Jim Stanek Leads Engeman's CAMELOT, Previews 9/15

The John W. Engeman Theater has announced the cast and the creative team for the classic musical, Camelot. Previews begin on Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., with the official opening on September 17, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. and running through November 6, 2011. Winner of four Tony Awards, Camelot is based on "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White with Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and Music by Frederick Loewe.

Experience Camelot's "one brief, shining moment" as Lerner and Loewe envisioned it in one of theater's wittiest, most literate musicals, filled with memorable tunes. Idealistic King Arthur longs to create a perfectly principled kingdom, but sees his dream undone by a tragic love triangle involving Queen Guenevere and his best friend Lancelot. The medieval monarch's vision - a place where "violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness" - speaks to our time and for all time. This great romantic tragedy features enchanting musical numbers such as "I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight", "Camelot", "The Lusty Month of May", "If Ever I Would Leave You", and "Guenevere".

CAMELOT is produced by RICHARD T. DOLCE, the theater's Producing Artistic Director.

Alan Souza, the Director, has also directed My Fair Lady, Rent, Crazy For You, and Little Women for the John W. Engeman Theater. For NJ Repertory, he conceived and directed the world premieres of the musical The Little Hours, based on the short stories of Dorothy Parker, and the play Exposure Time, each a recipient of the prestigious Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Regionally, Alan has directed at Arkansas Repertory, Walnut Street Theatre, The New Theatre, Virginia Musical Theatre, The Human Race Theatre and the Texas Shakespeare Festival. He was nominated for the 2008 Carbonell Award for his work on The Full Monty for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre; the show received 8 nominations in total, including Best Musical and Best Director. Up next: productions of A Christmas Carol: The Musical and Spring Awakening!

Sidney Erik Wright, the Choreographer, just finished directing/choreographing Hair at The Woodstock Playhouse (Woodstock, NY). Prior to that, he served as assistant director to Josh Rhodes (Lee Wilkins assoc. dir.) on Broadway Bares: Masterpiece. New York City credits include choreographer showcases Band of Gypsies (1&2) and The Choreographer's Canvas 2011. Sidney worked as an associate choreographer with Christine O'Grady on Tommy at the Gallery Players and on 7 Brides...at the New London Barn Playhouse.

Jon Balcourt, Musical Director, credits include the National Tours of Avenue Q (Associate Conductor/Keyboard) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Keyboard). His Regional credits include Legally Blonde, Disney's The Little Mermaid (Keyboard, St. Louis MUNY), RENT (John W. Engeman Theater), and The Hidden Sky (Prospect Theater).

Vic Dimonda, Fight Choreographer, is currently the Associate Producing Director for the John W. Engeman Theater where he directed and choreographed their inaugural production of Smokey Joe's Café. As director/choreographer he has created original productions of Isabelle and the Pretty-Ugly Spell, The King and I, My Fair Lady, Carousel, High Society, Always...Patsy Cline, Dames At Sea, Forever Plaid, The Fantasticks, Annie, Blues In The Night, The All Night Strut, The Taffetas and Joseph...Dreamcoat. As Choreographer, Mr. DiMonda has recreated the Broadway choreography for Crazy For You.

The Design Team includes: Todd Edward Ivins, Scenic Design, whose credits include Les Miserables, Of Mice and Men, Godspell, Oliver, Man of LaMancha, and Born Yesterday atthe Walnut Street Theatre; Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre, The Happy Time at the Signature Theatre, Bright Lights, Big City, Ain't Misbehavin', Dreamgirls, Hair, Tiny Dancer at Prince Music Theatre.

MEGAN A. MOORE, Costume Coordinator. This is her 44th professional production and her second Camelot production. She was the Wardrobe Supervisor at the John W. Engeman Theater for two years. She was also Wardrobe supervisors at Gateway Playhouse for three seasons. The Costumes for the Engeman Theater Production were originally designed and constructed by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case.

Joel E. Silver, Lighting Design; This will be his fourth show at the John W. Engeman Theater. His previous design credits include Educating Rita (Huntington Theatre Company), R.Evolucion Latina Choreographers Festival, Aida (Opera Memphis), Hello Out There (Adirondak Theatre Festival), Caucasian Chalk Circle (New School), Damn Yankees, Run For Your Wife, Little Shop of Horrors (John W. Engeman Theater).

CRAIG KAUFMAN, Sound Design; Recent credits at The John W. Engeman Theater include Fiddler on the Roof, Run for Your Wife, Cabaret and Hairspray. Recent off-Broadway credits include Things To Ruin, Rewrite: The Musical and The Black Suits. Other recent credits include Sunday in the Park with George at Porchlight Theatre in Chicago; Bye Bye Birdie for the American Musical Theatre Project; Perez Hilton the Musical at The New York City Fringe Festival and The Encore Series; My Pal George, Mornings at Seven and Two Headed at the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

Mark Adam Rampmeyer, Hair and Wig Design, returns for his fifth season at the John W. Engeman Theater. Currently his work can be seen on Broadway in the new musical Lysistrata Jones. Recent Broadway credits include West Side Story and The Farnsworth Invention with Hank Azaria. Mark is also the Associate Artistic Director for the John W. Engeman Theater in addition to his design responsibilities.

The Casting Director is STEPHEN DeANGELIS who has been a member of the John W. Engeman Theater since its inception and has cast all of the main stage productions as well as the ongoing Broadway Concert Series. Stephen is on staff at Grey NYC having cast over 2,200 network television and radio commercials.

The Production Manager is MICHAEL J. LESLIE. The Advance Stage Manager is CJ LaROCHE and the Production Stage Manager isTARA KELLY.

The Cast of Camelot features: Jim Stanek (King Arthur) whose Broadway credits include Indiscretions; ...Forum; The Rivals; Little Women; Lestat; The Story Of My Life. Kim Carson (Guenevere) who appeared as Meg March in Little Women at the John W. Engeman Theater. Her other credit include performances at 59 E 59 Street Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Co, Peoples Light and Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Jarid Faubel (Lancelot) has performed Off-Broadway in Perfect Harmony (Acorn), I Come For Love (NYMF) and regionally in History Boys (Pittsburgh Irish & Classical), Yerma (Quantum). Jeremy Morse (Mordred) returns to the John W. Engeman Theater after appearing in Damn Yankees (Rocky) and My Fair Lady (Harry). His other credits include Bloodsong of Love (Lo Cocodrilo/Hick) for which he received a 2010 Drama Desk Nomination. David Benoit (Merlyn/Pellinore) has appeared on Broadway in Avenue Q (Nicky/Trekkie), Les Miserables and Dance of the Vampires. He has also toured nationally in Young Frankenstein (Kemp/ Blind Hermit), Avenue Q, Les Miz (Thenardier) and All Shook Up (Sheriff Earl).

The Cast also includes: MICHAEL ANDRAKO who recently concluded a production of A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline as quartet member Hoyt Hawkins with the Fireside Theatre; Michael J. BorgeS whose credits include Leaf Coneybear in...Spelling Bee at Theatre By The Sea & Lyric Stage Co.; Melissa Chaty who won the title of Miss California and performed "The Jewel Song" by Faust on national television and placed in the Top 8 at Miss America; Kara DeYoe who just appeared as Shelly in the Engeman's Hairspray; EVAN FLANNERY whose prior performances include Camp Rock the Musical; David Garry who returns to the John W. Engeman Theater after appearing in My Fair Lady. Other credits include Broadway & First National tour of Company (Harry, Larry) and Sweeney Todd (Sweeney); Kyle Hines whose credits include 99 ways to F**k a Swan... (Francesco/Clyde) and Children of Eden (Story Teller - NY IT: Best Musical); Kelly Marteney whose past roles include Anytime Annie in 42nd Street, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and the title role in Sweet Charity; Jake Odmark who has performed in the tours of Grease (China), The Pajama Game, Fame, Grease (Istanbul) and in NYC: Tokio Confidential (Actor's Studio); JARED ROSS who returns to the John W. Engeman Theater stage, where he was recently seen as Kurt von Trapp in The Sound of Music; Chloe Sabin whose roles include Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Mary Smith in Run For Your Wife, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Tommy and The Drowsy Chaperone; JOSEPH STARK who has appeared in the tours of McCoy/Rigby's Camelot with Michael York and Lou Diamond Phillips as well as Joseph... opposite Deborah Gibson; Jackie Washam whose regional credit include Rumors(Cassie), Fame (Serena), Cabaret (Sally Bowles) and My Fair Lady; NATHAN WINKELSTEIN whose previous roles include Hubert in RIP at MITF 2011); Billy in The Goat at RLTP; and Roger in Rent at SUNY@Buffalo.

Also two canines will be sharing the role of Horrid The Dog: a Newfoundland named Robert Covello and a St. Bernard named Zeus Kearney.

Press Opening is Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Camelot will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., Thursdays at 8:00 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m., Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m., and Sundays at 7:00 p.m.

IN ADDITION, there will be a special matinee on: Wednesday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m.

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