PORTLAND’S ROCK MUSICAL, ONE, GETS NYC WORKSHOP PRODUCTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York Contact: Katrina Kent
katrina@sonnetrepertorytheatre.org / 917 406 4862
Portland Contact: Samantha Swaim
sam@samanthaswaim.com / 503 449 3391

PORTLAND’S ROCK MUSICAL, ONE, GETS NYC WORKSHOP PRODUCTION
Sonnet Repertory Theatre Presents ONE, Opening August 25

NYC’s Sonnet Repertory Theatre (SRT) announces plans for an August workshop production of ONE, an original rock musical based both on the iconic novel Siddhartha and the uniquely personal story of its author, Herman Hesse. Originally produced by Portland’s Insight Out Theatre Collective in 2005 at the Wonder Ballroom, ONE employs eastern and western musical influences, exploring the timeless quest for human understanding, the lines that separate fact and fiction, and the singular responsibility an artist holds in service of their art.

The success of ONE has been driven by its Portland fans. SRT invites West Coast supporters to celebrate the project’s New York debut, helping to facilitate the creators in reshaping and refining their work, and bringing ONE to the next level. ONE will be staged for the public, along with potential producers and backers, at 59E59 Theatres, the week of August 25th. Tickets will be on sale soon. SRT is also implementing its Ten for ONE campaign, a grassroots program whereby contributors are encouraged to invite all of those around them to invest just $10 in the future success of ONE. Those who wish to support through participating in SRT’s Ten for ONE campaign, can send a tax-deductible $10 donation (check made out to Sonnet Repertory Theatre) to: SRT’s Ten for ONE, PO Box 772, New York, NY 10108. Donations are also accepted online at www.sonnetrepertorytheatre.org, on the Support Us page.

Music and lyrics for ONE are by WADE McCOLLUM, a composer and performer who has worked nationally with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Celebration Theatre, and Portland Center Stage, and is known for his award-winning performance in the L.A. production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. McCollum is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts, and his first solo album, “Beauty is a Streetlight,” was produced independently in the legendary Kung Fu Bakery.

ONE’s book is by KRISTIN STEELE, a Portland-based writer who teaches playwriting to at-risk youth, and leads creative writing workshops for adults in domestic violence shelters, public housing projects, and community spaces. A graduate of Portland State University and Goddard College, Steele’s stage work has been produced in Los Angeles, and her fiction and non-fiction works have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and literary anthologies.

Music Director for ONE is KARL MANSFIELD, a recent participant in the BMI Music Theater Writers’ Workshop who’s Broadway work as a conductor and keyboardist includes Xanadu, La Boheme, 13, Dracula, Coram Boy, and Sweet Charity. Off-Broadway work includes Grey Gardens, Altar Boyz, and regionally at the La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Portland Center Stage, Denver Center, and Golden Gate Theater. Additionally, Mansfield’s original music and sound design have been heard at Oregon and California Shakespeare Festivals, Yale Rep, The 52nd Street Project, and The Haven Project.

TODD LOYD, SRT’s current Co-Artistic Director, will direct the production. Loyd has worked on and off Broadway, including the Broadway productions of La Boheme and The Color Purple, and at The Kennedy Center, The Eugene O’Neill Playwright’s Conference, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Company, NYMF and NAMT, among others.

SRT, a non-profit company dedicated to classic theatre for the modern planet, is now in its seventh consecutive season.

Casting is to be announced, and Broadway talent is slated. For more information, visit www.sonnetrepertorytheatre.org .

ONE
59E59 Theatres (59 East 59th Street, b/n Park and Madison in Manhattan)
Tuesday, August 25 at 7:30pm / Wednesday, August 26 – Saturday, August 29 at 8:30pm
Matinees on Saturday, August 29 at 2:30pm and Sunday, August 30 at 3:30pm
General Admission Tickets are $18
Reserve online at www.59e59.org (click on Box Office) or call 212.279.4200 (Tickets on sale soon)

ABOUT SONNET REPERTORY THEATRE
Sonnet Repertory Theatre, Inc. is dedicated to classic theatre for the modern planet. SRT promotes classic plays and adaptations, providing forums for collaboration between emerging artists and established professionals. With Classics in the Classroom, SRT aims not only to entertain, but also to educate young people by engaging them with timeless literature through expressive theatre.
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