Studio Theatre announces cast for immersive rock musical experience “Murder Ballad”
MURDER BALLAD
conceived by and with book and lyrics by Julia Jordan
music and lyrics by Juliana Nash
directed by David Muse
begins April 15, 2015
Studio Theatre is pleased to announce the cast for Murder Ballad, this spring’s explosive rock musical directed by Artistic Director David Muse.
Christine Dwyer will star as Sara. Ms. Dwyer was most recently seen on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked. She has also performed in the national tour productions of Wicked (Elphaba) and Rent (Maureen).
Tommar Wilson (Michael) has performed on Broadway in The Book of Mormon, Hair, Lestat, Never Gonna Dance, Hairspray, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Music Man.
Cole Burden (Tom) played Courfeyrac in the 25th Anniversary US National Tour of Les Miserables. His New York credits include Applause at New York City Center and Warrior and Bonnie & Clyde at New York Musical Theatre Festival.
Anastacia McCleskey (Narrator) most recently performed in the original Broadway production of Violet as an ensemble member and dance captain. She has also appeared on Broadway in The Book of Mormon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Hair, and Tarzan.
Staged cabaret-style in Stage 4—and with a full bar one hour before and after performances—Murder Ballad puts the audience in the middle of its action for a full immersive experience. Five-time Tony Award winner Brian MacDevitt (The Book of Mormon, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Coast of Utopia, The Pillowman, Into the Woods 2002) will serve as production designer, designing the environment, set, and lighting.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Sara’s life is perfect—Upper West Side husband, daughter, and life—until her irresistible past blows back into her life in the form of an old flame, a dangerous passion, and a love triangle headed for ignition. An explosive rock musical from Jonathan Larson Grantee Julia Jordan and indie rock singer/songwriter Juliana Nash (Talking to Animals).
INFORMATION
Where: Studio Theatre’s Stage 4, 1501 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Dates: April 15—May 10, 2015
Performances: Wednesday-Thursday, 8pm; Friday & Saturday, 7pm & 10pm; Sunday, 7pm; additional performances Monday, April 27 & May 4 at 8pm
Ticket Prices: $45-80; $25 Studio25 tickets for patrons under 30
About The Author
Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter
I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!
My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.
Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.
As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.
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