2012 TEEN SUMMER WORKSHOP PRODUCTION

July 19 & 20, 2012 @ 7pm
July 21, 2012 @ 2pm and 7pm
July 22, 2012 @ 2pm
Sweeney Todd School Edition
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by  Hugh Wheeler
Directed by Eric Polani Jensen & Frances Leah King
Music Direction by John Allman
Two Acts, Book Musical, Thru Sung / Operetta, Rated PG

The rare instance of a musical thriller, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barber-ism and culinary crime tells the infamous tale of the unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th century London seeking revenge against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. His thirst for blood soon expands to include his unfortunate customers, and the resourceful proprietress of the pie shop downstairs soon has the people of London lining up in droves with her mysterious new meat pie recipe!

This special School Edition has been masterfully adapted, working directly with Mr. Sondheim, to retain the dark wit and grand scope of the original work, with a few lyric and key changes to facilitate high school productions.  Sophisticated, macabre, visceral and uncompromising, SWEENEY TODD SCHOOL EDITION nevertheless has a great sense of fun, mixing intense drama with howlingly funny moments of dark humor: audiences find themselves laughing hysterically one moment and gasping in surprise the next.

THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Eric Polani Jensen (Director) is thrilled to be teaching again. Eric directed Last Exit in 2009, Children of Eden in 2007, and choreographed fights in Les Misérables (School Edition) and trust me for Village Theatre KIDSTAGE. Onstage, he has been seen at Village Theatre as the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as Perón in Evita, and reprised his role as Howard in Village Theatre's Mainstage production of Stunt Girl. Regional credits include: Oscar Jaffee in On the 20th Century with Showtunes!, Emile de Becque in South Pacific, the Governor in Man of La Mancha at Village Theatre, and Sweeney Todd at The 5th Avenue. He has also performed at Seattle Repertory Theatre, SCT, ACT, and TAG.

Frances Leah King (Director) is an Adjunct Instructor in Musical Theater at Cornish College of the Arts. Frances is a working professional actress, seasoned vocal instructor, voice-over talent, and a proud mom of a 5 year old daughter. She has made the Pacific Northwest her home for the past 20 years. Some of Frances’ favorite roles have been: Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Rebecca in Rags, Leona in Do I Hear a Waltz?, Lady Anne in Richard III and Fay Apple in Anyone Can Whistle. Frances directed A Man of No Importance at Showtunes! in January 2009. Frances has found teaching to be one of the most rewarding experiences in her life. Assisting the next generation of performers to find their strength and confidence is an honor.

John Allman (Music Director) is thrilled to return to SSR after serving as Music Director for this season's TYA production of Rumplestiltskin. Recently he conducted Camelot for Lyric Light Opera and played keyboard in Hairspray at Seattle Musical Theatre. Favorite credits include: The King and I and The Sound of Music (LLO), A Man of No Importance (Showtunes!), The Alchemists (Village Theatre Originals), Midsummer Night's Dream (KIDSTAGE), Illyria (Redwood Theater), and his own original works Agamemnon (La MaMa ETC, NYC) and Mask of Alice (Museum of Intl. Folk Art/Santa Fe Opera).

Sweeney Todd School Edition is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 | www.MTIShows.com