The Musical 13 at Youth Theatre Northwest

The latest production at Youth Theatre Northwest will take you on a high-voltage ride through the traumas andtriumphs of teenage years. With explosive rock songs written by Tony Award winning composer Jason RobertBrown and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn, 13 reveals the journey towards who you want to be starts withdiscovering who you are. 13 performs April 22 - May 8, 2011 with direction by Youth Theatre Artistic DirectorMimi Katano and Musical Direction by Halie Looper.

Description:

When 13 year old Evan Goldman moves from New York to Indiana, he must escape rumors and blackmail to fitin, survive middle school and get all the "cool kids" to attend his impending bar mitzvah. With stories everyonecan either remember or relate to, 13 takes on the perils and triumphs of growing up; cell phones and rumors,dates and first kisses, cliques, clashes and crushes. With a blast of high-voltage energy and explosive rocksongs, 13 will take you below the surface to uncover the laughter, brutal honesty, and true meaning of friendship.

About the Play:

Driven by the artistic vision of Jason Robert Brown, 13 premiered on January 7, 2007 at The Mark Taper Forumin Los Angeles and ran through February 18, 2007. The production featured a cast and band of all teenagers.This celebrated production received a nomination for the 2007 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, WorldPremiere Musical.

On September 16, 2008, 13 premiered on Broadway at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre with an official Openingon October 5th. The production received one Drama Desk Award nomination, for Outstanding Lyrics by JasonRobert Brown.

In July 2009, the first amateur production of 13 premiered at the French Woods Festival, New York. Since then,13 has performed at theatres across the country and the world. In 2009-2010, the first production of 13 in Israelperformed in Jerusalem and surprisingly became an Israeli phenomenon overnight, with three re-mounts inlarger venues as well as national newspaper and television coverage.

Performance Schedule:

April 22 through May 8, 2011; Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm with Matineeperformances on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 pm. All performances are held at Youth Theatre Northwest,located at 8805 SE 40 Street, Mercer Island, WA.

Age Appropriate:

13 is appropriate for ages 12 and older due to mature content.

Tickets:  

$17 for adults and $15 for youth/seniors for the April 22nd Opening Night Gala, whichincludes an intermission dessert. All other performances are $15 for adults and $13 for youth/seniors. Fortickets or information on group rates, call (206) 232-4145, ext. 109, or visit YTN online at www.youththeatre.org.

Production:

13 features two rotating casts with 26 actors, ages 12 – 17, from Mercer Island, Bellevue,Issaquah, Renton, Newcastle and Seattle.

About the Playwright:

Jason Robert Brown has been hailed as "one of Broadway's smartest and most sophisticated songwriters sinceStephen Sondheim" (Philadelphia Inquirer), and his "extraordinary, jubilant theater music " (Chicago Tribune)has been heard all over the world, whether in one of the hundreds of productions of his musicals every year orin his own live performances. The New York Times refers to Jason as "a leading member of a new generationof composers who embody high hopes for the American musical." In addition to 13, Jason is the composerand lyricist of the musical, The Last Five Years, which was cited as one of Time Magazine's 10 Best of 2001and won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics. Jason won a 1999 Tony Award for his score toParade,a musical written with Alfred Uhry and directed by Harold Prince, which won both the Drama Desk andNew York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for Best New Musical. Other awards include the 2002 Kleban Award forOutstanding Lyrics and the 1996 Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Foundation Award for Musical Theatre.