Asolo Rep Announces Final Show of its 2015-16 Season: the U.S. Premiere of U.K. Sensation Hetty Feather in June 2016

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Asolo Rep Announces Final Show of its 2015-16 Season:
the U.S. Premiere of U.K. Sensation Hetty Feather in June 2016

“An utterly magnificent show”
— Evening Standard

(SARASOTA, December 11, 2015) —  Asolo Repertory Theatre proudly announces the final production of its 2015-16 season, the U.S. premiere of the U.K. phenomenon HETTY FEATHER, Jacqueline Wilson’s wildly popular U.K. novel adapted into a thrilling theatrical masterpiece by Emma Reeves. A 2015 Olivier Award nominee for Best Family Entertainment, HETTY FEATHER  will have one preview on Thursday, June 2 at 7pm, open Friday, June 3 at 7pm and run through Sunday, June 26 in the Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Asolo Rep’s production will feature the entire West End cast, starring Phoebe Thomas as Hetty. Sally Cookson, who directed the West End production, will direct Asolo Rep’s production.

Charles Dickens meets Orphan Annie meets Cirque du Soleil in this smashing new play that has taken the U.K. by storm. Based on Jacqueline Wilson’s best-selling novel, Hetty Feather is a feisty young 19th century redhead with an indomitable imagination and a zest for adventure. Left at the not-so-tender mercies of the Foundling Hospital as a baby, Hetty’s quest to find her true home takes her from the English countryside to the traveling circus to the mean streets of London, all by way of thrilling aerial and circus feats, live music and spectacular story-telling. A true celebration of the random nature of life, this is a must-see theatrical adventure for all ages.

“I have been producing theatre in the West End and around the English provinces for 25 years and no other production of mine has ever had such fantastic reviews,” said Kenny Wax, producer of HETTY FEATHER. “We have now played two West End Summer seasons, both hugely successful, and by the time we arrive in Sarasota, we will have toured to every major city in the U.K. To have the opportunity now to bring our extraordinary show over to play at Asolo Rep is very special indeed, made even more exciting by Sarasota’s historic association with the Ringling Brothers Circus. I don’t think a story about a feisty little girl who wants to run away to join the circus could find a more suitable home in the U.S. in which to premiere.”
“It is very exciting to present the U.S. premiere of HETTY FEATHER, a beloved U.K. theatre sensation now completing a hugely successful run on London’s West End,” said Asolo Rep’s Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. “We look forward to welcoming families and patrons of all ages to this coming-of-age story filled with music, circus magic, and a lot of heart.”

Tickets for HETTY FEATHER will go on sale on Friday, December 11, 2015 at 10am online and at the Asolo Rep Box Office. Tickets start at $18. There will be a special family ticket package discount, with 15 percent off tickets for a family of four. Two tickets must be for patrons under the age of 18. Throughout the run, all Saturday morning (10:30am curtain) performances will also be discounted.


CAST

Phoebe Thomas Hetty Feather
Matt Costain Jem/Matron Bottomly
Sarah Goddard Peg/Ida
Nik Howden Saul
Mark Kane Gideon
Nikki Warwick Madame Adeline
Seamas H. Carey Musician
Luke Potter Musician

 


HETTY FEATHER Performance Schedule

Wednesdays: 2pm and 7pm curtain
Thursdays: 7pm curtain
Fridays: 7pm curtain
Saturdays: 10:30am and 3:30pm curtain
Sundays: 1pm and 5:30pm curtain


Asolo Rep 2015-16 Season


November 10–December 27

WEST SIDE STORY

Based on a Conception of Jerome Robbins
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Joey McKneely
Choreography reproduced by Joey McKneely


January 6–April 9

ALL THE WAY

By Robert Schenkkan
Directed by Emily Sophia Knapp
Based on the original production directed by Bill Rauch


January 13–February 25
LIVING ON LOVE

By Joe DiPietro
Based on the play Peccadillo by Garson Kanin
Directed by Peter Amster


January 20–April 10

AH, WILDERNESS!

By Eugene O’Neill
Directed by Greg Leaming


March 9–April 17

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER

By Todd Kreidler
Based on the screenplay by William Rose
Directed by Frank Galati


March 30–April 24
DISGRACED

In the Historic Asolo Theater

By Ayad Akhtar
Directed by Michael Donald Edwards


April 27–May 29
JOSEPHINE

World Premiere

Book by Ellen Weston and Mark Hampton
Music by Stephen Dorff
Lyrics by John Bettis
Based on an original story by Kenneth Waissman
Based on the book Remembering Josephine by Stephen Papich
Directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely

June 2 – 26
HETTY FEATHER
U.S. Premiere

Based on the book by Jacqueline Wilson
Adapted for the stage by Emma Reeves
Directed by Sally Cookson


TICKETS

Tickets for HETTY FEATHER will go on sale on Friday, December 11, 2015 at 10am online and at the Asolo Rep Box Office. Tickets start at $18. To purchase tickets, call 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, visit www.asolorep.org, or visit the Asolo Repertory Theatre Box Office, located in the lobby of the theatre. Asolo Repertory Theatre is located at 5555 North Tamiami Trail in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts. The box office is currently open Monday 10am – 4pm, Tuesday – Thursday 10am – 7:30pm, Friday – Saturday 10am – 8pm, and Sunday 10am – 2pm. The box office closes at 5pm when there are no evening performances and phone lines close one hour prior to the start of any performance. Season subscription packages are also available online and by visiting or calling the box office.


SPONSORS

Asolo Rep is able to present HETTY FEATHER thanks to the generosity of its sponsors. HETTY FEATHER is sponsored by Energy Today, Grapevine Communications, Biz(941), and WSRQ. Asolo Rep 2015-2016 Major Season Sponsors are Florida State UniversityCharles & Margery Barancik FoundationGulf Coast Community FoundationThe Virginia B. Toulmin FoundationThe Shubert FoundationDesigning Women BoutiqueWoman’s Exchange, Inc., and Sunset Cadillac of Bradenton. Asolo Rep’s artistic programs are paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues. Asolo Rep is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.


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