford’s Theater’s Grace, Keegan Theatre’s Legally Blonde). Performances run December 6, 2022 – January 22, 2023 in Signature’s ARK Theatre. Tickets are available at SigTheatre.org.
“I am thrilled that my first production at Signature will be Ana Nogueira’s funny and moving Which Way to the Stage, a play about the special friendship between a straight woman and gay man,” said Signature’s Associate Artistic Director and Director of Which Way to the Stage Ethan Heard. “The show weaves together hilarious musical theatre references with insightful reflections on the performance of gender. As the fabulous RuPaul likes to say: ‘We’re all born naked, and the rest is drag!’”
“I couldn’t be more excited to have the regional premiere of Which Way to the Stage happening at Signature Theatre – a place I have long admired as an audience member,” said Playwright Ana Nogueira. “I wrote this play as a love letter to the theater community, specifically to the members who have been swept aside and forgotten. That community doesn’t just exist in New York, we are stretched out all over the country, and the same issues of identity plague each of us as we go after the Big Dream. I hope this play makes people feel seen and, most importantly, makes them laugh.”
In Which Way to the Stage, Broadway superfans Jeff and Judy eagerly await their idol Idina Menzel after her performance in If/Then at the stage door every night. But when a sexy stranger enters the scene and upends their decades-long friendship, the musical theater aficionados have to go off book to rewrite their own finale.
The cast for Which Way to the Stage includes Dani Stoller (Arena Stage’s My Body, No Choice, Olney Theatre Center’s The Humans) as Judy, Mike Millan (Broadway’s Escape to Margaritaville, Off-Broadway’s Titanique) as Jeff, Michael Tacconi (Broadway’s West Side Story, The Cher Show) as Mark, and Nina-Sophia Pacheco (Constellation Theatre’s Once On This Island, St. Marks Players’ Gypsy) as Actress/Bachelorette/Casting Director. Leah Platt (First National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof) and Stephen Russell Murray (Signature’s Sunday in the Park with George) are understudies.
The creative team for Which Way to the Stage includes Scenic Design by Richard Ouellette (Olney Theatre Center’s Mary Stuart, Cape Rep Theatre’s The Full Monty), Costume Design by Frank Labovitz (Signature’s La Cage aux Folles, Cabaret), Lighting Design by Jesse Belsky (Signature’s The Mystery of Love & Sex, Studio Theatre’s John Proctor Is The Villain), Sound Design by Noel Nichols & UptownWorks (Baltimore Center Stage’s Fires in the Mirror, The Kennedy Center’s already there), and Wig Design by Ali Pohanka (Olney Theatre Center’s Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret). Signature Casting is by Jorge Acevedo. New York Casting is by Stewart/Whitley. Bailey Howard is the Production Stage Manager, Jessica Hagy is the Production Assistant, and Clancey Yovanovich is the Assistant Director.
Twitter & Instagram: @SigTheatre
Hashtag: #SigWhichWay
Which Way to the Stage is sponsored by Rick Kasten and Jeffrey Thurston & Charlie Berardesco.
EVENT LISTINGS
DC Premiere
Which Way to the Stage
December 6, 2022 — January 22, 2023
ARK Theatre
A playful yet profound comedy about friendship, ambition, and what happens when dreams fall just out of reach.
Broadway superfans Jeff and Judy eagerly await their idol Idina Menzel after her performance in If/Then at the stage door every night. But when a sexy stranger enters the scene and upends their decades-long friendship, the musical theater aficionados have to go off book to rewrite their own finale.
Signature’s new Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard makes his directorial debut with this funny and touching play about the roles we perform and transcending one’s “type.”
“The best new comedy since theatres reopened.”
–The Wrap
By Ana Nogueira
Directed by Ethan Heard
December 6, 2022 – January 22, 2023
Closed captions will be available for every show via the GalaPro app.
Pride Night, January 20, 2023
Post-show Discussions, January 4 and 10, 2023
Signature has updated its policy regarding masking in performance spaces. Please visit SigTheatre.org/Safety for more details on current safety standards.
Tickets and information at SigTheatre.org or 703 820 9771
SHORT LISTING
A playful yet profound comedy about friendship, ambition, and what happens when dreams fall just out of reach. Now playing at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA for 7 weeks only, December 6, 2022 – January 22, 2023. Tickets and information at SigTheatre.org.
ABOUT SIGNATURE
Signature Theatre is a Tony Award®-winning regional theater that broadens and brightens the region’s cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works and engaging education and outreach programs. Founded in 1989 by Eric Schaeffer and Donna Migliaccio, and currently under the leadership of Managing Director Maggie Boland and Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, musical theater is Signature’s “signature,” and the Theatre is renowned for its definitive Sondheim productions, inventive adaptations of overlooked or forgotten works, and investment in fresh new projects. Signature combines Broadway-caliber productions with intimate playing spaces and aims to be a leading force in U.S. musical theater.
Since its inception, the Theatre has produced 60 world premiere works—including 19 new musical commissions. Signature opens its doors to more than 100,000 people annually from the Washington, DC region and beyond and reaches more than 10,000 students every year through its innovative education programs, including the award-winning initiative Signature in the Schools. Signature has won 134 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region’s professional theater and has been honored with 452 nominations.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Signature Theatre • 4200 Campbell Avenue • Arlington, VA 22206
Tickets at SigTheatre.org Box Office: 703 820 9771 or [email protected]
Groups of 10 or more: 571 527 1843 or [email protected]
Signature Administration: 571 527 1860 or [email protected]
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