Every day is opening night.

Contact: Rick Miramontez
rick@oandmco.com
(212) 695-7400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

DIRECTED BY TOM RIDGELY

New York – Waterwell, the acclaimed downtown company behind last summer’s #9 and 2007’s The|King|Operetta, is partnering with the Indiana University Department of Theatre & Drama to present a workshop of the new musical The Wizard of Wall Street at The Wells-Metz Theatre (275 N. Jordan Avenue, Bloomington, IN) August 26 – 29, 2010.

The Wizard of Wall Street is an all new musical about the life and times of financier/railroad executive Jay Gould who was, according to Joseph Pulitzer, “one of the most sinister figures that have ever flitted bat-like across the vision of the American people.” Known in his own time as the “Mephistopheles of Wall Street” and throughout history as “Robbingest of the Robber Barons,” Jay Gould’s was one of the most spectacular and controversial careers in American business.

The cast features Jordan Gelber (Avenue Q, All My Sons), Philip Hernández (Les Miserables, Kiss of the Spider Woman), Sean McNall (Pearl Theatre Company, OBIE Award Winner) and Nicole Parker (Wicked, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me).

Featuring a book by award-winning playwright Jonathan A. Goldberg, music by Lauren Cregor Devine (IT Award Nominee, The Persians…a comedy about war with five songs), and lyrics by Lauren Cregor Devine, Jonathan A. Goldberg and Tom Ridgely, The Wizard of Wall Street will be directed by Tom Ridgely (Drama Desk Nominee, Marco Millions (based on lies)) and choreographed by George Pinney (Tony Nominee, Blast!). Terry LaBolt will serve as musical director.

Performances are Thursday – Saturday, August 26-28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 29 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students), and available through Ticketmaster at 812-333-9955 or by visiting www.indiana.edu/~thtr/productions/tickets.shtml.

Bios

JORDAN GELBER (Jim Fisk): Broadway: All My Sons, Avenue Q (original cast, special Outer Critics Circle Award). Off-Broadway: Mike Leigh's 2000 Years (The New Group); Avenue Q (The Vineyard); The Joke (Studio Dante); Tina Howe's Birth and After Birth (Atlantic Theater); On The Sporadic (EST); Jump! (The Exchange); The Polish Play (Katharsis). Regional: Betty's Summer Vacation (Yale Rep); Camelot (BTF). TV: HBO's upcoming Boardwalk Empire (recurring), first three Law & Order series (recurring on SVU), Nurse Jackie, Damages, Rescue Me, The Unusuals, Ugly Betty, The Sopranos. Film: upcoming The Other Guys and Henry's Crime, The Taking of Pelham 123, Pretty Bird, Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, Everyday People (IFP/Gotham Award nominee for Breakthrough Acting), Riding in Cars With Boys, Changing Lanes. BA, Stanford University; MFA, NYU Tisch Graduate Acting (2000 Laura Pels Award).

PHILIP HERNÁNDEZ (Actor Manager) is the only man in Broadway history to have played both Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert in Les Miserables. He made his Broadway debut in the Original Cast of the Tony Award-winning Kander and Ebb musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, directed by Harold Prince. In Kiss, he created the role of Esteban and later went on to play the impassioned revolutionary Valentin in London's West End and on Broadway. Philip also created the role of the Reverend Gonzalez opposite Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades in the Original Cast of Paul Simon's The Capeman. He starred as Don Quixote in the acclaimed Paper Mill Playhouse revival of Man of La Mancha and as Rico (yes, he wore a diamond) in the National Tour of Barry Manilow's Copacabana. Most recently, Philip played Juan Peron in Harold Prince’s 25th Anniversary North American Tour of EVITA and starred in the World Premier of Jose Cruz Gonzalez’ play Sunsets and Margaritas at the Denver Center For The Performing Arts.

SEAN MCNALL (Jay Gould): Last season Mr. McNall appeared in Playboy of the Western World, Misalliance, and Hard Times with The Pearl Theatre Company at New York's City Center Stage II, where he is a Resident Acting Company member. Other Pearl Theatre credits include Twelfth Night, Tartuffe, Vieux Carre, Hamlet, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Constant Couple, The Gentleman Dancing Master, Toys in the Attic, The Cave Dwellers, Widowers’ Houses, I Have Been Here Before, Measure for Measure, The Imaginary Invalid, Double Infidelity, The Persians, The Rivals, Daisy Mayme, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, among others. Other New York: Orson’s Shadow (Barrow Street Theatre), Julius Caesar (The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival). Regional: The McCarter Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. Film/TV: No God No Master, Donovan Slacks. Awards: Jerome Green Fellowship, 2005 Actors' Equity Association Joe A. Callaway Award, 2008 OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance. Columbinus, a play he co-wrote with PJ Paparelli and Stephen Karam was nominated for The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical. Sean is a graduate of The Juilliard School of Drama and a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.

NICOLE PARKER (Victoria Woodhull) appeared on Broadway last year as Elphaba in Wicked. Her Broadway debut was Martin Short:Fame Becomes Me. Other New York credits include Laurencia in Waterwell's adaptation of Fuenteovejuna. Regional theater credits: Rosemary in How to Succeed… (Reprise), Pamina in The Magic Flute (Falcon Theater), and Juliet in The Second City's The People vs. Friar Laurence (Chicago Shakespeare, Jeff Nomination). For six years, Nicole was an actress and a contributing writer on Fox's “MADtv”. Last summer she appeared in Funny People, directed by Judd Apatow, and the short film Weathered, for which she won Best Actress at the Damah Film Festival in Seattle (www.weathered.com) Her one-woman show, Suitcase Full of Lies, had it's premiere this year at Birdland in New York.

LAUREN CREGOR DEVINE (Music, Lyrics) is the composer and musical director for the acclaimed off-Broadway company, Waterwell. Her work with them has garnered award nominations for Best Original Music, and a review of “Brilliant” from the New York Times. She was selected for BMI’s esteemed Musical Theater Workshop, which has produced such hits as Avenue Q and Next to Normal. Her film music has been screened across the globe, including the BFM International Festival in London. As a singer/songwriter, Lauren has released two albums with her band and is currently working on her third. She has performed across the country, as well as at such beloved NYC venues as Joe's Pub and The Knitting Factory. She has also had the honor of composing for New York’s SYREN Modern Dance. Lauren received her B.A. in Theater from Indiana University, a post-graduate degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and her M.A. in Composition from New York University. Earlier this year, she was awarded a Meet The Composer grant for her work with Indiana high schools as well as Cabaret performance. www.laurencregor.com

JONATHAN A. GOLDBERG (Book, Lyrics) is a New York based playwright who has had work seen at various venues including: HERE Center for the Arts, The Public Theater, Dixon Place, NJ Rep, The Complex in Hollywood, Pear Avenue Theater in Northern California, and Theater Garage in Minnesota. He served as the playwright in residence for Little Gem Productions and is currently the Literary Manager for Shelby Company. He is the recipient of the Rita and Burton Playwriting Award from Tisch and the Israel Baran Award for best play from the Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga California. He most recently had work at The Access Theater, Planet Connections Theater Fest (award nominated), and the Minnesota Fringe Festival. He received his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts. For more info visit: jonathanagoldberg.com

TOM RIDGELY (Director, Lyrics) is a Waterwell co-founder and proud IU alum. For Waterwell: #9, The|King|Operetta [NY Mag Culture Award Nom – Best New Musical], Marco Millions (based on lies) [Drama Desk Nom – Outstanding Director] and The Persians…a comedy about war with five songs [3 IT Award Nom’s, incl. Outstanding Production of a Musical], among others. Other NYC: Jonathan A. Goldberg’s Luck Of The Ibis (Shelby Company); Kimmy Gatewood’s Hat-trick (Ars Nova); Centralia’s Uncle and Au Bon Panic (PIT) [ECNY Nom – Best Improv Group]; Gatewood, Johnson & Lowe's The Apple Sisters (PIT, tour) [ECNY Award – Best Musical Act; IT Award – Outstanding Original Music]; Paden Fallis’ The Play About The Coach (Tank, tour) [Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum Award – Outstanding Touring Production]. Regional/Educational: The Water Knows My Name (Perry-Mansfield); Once Upon A Mattress (Johns Hopkins); The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (Playhouse on Park); Union (Axial Theatre). and Bat Boy: The Musical (Fordham).

GEORGE PINNEY (Choreographer): Nominated for a 2001 Tony Award and National Broadway Theatre Award in choreography, George received an Emmy Award for outstanding choreography for the PBS broadcast of Blast! He was a member of the creative team, acting director and one of three choreographers for Cyberjam which opened in the West End of London. George, Professor of Theatre and Drama and Head of the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre, has directed and/or choreographed over 150 musical theatre productions for national and international tours, regional and university theatres. Recognized for his teaching, George was awarded the Friedrich Herman Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching, 5 Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence in Teaching and membership in the Faculty Colloquium of Excellence in Teaching.

TERRY LABOLT’s (Music Director) career as a Broadway conductor flourished in the 1980’s conducting shows such as 42nd Street; Hello, Dolly! (with Carol Channing); George M. (with Joel Grey) and Sugar Babies (with Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney). He is co-author of The Wonder Years — the Musical which enjoyed success Off-Broadway and in Los Angeles in the 1980’s. Endeavors at the keyboard include The Fantasticks (original Off-Broadway production) and tough touring shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Aida and most currently Mamma Mia. He performed the area premiere of Keith Emerson’s Piano Concerto #1 with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra in 2001. In addition he was the music director of musical theatre for the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music for more than ten years, conducting and supervising over 30 productions there.

WATERWELL, Arian Moayed & Tom Ridgely, Directors (creator): Waterwell is a New York based company of artists dedicated collaborative creation of new works for the theatre. It was founded in 2002 and has since created nine original plays, four cabarets and two staged readings. Its continually evolving body of work encompasses original plays, adaptations of classic texts, solo shows and performance pieces. For each venture the actors, writers, directors, composers, musicians and designers work collectively to build the piece from the ground up. The Village Voice has called them, “Dynamic, resourceful and relentlessly entertaining.” And TheaterScene says, “There's no way a written description can do justice to their blazing energy and inventiveness.” Using a combination of research, improvisation and source texts, the ensemble devises each drop over the course of an extended rehearsal period. The resulting mixture of drama and vaudeville uses music and comedy as access points to address larger issues of power, class and race. The New York Times hails the work as, “Brilliant, original and inspired. Alive enough to surprise even the performers themselves,” and Theatermania writes, “Waterwell has staked a claim on our collective conscience.”

INDIANA UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE & DRAMA, Jonathan R. Michaelsen, Chair (producer): Nationally renowned, Indiana University’s Department of Theatre and Drama is committed to excellence and creating outstanding works of theatre. This commitment manifests itself in all Departmental degree programs and ongoing projects like Premiere Musicals: Developing New Works at Indiana University. Premiere Musicals offers the opportunity for composers, playwrights, lyricists, and professional actors to blend with student actors and staff to create and workshop new material culminating in public performances. This project is supported by Indiana University's New Frontiers in the Arts & Humanities Program, funded by the Office of the President and administered by the Interim Vice President for Research and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.

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