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Rick Miramontez / Kendall Edwards / Elda Kahssay
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

LOOK OUT! HERE COMES MUSICAL COMEDY’S NEXT BIG THING….
“BIGFOOT!”
BY TONY AWARD AND EMMY AWARD-NOMINEE
AMBER RUFFIN
DAVID A. SCHMOLL
AND
KEVIN SCIRETTA

TO PREMIERE OFF-BROADWAY THIS SPRING
AT NEW YORK CITY CENTER STAGE I

DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY
DANNY MEFFORD

New York, NY (September 12, 2025) – Benson Drive Productions (George Strus, CEO) announced today that BIGFOOT!, a new musical comedy by Amber Ruffin, David A. Schmoll, and Kevin Sciretta will premiere off-Broadway this spring at New York City Center Stage I. Directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford, the production will begin performances on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. This strictly limited, 8-weeks-only engagement will be in association with Manhattan Theatre Club. Additional information about casting and tickets will be announced at a later date. For more information, please visit  bigfootthemusical.com.

Set in the town of Muddirt, a glow-in-the-dark oasis that exists somewhere between a chemical dump site and a nuclear power plant, BIGFOOT! is a larger-than-life musical tale of corrupt politicians, small town paranoia, and misunderstood youth. When that youth happens to be eight feet tall, innocent, and in dire need of electrolysis, it makes him more than a target. It makes him the subject of a can’t miss can’t-myth musical comedy.

Featuring lyrics by Tony and Emmy Award nominee Amber Ruffin, a book by Ruffin and Kevin Sciretta (MST3K), music by David Schmoll (The Second City) and direction and choreography by Danny Meffford (Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen), BIGFOOT! is musical comedy’s next BIG thing!

BIGFOOT! is produced by Benson Drive Productions (George Strus, CEO) in association with Manhattan Theatre Club. Evan Bernardin Productions will serve as General Manager. Casting is by Jason Thinger, CSA.

BIOGRAPHIES

AMBER RUFFIN (Book & Lyrics) is an Emmy, Tony and WGA Award nominated writer and performer for NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “Have I Got News For You.” She has written and performed on many TV shows including “The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Detroiters,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “Drunk History.” Ruffin has written for the Emmys, Golden Globes and Tonys. Ruffin is a New York Times bestselling author, along with her sister Lacey Lamar, of “You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories of Racism” and “The World Record Book Of Racist Stories.” She co-wrote the most Tony-nominated musical of 2023, Some Like it Hot. Ruffin wrote 2024’s Broadway revival of The Wiz.

KEVIN SCIRETTA (Book) has been a writer, improviser, and actor in Chicago for over 20 years. Originally from Rosedale, Queens, NY, he’s performed The Second City as part of their National Touring Company and Theatricals, and at iO Chicago. Currently he can be seen every week at iO Chicago performing with the critically acclaimed Improvised Shakespeare Company. As a writer he’s worked for Second City, The Second City Network, The Onion News Network, the webseries “Doomsdate” (with Carisa Barreca), Season 13 of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and most recently as co-writer and creator of BIGFOOT! with Amber Ruffin and David Schmoll. He can be heard regularly as the character “Dripfang” on the podcast “Hello From the Magic Tavern,” is contributor to the weekly live magazine “The Paper Machete” and writes weekly fiction at The Secret Ward of Chicago on Substack. He’s represented by Marisa Paonessa at Paonessa Talent and Kevin Lin at CAA for BIGFOOT!.

DAVID SCHMOLL (Score) has specialized in music for comedy for over three decades, showcasing his unique blend of musical talent and comedic sensibility. He has served as Musical Director for comedy institutions The Second City and

Boom Chicago. More recently, Schmoll has composed and produced music for major networks and platforms including NBC, Peacock, TLC, Broadway Video, AOK Digital, and FOX ADHD. In addition to his work in comedy and television, he has expanded into the neoclassical genre, releasing a collection of atmospheric, emotionally resonant solo piano pieces.

DANNY MEFFORD (Direction & Choreography) has choreographed three Tony Award winners for Best Musical: Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen (also Olivier award for Best Musical) and Fun Home. As a director, his work includes The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Kennedy Center (Helen Hayes nomination), The Gorgeous Nothings, and The Fitzgeralds Of St. Paul. Highlights of his off-Broadway choreography include Titanic at City Center Encores, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Drama Desk nomination, Best Choreography), Miss You Like Hell, Much Ado About Nothing, And Good Person Of Szechwan. For TV, he staged all the theatrical sequences for “Rise” on NBC, made several dances for “Dickinson” on AppleTV+, and choreographed a sequence for “Fleischman is in Trouble” on FX. He is currently choreographing the Richard Linklater movie version of Merrily We Roll Along, a twenty-year project. He has an MFA in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep.

BENSON DRIVE PRODUCTIONS (Producer) is a New York-based production company developing projects from the mind of George Strus (they/them), who grew up on Benson Drive dreaming of making theatre. In February of 2025, Benson Drive Productions produced Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream at Broadway’s St. James Theatre, raising over $150,000 for the Entertainment Community Fund. Recent projects include Emil Weinstein’s Becoming Eve at New York Theatre Workshop and Stephen Sondheim’s TheFrogs at the Southwark Playhouse in London. Projects in development include Amber Ruffin’s BIGFOOT!, Cecilia Gentili’s Red Ink, a.k. payne’s Furlough’s Paradise, The Danish Girl, Neil Simon’s Rumors and over 20 projects in various stages of development. George’s co-producing credits include Stephen Sondheim’s Here We Are (off-Broadway), Illinoise (Tony nomination), Oh Mary! (2025 Tony nomination), Romeo + Juliet (2025 Tony nomination), The Roommate, All In, Evita (West End), and the upcoming Cats: The Jellicle Ball.

George founded the Obie Award-winning Breaking the Binary Theatre, is the latest recipient of the prestigious Prince Fellowship, and was recently accepted as a member of the 2025 Shubert Organization Artistic Circle. www.bensondriveprods.com.

MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB (MTC) is a not-for-profit theatre that has been under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow since 1972. In 2023, Chris Jennings became her partner, joining MTC as Executive Director. Meadow, Jennings and their first-rate staff produce seasons of innovative, entertaining and thought-provoking new plays and musicals at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway and off-Broadway stages at New York City Center. For over 50 years, MTC has served as a nurturing home for artists and theatre professionals at all stages of their careers. In that time, MTC has produced more than 600 premieres, which include nearly 20% of all of the new plays on Broadway since they opened the Friedman opened in 2003. To date, MTC productions have garnered 31 Tony Awards; 52 Drama Desk Awards; 49 Obie Awards; and seven Pulitzer Prizes for Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living, Lynn Nottage’s Ruined, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, David Auburn’s Proof, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and Beth Henley’s Crimes Of The Heart. MTC has been acclaimed for identifying, fostering and supporting talented artists in the creation of new work, and the hallmark of Meadow’s long tenure has been the quality, range and originality of the theatre’s repertoire. Artistic Development at MTC includes readings, workshops, fellowships, dramaturgical support and other resources for playwrights and other artists. MTC’s playwriting commission program is one of the largest in the country. MTC is committed to ticket access initiatives to make its productions broadly accessible, engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds. MTC strives to help them build deep connections with its work through Beyond the Stage programming and its Learning and Community Engagement program, which serves over 2,500 students of all ages annually throughout the NYC area, nationwide and abroad. For more information, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

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