The Wildness

February 16–March 26, 2016
USAWorld Premiere
Indie-pop band Sky-Pony’s lush sound and cheeky style will surround and seduce you into a world of prophecies and forbidden temptations. Release your inner dragon on a raucous ride exploring faith, doubt and the wild space in between.
Meet the Artists

Kyle Jarrow is a Brooklyn-based writer and musician who creates work for the stage, film, and television. He won an OBIE  for his musical A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant. Other theater pieces include The Consequences, Hostage Song, Gorilla Man, and  Whisper House. Kyle wrote the film “Armless”, adapted from his play of the same name, which was an official selection of Sundance Film Festival. More on Kyle at  www.landoftrust.com.

Lauren Worsham (Actor) is a Tony-nominated actress and singer. She was nominated for a Tony and won Drama Desk and Theatre World awards for the role of ‘Phoebe' in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (2014 Tony winner for Best Musical). Recently she recurred on multiple episodes of The CW's Valor. She was seen in New York City Center’s gala production of Sunday in the Park with George and the Encores! productions of Call Me Madam and Big River. Other favorite roles include ‘Lisa' in Dog Days at Montclair Peak Performances, Fort Worth Opera and LA Opera for director Robert Woodruff; ‘Flora' in Turn of the Screw at New York City Opera for Sam Buntrock; ‘Amy’ in Where’s Charley? at Encores! for John Doyle; ‘Cunegonde' in New York City Opera's Candide, and ‘Olive' in the first national tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Lauren performs frequently in concert at Carnegie Hall, 54 Below, Joe's Pub, Caramoor, Merkin Hall, Oregon Bach Festival, Galapagos Art Space and New York City Opera's VOX. Lauren placed second in the Kurt Weill Foundation's Lotte Lenya competition. She’s a founding member of the band, Sky-Pony. More at laurenworsham.com.

Sam Buntrock (Director) directing credits include; Sunday in the Park With George (Broadway, West End, Menier and 5th Avenue Seattle - 5 Olivier Awards including Outstanding Musical Production, Olivier Nomination for Best Director, 9 Tony Nominations including Best Director and Drama Desk Nomination for Best Director), Turn of the Screw at BAM (New York City Opera), the current European tour of The Rocky Horror Show (now in its 13th year), the World Premiere of John Guare's Are You There, McPhee? and Travesties (both McCarter, as Director in Residence), The Wildness (Ars Nova, Lortel Nomination for Best New Musical), The Who's Tommy, the World Premier of Ed, Downloaded by Michael Mitnick and the US Premier of Nick Dear's Frankenstein (all at Denver Center), Taking Steps (Barrington Stage), The A to Z of Mrs P (Southwark Playhouse), Much Ado About Nothing (Two River), A Maze (New York Stage & Film), Cradle and All (MTC), McReele (Juilliard), Cradle to Rave (UK & Australian National Tours), God Collar (Edinburgh, UK National Tour and West End), the World and American Premieres of Take Flight (Menier and McCarter), the first London revival of Assassins (New End), Get a Life and Help Yourself (both Edinburgh and UK tour).

David Blasher (Cello, Narrator) started playing cello in fourth grade because his friend Seth chose it. David didn’t know what a cello was or even how to spell it;  nor did he know it was a crush on Seth he was feeling. Of the many languages David knows – theater, law, Excel – music continues to be one of the most  transcendent and nourishing. Being part of Sky-Pony unites the music and the crush. Kisses to JWH.

Lilli Cooper (Actor) was recently nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Julie Nichols in Tootsie. She originated the role of Sandy Cheeks in Spongebob Squarepants The Musical, And Martha Bessel in Spring Awakening. She toured the country with Wicked, and played Elphaba in 3 countries. Other theater favorites: Mack and Mabel (City Center: Encores!), Tick,Tick...Boom! (Keen Company), The Threepenny Opera (Atlantic Theater). Sundown Yellow Moon (WP Theater, Ars Nova) Tv: Dynasty, The Good Fight, The Code, Elementary, Instinct, Bull. Lillicooper.com

Jeffrey Fernandes (Actor) is a full time music educator and performer with a number of bands and ensembles in the New York/New Jersey area. A New Jersey native and Rutgers University graduate, Jeff is excited to be hitting the stage with Sky-Pony in The Wildness; a truly unique experience and change of pace in his day-to-day life as a working musician. Jeff is incredibly grateful for all the opportunities and professional relationships he’s made that have led him to The Wildness!

Katie Lee Hill (Actor) is best known as "Kourtney with a K" on M. Night Shyamalan's AppleTV+ series SERVANT. Other recurring tv roles include: New Amsterdam (NBC), Succession (HBO), and Fleishman is in Trouble (FX). She played "Karen the Computer" in Broadway's Spongebob the Musical (Nickelodeon/Amazon). Theatre includes PlayCo, Roundabout, Pan Asian Rep, Ars Nova, Ma Yi, Clubbed Thumb, WP Theater, Vineyard and more. Her band is baby chemist. www.katieleehill.com

Jamie Mohandein (Actor) Off-Broadway: 50 Shades! The Musical Parody, Spidermusical, Mr. Irresistible, The Full Monty. NYC: Rockwood Music Hall, Yankee Stadium, The Bitter End, Gramercy Theatre, 54 Below, The Shrine Bar, Arlene’s Grocery. Youth in a Roman Field, Matt Wolpe and the Bedside Romeos, Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution, and Viper, Gravedigger/Lead Player in Hamlet, Satine in The Lower Depths, Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. B.A. Theatre and Music from Kutztown University.

Sharone Sayegh (Actor) most recently played Bonnie in Come From Away on Broadway, after playing the role on the 1st National Tour. Before that, she originated the role of Anna in The Band’s Visit on Broadway (OBC). Other Broadway: Mamma Mia! Off Broadway: Mrs. Trumbauer in Road Show (City Center Encores), Anna in The Band's Visit (Atlantic Theater Co, World Premiere), Sharone in The Wildness (Ars Nova, World Premiere), and Scheherazade in Scheherazade (Prospect Theater Co). Regional: La Jolla Playhouse, The Muny, Florida Rep, San Jose Rep. TV: Instinct (CBS), Limitless (CBS). Syracuse University Alum, sharonesayegh.com @SharoneSayegh

Kevin Wunderlich is a guitarist, bassist and composer living in New York City.  In addition to playing with Sky-Pony, he spends most of his time living within the sordid hellscape of confrontational noise rock band Couch Slut (Handshake Inc. Records), the ethereal realm of avant-rock band Voice Coils (Shatter Your Leaves Records) and also co-leads the experimental black metal band Epistasis (Crucial Blast Records).

Kris Stone (Set Designer) lives for the living playwright. Designs for premieres have been seen at the following;

NYC: Playwrights Horizon, Second Stage, Lincoln Centre Theatre 3, Rattlestick, New Victory (Drama Desk Nom Brundibar), Ars Nova (Lortel Nom Outstanding Musical The Wildness), Joyce, Cherry Lane, La Mama, and Women’s Project.

Regionally: Hartford Stage, Huntington, Yale Rep, Old Globe, Long Wharf, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Lyric Opera Baltimore, People’s Light, Florentine/Nashville/Tulsa Opera, Contemporary American Festival, Opera Memphis/Cleveland, and Chicago Opera Theatre.

Internationally: Abbey Theatre, Project Theatre Dublin, Riverside - London, Wiesbaden Festival - Germany, Dublin and Edinburgh Theatre Festivals, Royal Theatre -Tasmania, and Mermaid Arts Center - Bray, Ireland.

Near and dear remain; Cusi Cram’s A LIFETIME BURNING (Primary Stages, dir. Pam MacKinnon), Jenny Schwartz’s GOD’S EAR (Vineyard/New Georges at CSC, dir. Anne Kauffman), Dan LeFranc’s TROUBLEMAKER (Berkeley Rep, dir. Lila Neugebauer), HUNDRED DAYS a rock opera by The Bengsons (Z Space - San Francisco, dir. Anne Kauffman), and Set/Projections for J.T. Rogers’ BLOOD AND GIFTS (La Jolla Playhouse – regional premiere, dir. Lucie Tiberghien).

Upcoming: HUNDRED DAYS for New York Theatre Workshop), DUBLIN BY LAMPLIGHT for the Abbey Theatre in Dublin Corn Exchange), JANE EYRE for Cincinnati Playhouse and Milwaukee Rep, SISTER CARRIE for The Florentine Opera/tours, and IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN by Philip Glass and Maurice Sendak directed by Phelim McDermott for the Manchester International Festival in 2018.

Tilly Grimes (Costume Designer) is an Irish/Greek designer based in New York. Awards/Nominations: Balsamo Grant for Emerging Immigrant Artists, Onstage Critics Award, Lucille Lortels & Drama Desk nominations. Recent/Forthcoming: WESTEND: MadHouse dir. Moritz von Stülpnagel; Ratatouille: a tiktok musical dir. Lucy Moss. BROADWAY: Shucked! dir. Jack O’Brien, BROADWAY: Theresa Rebeck’s I Need That dir. Moritz von Stülpnagel NYC: Roundabout, BAM, MTC, MCC, Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic, Ars Nova, Red Bull, Cherry Lane, The Pearl, Clubbed Thumb, New Georges & La Mama Theater.

Stylish and self-assured, it’s swaggering, enthusiastic and glammed up from head to toe.
–Time Out

Defiantly exultant!
–The New York Times

…the glitter is plentiful, the performances poised, and the songs beguiling.
–The New Yorker

…belted with passion and verve by a great group of singers…
–The Village VOICE

With

David Blasher Lili Cooper Jeffrey Fernandes Katie Lee Hill Kyle Jarrow Jamie Mohandein Sharone Sayegh Lauren Worsham Kevin Wunderlich

Set Design

Kris Stone

Costume Design

Tilly Grimes

Lighting Design

Brian Tovar

Sound Design

Tim O'Heir

Projections Design

Alex Basco Kotch

Music Director

Wiley DeWeese

Props Design

Sara Morgan

Dance Captain

Sharone Sayegh

Production Stage Management

Lizzie Lee

A Co-Production with

Ars Nova

Venue

Ars Nova 511 West 54th St. New York, NY