Sarrah Strimmel, Jamie LaVerdiere and More to Lead Northport SWEET CHARITY

Charity Hope Valentine, with a shoulder bag and a heart tattooed on her left arm, works as a dancer-for-hire in a Times Square Dance Hall but longs for love. Charity finally meets a nice young man to romance her away, but loses her nerve about telling him what her real job is. This Neil Simon musical, with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, is about the romantic ups-and-downs of an ever-hopeful dance hall hostess, despite endless disappointments and bad luck with men. It features musical hits such as "Big Spender", "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now".

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

Alan Souza, the Director, has made works recently for New Jersey Repertory, Arkansas Repertory, Walnut Street Theatre, The New Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Virginia Musical Theatre, The Human Race Theatre, Texas Shakespeare Festival, and this Theater. He was nominated for the 2008 Carbonell Award and has received multiple Edgerton Foundation grants for his new works.

AL BLACKSTONE, Choreographer, recently choreographed Happy We'll Be at the Roseland Ballroom. Favorite performing credits include Wicked (Broadway and 1st National Tour), Carousel (Barrington Stages). He is the recipient of the 2011 Capezio A.C.E. Award for Excellence in Choreography.

James OlmSTEAD, Music Director, most recently served as assistant music director at NYU Steinhardt and Tisch for The Most Happy Fella and Violet. Other assistant credits include North Shore Music Theatre (Footloose), Cape Playhouse (Legally Blonde), PCPA (Ragtime, Hot Mikado), and the Arkansas Rep (Hello, Dolly!). He also music directs several cabarets in the city at the Laurie Beechman Theater, The Duplex, and Don't Tell Mama.

Kevin Judge (Scenic Designer) recently designed Irena's Vow (Walter Kerr Theatre). Lovesick, The Revival and FUBAR (Project Y), A Splintered Soul (Mint Theatre), Two Rooms (Lion Theatre), Irena's Vow (Baruch Center for the Performing Arts), The Color of Flesh (St. Luke's Theatre), Frankenstein (37 ARTS), Duse's Fever (Kirk Theater), Safety (Urban Stages).

John Davenport (Costume Designer) has been designing costumes all over the United States for over ten years. He first began his professional career in Philadelphia, designing dance costumes for Ballet X and working under the Pennsylvania Ballet. He has also worked on the national tour of Hairspray as well as for Royal Carrabin Cruise Lines. This is John's second time working with John W. Engeman as a costume designer.

TODD WREN (Lighting Designer) credits include: 59e59 (The Fall to Earth), Pantheon Theatre (A Dash of Rosemary), Center Stage NY (Harry and Pep) Regional Credits: John W. Engman Theater (Debut), Coconut Grove Playhouse (Marjorie, Carbonell Nomination), Palm Beach DramaWorks (The Chairs and Copenhagen, Carbonell Nomination), Casa Manana, Goodspeed Musicals, Florida Repertory Theatre, Riverside Theatre, Gainesville Theatre Alliance, Seaside Musical Theatre, Flat Rock Playhouse, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Theatre in the Square, Festival Stages, Charlotte Repertory Theatre, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Western Carolina University, Davidson College.

CRAIG KAUFMAN (Sound Designer) Recent credits at The John W. Engeman Theater include Fiddler on the Roof, Run for Your Wife, Cabaret, Hairspray, A Wonderful Life, The Sunshine Boys, 42nd Street and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. 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.

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