JOHN & JEN, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON And More Set for Out of The Box Theater Company's 2012-2013 Season

Out of theBox Theatre Company has announced its 012--013 season in residence at Center Stage Theater with three Santa Barbara County premieres -- the intimate two-person musical JOHN & JEN, running October 4-14, 2012; the outrageous emo rock musical BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, running February 14-24, 2013; and the powerhouse Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical NEXT TO NORMAL, running May 2-12, 2013.

The season opens this fall with JOHN & JEN. Set against the background of a changing America between 1950 and 1990, this truly original musical takes a look at the complexities of relationships between Brothers and Sisters and parents and children. This is the story of Jen and her relationships with the two Johns of her life: her younger brother, who was killed in Vietnam, and his namesake, her son who is trying to find his own way in a confusing world. With music by Tony-nominated composer Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by both, JOHN & JEN is a tour-de-force for two actors who take their characters from childhood, through adolescence and beyond.

JOHN & JEN will feature Emily Jewell, Out of the Box Theatre Company veteran, in the role of Jen, and local Santa Barbara actor Tad Murroughs in the role of John. Samantha Eve will be directing the production, with Mandee Sikich as music director and Theodore Michael Dolas designing lighting and set.

The season continues February 14-24, 2013 with the regional premiere of one of the most outrageous shows the company has ever produced, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON. Written by Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON is an audacious mix of historical fact and fiction that redefines America's controversial seventh president -- the man who invented the Democratic Party, drove the Indians west, and ultimately doubled the size of our nation -- with a raucous blend of outrageous comedy, anarchic theatricality and an infectious emo punk rock score.

Out of the Box closes its season May 2-12, 2013 with the powerful, thrilling rock musical NEXT TO NORMAL, winner of the Tony Award for best score and the Pulitzer Prize for drama. From the composer of High Fidelity comes the acclaimed, groundbreaking musical "that pushe[d] Broadway in new directions" (Rolling Stone), an unrelentingly intense, brutally honest – and often, darkly funny – story about a bipolar woman and the family that grapples with her illness, all set to a contemporary score that explodes with raw, searing emotion.

Out of the Box Theatre Company is a nonprofit community theatre company dedicated to bringing contemporary musicals to the Santa Barbara stage. They strive to make use of local talent, bringing together some of the top performers, musicians and designers in the Santa Barbara community in order to present entertaining, edgy, and socially relevant shows that fall outside of The Common expectations of musical theatre. For more about Out of the Box Theatre Company including audition details, visit www.outoftheboxtheatre.org/.

Tickets for the 2012-2013 season are on sale now through the Center Stage box office. To purchase tickets, go to www.centerstagetheater.org/.

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