George Takei and “Allegiance” Debuts Docuseries “Trek to Broadway” with Facebook
Contact: Rick Miramontez /Pete Sanders/ Scott Braun
rick@oandmco.com / pete@oandmco.com / scott@oandmco.com
212 695-7400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
BROADWAY’S “ALLEGIANCE”
TO DISTRIBUTE DOCUSERIES
“ A L L E G I A N C E : T R E K T O B R O A D W A Y ”
EXCLUSIVELY ON FACEBOOK
LAUNCH SET FOR FIRST EPISODE ON MONDAY, AUGUST 3RD
New York, NY (Monday, August 3) – Lorenzo Thione and Andrew Treagus, producers of the upcoming Broadway musical Allegiance starring Lea Salonga and George Takei, will release their new docuseries ALLEGIANCE: Trek to Broadway, which chronicles the musical’s journey to Broadway, directly to their fans exclusively on Facebook. The first of this ten-part docuseries will debut on Monday, August 3, 2015 with new bimonthly installments through December 2015. Broadway’s Allegiance, a new musical inspired by Takei’s true-life story, opens on November 8, 2015 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). Previews begin October 6.
In a statement, producer Lorenzo Thione said: “Since we began the journey to bring Allegiance to Broadway, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the millions of online fans of George Takei and our show. To further engage with them, we are thrilled to debut this series on Facebook, giving fans of George, of the show, and of Broadway in general, an exciting behind-the-scenes look at building a Broadway musical — think “Survivor” meets “The Bachelor” meets “Shark Tank”— while also being an intimate portrait of George’s lifelong dream to bring this personal story to the stage.”
Starting on Monday, August 3rd fans can watch the series on George Takei’s official Facebook Page
You can watch the first episode directly on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei/videos/1323242271038556/
You can embed the first episode in your coverage with the below embed code:
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ALLEGIANCE: Trek to Broadway chronicles the journey of Allegiance, the groundbreaking new musical inspired by the true-life experience of its star, “Star Trek” alum George Takei, when thousands of American families like his own had the resilience and spirit to stay united and strong in a country divided by fear during World War II. This exciting, dynamic 10-episode web series gives an all-access pass to the process that goes into mounting a Broadway production. ALLEGIANCE: Trek to Broadway is directed by Greg Vander Veer of Local Road Productions. The creative team for the docuseries includes editor Elisa Da Prato and cinematographers Geoff Shelton, Peter Buntaine and Greg Vander Veer.
Broadway’s Allegiance—an original musical inspired by a true story—features a book by Marc Acito and music and lyrics by Jay Kuo. Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima (London’s Ragtime, Off-Broadway’s Bare, Carrie, Altar Boyz) directs.
The cast of Allegiance includes: George Takei as Sam Kimura/Ojii San; Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura; Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura; Christopheren Nomura as Tatsuo Kimura; Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki; Katie Rose Clarke as Hannah Campbell and Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka. The ensemble will feature Aaron J. Albano, Belinda Allyn, Marcus Choi, Janelle Dote, Dan Horn, Owen Johnston, Darren Lee, Kevin Munhall, Manna Nichols, Autumn Ogawa, Rumi Oyama, Momoko Sugai, Sam Tanabe, Elena Wang , Scott Watanabe and Scott Wise.
Andrew Palermo will serve as choreographer. Music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations are by Lynne Shankel, and musical direction by Laura Bergquist. Scenic design is by Tony® winner Donyale Werle, costume design by Tony® nominee Alejo Vietti, lighting design by Tony® winner Howell Binkley, sound design by Tony® nominee Kai Harada, and hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe. Projection design is by Darrel Maloney. Casting by Telsey + Company/Craig Burns, CSA
Tickets are now on-sale on Telecharge.com (212) 239-6200.
Inspired by the true-life experience of its star George Takei (“Star Trek,” “Heroes”), Allegiance follows one family’s extraordinary journey in this untold American story. A mysterious envelope leads Sam Kimura (Takei) back 60 years to a time when he (played as a young man by Telly Leung — Godspell, “Glee”) and his sister Kei (Tony® winner Lea Salonga — Miss Saigon, Mulan) strive to save their family from the wrongful imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Sam enlists in the army to prove the Kimura’s loyalty, but Kei joins draft resisters fighting for the rights of their people. Their paths take them from the lush farmlands of California to the wastelands of Wyoming to the battlefields of Europe, and their divided loyalties threaten to tear them apart forever. But as long-lost memories are unlocked, Sam finds that it is never too late to forgive and to recognize the redemptive power of love.
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