NEW REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES ASSASSINS OCTOBER 4-26, 2014

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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, September 8, 2014 MEDIA CONTACT Michael Duncan Smith x8205 NEW REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES ASSASSINS MUSIC AND LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM BOOK BY JOHN WEIDMAN DIRECTED BY JIM PETOSA OCTOBER 4-26, 2014 FEATURING BENJAMIN EVETT, PAULA LANGTON, MCCAELA DONOVAN, AND MARK LINEHAN [WATERTOWN] New Repertory Theatre announces ASSASSINS by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, October 4-26, 2014 in the Charles Mosesian Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA. Tickets are $30-$65 and may be purchased by calling the New Rep Box Office at or visiting newrep.org. Student, senior, and group discounts are available. Subscription packages including ASSASSINS are also available. The press opening will be Monday, October 6 at 7:30pm. The work of Stephen Sondheim has a transformative power, says New Rep Artistic Director, Jim Petosa. His skill in bringing to life intriguingly complex characters through music and lyrics is unmatched in contemporary musical theatre. That is no more apparent than in his explosive and controversial musical ASSASSINS. Intertwining the lives of American history s most notorious killers and would-be killers, Sondheim takes us on a journey into the psyche of these men and women and allows us a glimpse at what motivates them to seek immortality through violence. Over the past 30 years, New Rep has had the pleasure to produce several musicals from the prolific composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, says New Rep Managing Director, Harriet Sheets. His work is lively, imaginative, and thought-provoking in a way that New Rep audiences have always enjoyed. ASSASSINS may be the quintessential example of that type of work as it presents the lives of these infamous criminals in the less-than-ordinary setting of a musical. Page 1 of 8

2 About ASSASSINS Side-splitting and sobering in equal measure, raves The Los Angeles Times of this five-time Tony Award winner, including Best Revival of a Musical. Stephen Sondheim takes us into the criminal minds of some of history s most notorious assassins, including John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, and John Hinkley, Jr. Bending both time and space, this musical gathers a most unlikely meeting of historical misfits. Funded in part by a generous grant from the Gregory E. Bulger Foundation. Spotlight Symposium Series Sunday, October 5 after the 4pm performance Seeking Immortality: A Search for Notoriety through Acts of Violence Panelists and moderator announced soon. About New Repertory Theatre New Repertory Theatre is the award-winning, professional theatre company in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. Entering its 30th anniversary season as a leading self-producing theatre in greater Boston, New Rep produces contemporary and classic dramas, comedies, and musicals in both the 340-seat Charles Mosesian Theater and the 90-seat Black Box Theater. Annually, New Rep serves over 40,000 patrons, including over 2,000 season subscribers. In addition to its mainstage productions, New Rep produces Next Voices, a program dedicated to developing new plays with four playwrights through three staged readings and one world premiere production. Under its Lifelong Enrichment Arts Programs (LEAP), New Rep also produces its Classic Repertory Company, Page To Stage, Insider Experiences, and Spotlight Symposium Series. New Rep s Mission New Repertory Theatre produces plays that speak powerfully to the essential ideas of our time. Through the passion and electricity of live theater performed to the highest standards of excellence, New Rep expands and challenges the human spirit of both artists and audience. New Rep presents world premieres, contemporary and classic works in several intimate settings. We are committed to education and outreach, including special dedication to the creation of innovative in-school programming and providing access to underserved audiences. New Rep is an active advocate for the arts and a major voice in the national dialogue defining the role of theater in our culture. Page 2 of 8

3 Artistic Bios McCaela Donovan* (Lynette Squeaky Fromme) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Amadeus and Hot Mikado. She has performed locally with ArtsEmerson, Huntington Theatre Company, American Repertory Theater, Gloucester Stage Company, Commonwealth Shakespeare, Actors Shakespeare Project, Lyric Stage Company, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Company One, Stoneham Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, and Reagle Music Theatre. She has performed nationally with Primary Stages, New York Musical Theatre Festival, and Children s Theatre of Sioux Falls. She received a BFA in Musical Theatre from Ithaca College, an MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College, and an MFA in Acting from Brandeis University. She has worked or taught with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Boston Conservatory, Emerson College, Dean College, Emmanuel College, and Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts. Ms. Donovan currently serves as Assistant Director of Boston University s College of Fine Arts School of Theatre. Benjamin Evett* (Proprietor) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in On the Verge, Camelot (2014 IRNE Award, Best Actor in a Musical ), Amadeus, Cherry Docs, Opus, Indulgences, A Christmas Carol, Quills, A Girl s War, and Jerusalem, and directing RENT. He was recently seen in Freud s Last Session and God of Carnage (coproduced with Arizona Theatre Company and San Jose Rep). He was a member of the ART Resident Acting Company from 1993 to 2003, performing in over 50 productions, including Waiting for Godot, The Bacchae, Phedre, and Six Characters in Search of an Author. He has performed at Missouri Rep, Virginia Stage Company, Alley Theatre, Taiwan National Theatre, and Moscow Art Theatre. He is Founding Artistic Director of Actors Shakespeare Project, where he played Coriolanus, Hamlet, Petruchio, Edmund, and Caliban. Paula Langton* (Sarah Jane Moore) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in On the Verge, Amadeus, and Bakersfield Mist. Recent credits include Love's Labour's Lost and Mother Courage (Shakespeare & Company); The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in the- Moon Marigolds, Good, and Monster (Boston Center for American Performance); A Question of Mercy (Potomac Theatre Project); The Glass Menagerie (Olney Theatre Center); Trojan Barbie and Donnie Darko (American Repertory Theatre), Walking the Volcano and Daughter of Venus (Boston Page 3 of 8

4 Playwrights' Theatre); and Romeo and Juliet, Middletown, Twelfth Night, Othello, The Winter's Tale, King Lear, Measure for Measure, Henry V, All's Well That Ends Well, and Richard III (Actors Shakespeare Project). She has also performed with Boston Theatre Works, Los Angeles Women s Shakespeare Company, Charles Playhouse, Nora Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company, Coyote Theatre, Hasty Pudding, New York Theatre Workshop, and others. Ms. Langton serves as Head of Acting at Boston University s School of Theatre. She will next appear at New Rep in The Milk Train Doesn t Stop Here Anymore. Mark Linehan* (John Wilkes Booth) returns to New Repertory Theatre after appearing in Camelot and The Last Five Years. Other recent area credits include South Pacific (Reagle Music Theatre); Something's Afoot (Stoneham Theatre); and Hairspray (Wheelock Family Theatre). Film and television work include numerous commercials and stunt work in Surrogates and Shutter Island, as well as two episodes of Monumental Mysteries for the Travel Channel. Mr. Linehan earned his BFA in Musical Theater from Emerson College. Originally from Natick he currently resides in Malden. Jim Petosa** (Director/Artistic Director) joined New Repertory Theatre as an award-winning theater artist, educator, and leader in He has served as Director of the School of Theatre, College of Fine Arts, at Boston University since 2002, and Artistic Director of Maryland s Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and its National Players educational touring company ( ). While at BU, he established the Boston Center for American Performance (BCAP), the professional production extension of the BU School of Theatre, in Throughout the Northeast, Petosa has directed for numerous institutions, including On the Verge, The Elephant Man (IRNE Nomination), Amadeus, Three Viewings, The Last Five Years, and Opus at New Rep. In Boston, his work was nominated for two IRNE awards for A Question of Mercy (BCAP). He has served as one of three artistic leaders for the Potomac Theatre Project (PTP/NYC) since In Maryland, his work earned over 25 Helen Hayes Award nominations as well as the award for outstanding direction of a musical for Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well His production of Look! We Have Come Through! was nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for outstanding new play, and he earned the Montgomery County Executive s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Award for Outstanding Artist/Scholar. A member of Actors Equity Association, Mr. Petosa has served on the executive board of the Stage Page 4 of 8

5 Directors and Choreographers Society, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for StageSource. Originally from New Jersey, he was educated at The Catholic University of America and resides in Quincy. Judith Chaffee (Choreographer) is an Associate Professor of Movement at Boston University s College of Fine Arts School of Theatre. In 2011 she was awarded the BU Metcalf Cup and Prize for excellence in teaching, and the Association of Theatre Movement Specialists Outstanding Service Award. She is a specialist in dance, alignment/release techniques, Commedia dell Arte, choreography, viewpoints, masks, contact improvisation, and period styles. She has taught in England, Italy, Denmark, South Korea, Latvia, and extensively in the US. She has choreographed for OperaBoston, Central Square Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, North Shore Music Theatre, Actors Shakespeare Company, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Stoneham Theatre, Viborg Kulture Festival (Denmark), and Kwachon Madangkuk Festival in South Korea. Matthew Stern (Musical Director) makes his New Repertory Theatre debut. He has been music directing theatre in the Boston area for the past nine years, and has over 90 productions to his credit. He is currently in the second year of the MFA program in Theatre Education at Boston University. Musical direction credits include Hairspray (Wheelock Family Theatre, Elliot Norton Award Best Musical); Ragtime (Fiddlehead Theatre, BWW Award, IRNE Nomination); Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Merrily We Roll Along (Boston University); Nutcracker (Stoneham Theatre); Into the Woods and Honk (Stoneham Young Company); Candide (Berkshire Theatre Festival); Saturday Night (Brandeis Theatre Company). Mr. Stern has also been Music Director at French Woods Festival since Originally from outside of Philadelphia he currently resides in Jamaica Plain. He will next direct music for The Human Comedy (Boston University); and Shrek (Wheelock Family Theatre). ASSASSINS at a glance Company: Artistic Director: Managing Director: New Repertory Theatre Jim Petosa Harriet Sheets Page 5 of 8

6 Production: Venue: Author: Director: Music Director: Choreographer: ASSASSINS Charles Mosesian Theater Arsenal Center for the Arts 321 Arsenal Street Watertown, MA Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by John Weidman Jim Petosa** Matthew Stern Judith Chaffee Cast: Samuel Byck Peter S. Adams* Guiseppe Zangara Harrison Bryan Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme McCaela Donovan* Proprietor Benjamin Evett* Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald Evan Gambardella Ensemble Jesse Garlick Sarah Jane Moore Paula Langton* John Wilkes Booth Mark Linehan* Leon Czolgocz Kevin Patrick Martin* Charles Guiteau Brad Peloquin* Emma Goldman/Ensemble Casey Tucker John Hinkley, Jr. Patrick Varner Production Team: Scenic Designer Kamilla Kurmenbekova Associate Scenic Designer JiYoung Han Costume Designer Chelsea Kerl Lighting Designer Jedidiah Roe Sound Designer Michael Policare Stage Manager Anna Burnham* Assistant Stage Manager Leslie Sears* *Denotes member of Actors Equity Association (AEA) **Denotes member of Society of Directors & Choreographers (SDC) Page 6 of 8

7 Performance Schedule: Saturday, October 4, 8pm Preview Sunday, October 5, 4pm Preview/Symposium Monday, October 6, 7:30pm Press Opening Thursday, October 9, 7:30pm Friday, October 10, 8pm Saturday, October 11, 8pm Sunday, October 12, 2pm Sunday, October 12, 7pm Wednesday, October 15, 7:30pm Thursday, October 16, 7:30pm Friday, October 17, 8pm Saturday, October 18, 3pm Saturday, October 18, 8pm Sunday, October 19, 2pm Thursday, October 23, 2:00pm Thursday, October 23, 7:30pm Friday, October 24, 8pm Saturday, October 25, 3pm Saturday, October 26, 8pm Sunday, October 27, 2pm Talk Back Talk Back Talk Back Talk Back Special Events: Tuesday, September 16 First Rehearsal Wednesday, October 1 at 6:30pm Sneak Peek Wednesday, October 15 at 6:30pm Inside the Play Tickets: Parking: Public Transportation: Accessibility: Telephone: , Online: newrep.org In Person: 12 noon to 6pm, Arsenal Center for the Arts 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA Free, six-level parking garage next to the Arsenal Center for the Arts #70 or #70A bus to the School Street stop from Central Square Station, Red Line Wheelchair Accessible, Assistive Listening System, Large-Print and Braille Programs Available Page 7 of 8

8 Season Sponsors: Mainstage Season Sponsor: For Media Inquiries: Massachusetts Cultural Council, NCGIT, The Mall at Chestnut Hill WGBH Michael Duncan Smith Marketing & PR Director x8205 ### Page 8 of 8