This Ain’t No Disco
Music & Lyrics by STEPHEN TRASK & PETER YANOWITZ
Book by STEPHEN TRASK & PETER YANOWITZ and RICK ELICE
Choreography by CAMILLE A. BROWN
Directed by DARKO TRESNJAK
Linda Gross Theater
June 30 – August 12, 2018
This Ain’t No Disco is a world premiere musical from the creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz (The Wallflowers, Morningwood), choreographed by Camille A. Brown (Once On This Island), and directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Anastasia).
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Part rock opera, part impressionist tone poem set in the nightclubs and art world of 1979 New York City, This Ain’t No Disco interweaves the stories of strivers, dreamers and drifters searching for their place at Studio 54 and Mudd Club, the art scene and downtown lofts. In their uptown/downtown quest for revelry and kinship, this disparate group, in different stages of becoming and falling apart, find themselves and each other in a city on the verge of a massive cultural shift.
Cast & Creative
Krystina Alabado
Meesh
KRYSTINA ALABADO. Broadway: American Psycho (Original Broadway Cast), Green Day’s American Idiot. 1st National Tours: Evita (Mistress), American Idiot, Spring Awakening. Off-Broadway: The Mad Ones (Samantha Brown, 59E59 Theatre), David Bowie’s Lazarus (NYTW), Camp Wanatachi (La MaMa). Regional: Burn All Night (American Repertory Theater), Miss You Like Hell (La Jolla Playhouse), Pregnancy Pact (Weston Playhouse), Beautiful Room (Long Wharf Theatre). TV/Film: First Reformed, “Tyrant” (FX). IG and Twitter @krystinaalabado.
Cameron Amandus
Disco Man
CAMERON AMANDUS. NYC & Regional: Spamilton (swing/ Dance Captain); Pittsburgh CLO: Aida, South Pacific. Cameron is excited to join this company and thanks his Wonder Woman of a mother and everyone at The Mine agency for their support. Amandus means giver and receiver of love. Thank you for the love. Go Blue! Ig: @i.amandus
Will Connolly
The Artist
WILL CONNOLLY. Broadway: Once (Original Broadway Cast). Off-Broadway: After The Blast (LCT3); Once (NYTW); Spacebar: A Broadway Play by Kyle Sugarman (The Wild Project). Regional: Be More Chill (Two River Theater), Candida (Palm Beach Dramaworks; Carbonell Award). Co-Writer/Composer of the musical Fly By Night (Playwrights Horizons; Drama Desk nominee for Best Musical) and founding member of The NOLA Project. TV credits include “Person of Interest” and “Deadbeat.” Original Music: Caterpillars of the Commonwealth, Freddie Won The Toss. MFA from Yale School of Drama.
Eddie Cooper
The D.A.
EDDIE COOPER. Credits: Bucks County Playhouse’s The New World (Miles Standish); Encores! Off Center productions of Assassins, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater (Jerome) and Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II); Two Rivers’ all-male A Funny Thing Happened… (Domina). TV: “Delco Proper,” “Forever,” “Mozart In The Jungle,” recurring on Cinemax’s “Banshee” as Fat Au and HBO’s Emmy-nominated “The Night Of.” Proud graduate of LaGuardia High School & Ithaca College. @MrEddieCooper
Tony d’Alelio
Disco Man
TONY D’ALELIO. Off-Broadway debut. National Tours: Kinky Boots (Angel), Matilda the Musical (Michael Wormwood), and Beauty and the Beast (LeFou). Regional: Matilda at The Kennedy Center, South Pacific at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Gypsy at Harbor Lights Theatre Co, and La Cage Aux Folles at The Wick. @tonydalelio
Lulu Fall
Landa/Landon
LULU FALL. Broadway: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; Hair. National Tour: Hair. Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812; Pretty Filthy; Hadestown. Regional: The Who’s Tommy, Acid Queen (Denver Center), Smokey Joe’s Café (Capital Repertory Theatre), Crowns (Arena Stage), Passing Strange (Studio Theatre). Select Workshops: August Rush (Dir. John Doyle), 15 Minute (NYSAF), Annie Golden Bounty Hunter (Dir, Leah Gardiner). TV: “Black Rest” (HBO). Featured music performances: Jazz Re:freshed, Performer (London); American Songbook Program, Performer.
Hannah Florence
Disco Woman
HANNAH FLORENCE. Broadway: Paramour: A Cirque du Soleil Musical (Lila); Gigi; Scandalous. New York: West Side Story (Carnegie Hall); Anna Nicole: The Opera (BAM/NYC Opera); Grand Hotel; It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman!; The Golden Apple (New York City Center Encores!). The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Tour (Meg). Regional: A Chorus Line (Diana, The MUNY), Anything Goes (Hope, Goodspeed Opera House), The Honeymooners (Paper Mill Playhouse). @yeshannahbanana
Chilina Kennedy
Binky
CHILINA KENNEDY has starred as Carole King in Broadway’s Beautiful The Carole King Musical for the past three years. Credits include: Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway, Stratford, La Jolla), Phoebe D’Ysquith in A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder at Hartford Stage/Old Globe San Diego (Hartford and San Diego Outer Critics Circle nominations), three seasons each with the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, the World Premiere of The Lord of the Rings (Toronto, Mirvish), and Sophie in the 1st US National Tour of Mamma Mia!. Chilina has performed in concert with Stephen Schwartz, Jason Robert Brown and Colm Wilkinson. She is also the Artistic Producer of Toronto’s Eclipse Theatre Company and has a debut album titled What You Find In A Bottle. www.chilinakennedy.com
Peter Laprade
Chad/Rake
PETER LAPRADE is thrilled to join the cast of This Ain’t No Disco! He was most recently Off-Broadway in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and has appeared on TV in PBS’s “Mercy Street.” Peter also debuted his solo concert at 54 Below earlier this year. Other favorite credits include Spring Awakening, Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Hair. B.A. in Theatre, University of Kentucky.
John-Michael Lyles
Disco Man
JOHN-MICHAEL LYLES. Off-Broadway: Sweeney Todd, The Flick (Barrow Street), Brooklynite (Vineyard), Jasper in Deadland (Prospect). City Center Encores: Big River, 1776. Regional: The Art of Falling (Second City/Hubbard Street), Choir Boy (Guthrie). TV: “NCIS: New Orleans,” “The OA.” Film: Blind. Recordings: Jasper in Deadland. BFA: Pace University Musical Theater. Instagram: @jmlyles1 | www.john-michaellyles.com
Krystal Mackie
Disco Woman
KRYSTAL MACKIE. Brooklyn-bred. Off-Broadway debut. Alumna of LaGuardia Arts HS and UNCSA, BFA. Credits include: After Midnighton Norwegian Cruise Line, George Faison’s The Wiz. Regional Theater: In the Heights. Recently assisted Juel D. Lane’s choreographic work on Ailey II. @krystalmackie
Trevor McQueen
Staffer/Steve Mass
TREVOR MCQUEEN is a performing artist and writer. Broadway: Annie Get Your Gun. He last appeared at Atlantic Theater Company as Papi in a reading of The Band’s Visit. His original character, Agnus Stephenson: The Acting Teacher With a Dream, regularly plays The Duplex. www.TrevorMcQueen.com IG: @trevormcqueen. Agnus IG: @agnusthegreat
Nicole Medoro
Disco Woman
NICOLE MEDORO. A multi-talented entertainer, Nicole has performed with Madonna, Nicki Minaj, and Hailee Steinfeld, and also appeared on “The Tonight Show,” “SNL,” “Last Week Tonight,” and Nickelodeon. Nicole made her Broadway debut with The Illusionists and danced as a Brooklynette at the Barclays Center. Additionally, she has an upcoming role in Natalie Portman’s Vox Lux. Nicole is also pursuing her ultimate passion as a Pop singer/songwriter. When not on stage, she spends her time in the studio creating her original music.
Ian Paget
Disco Man
IAN PAGET. Recent credits: Paul in A Chorus Line at The Muny Theatre (Dir: Dennis Jones). Broadway: Soul Doctor (Original Broadway Cast), Leap of Faith (OBC), Mamma Mia!. The New York Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall (Dir/Chor: Mia Michaels). West End: A-rab in West Side Story (Olivier Nomination). Regional: Escape to Margaritaville (La Jolla Playhouse), How to Succeed… (Tuts), Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla), and Dreamgirls (Tuts). Film/TV: “Lip Sync Battle,” Rock of Ages, Step Up Revolution, “Mozart in the Jungle,” “One Life to Live,” “America’s Got Talent,” “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and “Saturday Night Live.” ipaget.com
Theo Stockman
Steve Rubell
THEO STOCKMAN last appeared on Broadway originating the role of Tim Price in American Psycho. Other Broadway credits include the original casts of American Idiot and The Public Theater’s revival of Hair. Off-Broadway he starred in the world premiere of David Rabe’s An Early History of Fire. TV credits include “Law & Order: SVU,” “Shades Of Blue,” “Inside Amy Schumer,” “The Following,” “Private Practice,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Blue Bloods,” “CSI,” “30 Rock,” and HBO’s “Olive Kitteridge.” Recent film includes The Boy Downstairs, Stephen King’s A Good Marriage, and Home. He can be seen in the critically acclaimed web series “High Maintenance,” now on HBO. Upcoming: Anonymous Content’s “Bonding” on Blackpills/Apple TV.
Samantha Marie Ware
Sammy
SAMANTHA MARIE WARE. Stage credits: Lion King (Nala); Book Of Mormon (Broadway/ 1st National, Nabulungi); Hamilton (Chicago, Peggy Schuyler). TV: “Glee” as Jane Hayward, “Barry,” “Bull,” “Chicago Med,” “N.C.I.S.”
Antonio Watson
Charlie
ANTONIO WATSON is excited to be making his Atlantic Theater Company debut. A New Jersey native, Antonio made his professional stage debut in Caroline, Or Change (Tantrum Theater). TV/Film: “Blue Bloods,” All The Little Things We Kill, In The Field, Lily, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Nick Jr., Sesame Street Workshop, and Sprout TV. Regionally: The People Garden, Junie B. Jones, Winnie the Pooh KIDS, Seussical KIDS, Oliver Jr.Antonio loves to create fun drawings, play soccer, and conduct science experiments. Special thanks to Zoom Talent, Abrams Artists, Mom, Dad, Winston, and Ms. Servon. Instagram @antonio.j.watson
Stephen Trask
Music & Lyrics, Book
STEPHEN TRASK first achieved wide acclaim as the co-creator/composer/lyricist of the award-winning stage musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which was also developed into a feature film release by Fine Line Features and for which he won an Obie Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, a 1998 New York Magazine Award, Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Music, Lyrics and New Musical, a Grammy nomination for Best Cast Album, two GLAMA Awards, and Entertainment Weekly’s Best Soundtrack Award for 2001. The current Broadway production of the show won four 2014 Tony Awards, and the soundtrack has been nominated for a Grammy. Since 2003 Trask has been scoring films at both the independent and studio levels for directors as diverse as Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, Miramax Films), Paul Weitz (In Good Company, American Dreamz, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Little Fockers, Universal Pictures), Todd Graff (Camp, IFC Productions/Jersey Films/Killer Films), Tamara Jenkins, (The Savages, Fox Searchlight), Jon Kasdan (In the Land of Women, Warner Brothers), Robert Benton (Feast of Love, MGM/Lakeshore), John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Fine Line), Sean Anders (Sex Drive, Summit Entertainment), Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Dreamworks/Paramount), Alan Poul, (The Back-up Plan, CBS Films), Tom Vaughn (So Undercover, Exclusive Media), Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Lovelace). In addition to Hedwig, Trask’s work for the Broadway stage includes orchestrations for the recent production of Rocky, the musical based on the classic film. He is also at work on a new musical in collaboration with book writer Chris D’Arienzo (Rock of Ages) to bring the Martin Scorsese/New Regency film The King of Comedy to the stage. Known for his time fronting ‘90s NYC punk band Cheater, Trask has also recorded and performed with artists such as Stone Temple Pilots, Bob Mould, Sleater-Kinney and Yoko Ono.
Peter Yanowitz
Music & Lyrics, Book
PETER YANOWITZ is a songwriter and performer living in New York City. He made his Broadway debut as ‘Schlatko,’ the drummer in the Tony award-winning Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Yanowitz was the original drummer of The Wallflowers, and for Natalie Merchant on her first three solo records Tigerlily, Ophelia and Live in Concert. Other artists he has recorded and performed with include Yoko Ono, Allen Ginsberg and Wilco. Yanowitz was also the bass player and main songwriter for the band Morningwood on Capitol records.
Darko Tresnjak
Director
DARKO TRESNJAK received the 2014 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his direction of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, starring Jefferson Mays. He received an Obie Award in 2015 for his direction of The Killer at TFANA, starring Michael Shannon. Favorite productions include The Ghosts of Versailles with Patti LuPone and Patricia Racette (Los Angeles Opera); The Women with Kate Baldwin (The Old Globe); Rear Window with Kevin Bacon (Hartford Stage); The Merchant of Venice with F. Murray Abraham (TFANA, The Royal Shakespeare Company); All’s Well That Ends Well with Kate Forbes (TFANA); The Skin of Our Teeth with Marian Seldes and Kristine Nielsen (Williamstown Theatre Festival); What the Butler Saw with Paxton Whitehead (Huntington Theatre Company); and Titus Andronicus with John Vickery (Stratford Shakespeare Festival). His production of Anastasia, currently on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, is opening in Spain and Germany and going on a national tour this fall. In September, his production of Samson et Dalila, starring Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna, will open the Metropolitan Opera’s 2018-2019 season. Darko is the Artistic Director of Hartford Stage.
Camille A. Brown
Choreographer
CAMILLE A. BROWN. Broadway: Once on this Island (Drama Desk Award Nominee, Outer Critics Circle Award Nominee, Chita Rivera Award Nominee), A Streetcar Named Desire. Off-Broadway: Bella: An American Tall Tale (Playwrights Horizons, AUDELCO Award, Lucille Lortel Award Nominee), The Fortress of Solitude (The Public Theater, Lucille Lortel Nominee), Cabin in the Sky, tick, tick…BOOM! (NYCC Encores!). Regional: The Wiz (The MUNY), ink at The Kennedy Center, Stagger Lee (Dallas Theater Center), The Winter’s Tale (McCarter Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company), Blood Quilt (Arena Stage); Television: NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert; Company: Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Awards: 2017 Art of Change Fellow-Ford Foundation, 2016 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award recipient, 2015 USA Fellow, 2015 Doris Duke Artist Award, 2015 TED Fellow, 2014 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production, 4 time Princess Grace Award winner. Upcoming: Choir Boy (Manhattan Theatre Club, Dir. Trip Cullman); Toni Stone (Roundabout Theatre Company, Dir. Pam McKinnon), Oo-Bla-Dee (Two River Theatre, Dir. Ruben Santiago-Hudson); Pal Joey (Broadway revival, Dir. Tony Goldwyn). www.camilleabrown.org
Darius Smith
Music Director
DARIUS SMITH. Off-Broadway: Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (City Center), Futurity (ArsNova & Soho Rep), Three Little Birds (New Victory). Regional: The Wiz (Ford’s Theatre), Nina Simone: Four Girls (Arena Stage), His Eye is On the Sparrow (Portland Center Stage), Jelly’s Last Jam (Signature Theater), Choir Boy (Marin Theater Company) The Producers, Once on this Island (Olney Theater Center); Original Works: Marcus Nate is Alive and Great and Living in Detroit (NY workshop), The Snowy Day (Best TYA Production Helen Hayes nomination); U.G.L.Y. (Signature Theater SigWorks MT Lab, Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage); Songs in the Key of Chocolate (Signature Theatre Summer Cabaret Series). Awards: 2017 City Center Music Directing Fellowship. 2018 Helen Hayes Award Nomination: Outstanding Music Direction (Nina Simone: Four Women), 2017 Helen Hayes Award Nomination: Outstanding Music Direction (Jelly’s Last Jam), 2016 San Francisco Theatre Critics Award: Outstanding Music Direction (Choir Boy), 2015 Signature Theatre Young Artist Citation. Upcoming: The Color Purple (Portland Center Stage).
Jason Sherwood
Scenic Designer
JASON SHERWOOD is a Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, and American Theatre Wing Henry Hewes Design Award nominee. He recently designed Sam Smith’s Arena World Tour, and campaign TV appearances (including Grammys, Brits, SNL). Off-Broadway: New York Theatre Workshop (Sojourners and Her Portmanteau), Playwrights Realm (Sojourners), 59E59 (Songbird), and The Flea (The Mysteries). Regional: Old Globe, Signature Theatre, Denver Center, Shakespeare Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, the Alliance, among others. Upcoming: The Secret Garden (dir: Warren Carlyle), production design for The People’s Choice Awards on E!, the world premiere of Endlings by Celine Song at ART. NYU grad. Instagram: @JasonSherwoodDesign
Sarah Laux
Costume Designer
SARAH LAUX. Broadway: The Band’s Visit, The Humans, Fully Committed. Selected Off-Broadway/Regional: Jerry Springer: The Opera (New Group, Obie Award); On the Shore of the Wide World (Atlantic Theater Company); Bad Dates (Huntington Theatre Company); Bad Jews (George Street Playhouse); Man From Nebraska (Second Stage); The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company); Ultimate Beauty Bible (Pg 73); Empathitrax (Colt Coer); The Effect (Barrow Street Theatre); Thresh/Hold (Pilobolus Dance Theater); Come Back, Little Sheba (Huntington Theatre Company); Women or Nothing (Atlantic Theatre Company); Really, Really (MCC); The Devil and Mr. Punch (Walker Arts Center). Film: Freakshow (Maven).
Ben Stanton
Lighting Designer
BEN STANTON. A three-time Tony Award nominee, Ben has designed lighting for well over a hundred theatrical productions on Broadway, off-Broadway, and across the US and Europe. Recent theater projects include Ayad Akhtar’s JUNK at Lincoln Center, the Broadway revival of Six Degrees of Separation (starring Allison Janney, Corey Hawkins, and John Benjamin Hickey); Deaf West Theater’s Broadway revival of Spring Awakening; Becky Mode’s Fully Committed (starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson); and Fun Home (Broadway, Off-Broadway, 1st National Tour, & London). In addition to theater, Ben has designed concerts and tours for recording artists such as Beirut, Regina Spektor, Sufjan Stevens, and St. Vincent.
Emily Lazar
Sound Designer
EMILY LAZAR. Founder/President/Chief Mastering Engineer of The Lodge, Emily has mastered and mixed thousands of recordings. In 2012 she became the first female mastering engineer nominated for a Grammy for Album of The Year for Foo Fighter’s Wasting Light. She broke the glass ceiling again with The Bird and the Bee’s Recreational Love nominated for Best Engineered Album. Discography: Foo Fighters, David Bowie, Coldplay, Sia, Lou Reed, Beck, The Killers, Vampire Weekend, Destiny’s Child, Natalie Merchant, Sonic Youth, RZA, Morrissey, Garbage, Depeche Mode, Tiësto, The Prodigy. OSTs: Sound City, Annie, GTA-V, Pokémon, Hedwig, Training Day, Boys Don’t Cry, Six Feet Under. Lazar currently serves on The Recording Academy’s Board of Governors and Producer & Engineers Wing Steering Committee.
Aaron Rhyne
Video Designer
AARON RHYNE. Designs include BROADWAY: Anastasia(Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Drama Desk Award), Bonnie and Clyde. OPERA: The Ghosts of Versailles (LA Opera), La Traviata (Wolftrap), Florencia en el Amazonas (Florida Grand, Opera Colorado, Utah Opera). OFF BROADWAY: Absolute Brightness…(Westside), Bootycandy (Playwrights Horizons), Appropriate (Signature), Water By the Spoonful; Lonely, I’m Not; The Blue Flower; All New People (Second Stage), Wild With Happy (The Public, Drama Desk Nomination), Graceland(Lincoln Center). UPCOMING: The Sound Inside (Williamstown), The Thirteenth Child (Santa Fe Opera). www.aaronrhyne.com
Mike Potter
Hair & Makeup Designer
MIKE POTTER was born and raised in rural Delaware. He began doing wigs and makeup at a very young age. He has painted, worked in the arts and done makeup ever since. BS resource economics, University of Delaware. Mike created the Hair and makeup for Hedwig and the Angry Inch since its beginnings with Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell at the Jane Street Theatre, as well as the wigs and makeup for Hedwig the film and on Broadway. He works as a freelance makeup artist in fashion, film, advertising and music. Mike lives New York City.
Samantha Watson
Production Stage Manager
SAMANTHA WATSON. Atlantic: Posterity, Our New Girl, The Jammer, Harper Regan. Broadway: Significant Other, The Real Thing. Off-Broadway: Bobbie Clearly, The Last Match, Significant Other (Roundabout); A Funny Thing Happened… (MCC); Lazarus (NYTW); Taking Care of Baby (MTC); Rimbaud In New York, The Master Builder (BAM); A Man’s A Man (CSC); Stay (Rattlestick). Regional: La Jolla Playhouse, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, New York Stage & Film. International: The Bridge Project’s Richard III (BAM, Old Vic Theatre, international tour). MFA from UC San Diego.
Lizzy Lee
Assistant Stage Manager
LIZZY LEE is excited to be back at Atlantic, where she previously worked on Marie and Rosetta. Broadway: SpongeBob SquarePants, Sunset Boulevard, Motown. Tours: Dirty Dancing, Flashdance. New York: KPOP, The Wildness, Futurity (Ars Nova); Death of a Salesman (Theater Mitu/BAM); LoveSick, The Revival (Project Y); Our Lot (Clubbed Thumb); Twelfth Night (Fiasco). Regional: New York Stage & Film. Four seasons at Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival. International: Steel Hammer (SITI Company/Abu Dhabi); Hamlet/UR Hamlet, A Dream Play (Theater Mitu/Abu Dhabi). Lizzy is a proud lady of Kenyon College.
Reviews
“An excellent score! Trask and Yanowitz show a true gift for melody. Their wordplay never fails to dazzle.”
Robert Hofler, The Wrap
“A high energy, glitter-ball bedecked celebration.”
Sara Holdren, New York Magazine
Photos
Photos by Ben Arons