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World Premiere

Giant

Apr 28 – May 31, 2009
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Adapted from the American classic by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber (Showboat), Giant is a daring new musical, already acknowledged as one of the most promising contemporary theater debuts. Epic in vision and scope, swept with passion and violence, touched by humor and sorrow, Giant is the powerful story of a Texas rancher and his Virginia-born wife as they face increasing challenges in their marriage and family in an ever-changing American landscape. Five-time Tony Award nominee (Marie Christine, The Wild Party), LaChiusa is the first recipient of the American Musical Voices Project Award to present a new work on Signature's stage.

A new musical based on the novel by Edna Ferber
Book by Sybille Pearson
Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa
Music Direction by Chris Fenwick
Choreographed by Ernesto Alonso Palma
Directed by Jonathan Butterell

The Cast

Enrique Acevedo

Miguel

OFF-BROADWAY: Latin Heat (Featured vocalist). INTERNATIONAL TOUR (Broadway Asia tour to China, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore): The King and I (Lun Tha). EUROPEAN TOUR: Grease (Danny), Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas). NATIONAL TOUR: West Side Story (Bernardo), Bombay Dreams (Vikram u/s). REGIONAL: Miss Saigon (John); Papermill Playhouse: Camelot; Pioneer Theater Company: Paint Your Wagon (Julio).

Raul Aranas

Polo

BROADWAY: Loose Ends, Miss Saigon, The King and I, Flower Drum Song. OFF-BROADWAY: NYTW: Beast; Delacorte/Public Theatre: Mother Courage; Public Theatre: Dog Eaters, Jungle of Cities. INTERNATIONAL TOUR: Theatre Royal London: Miss Saigon. NATIONAL TOUR: First National Company: Miss Saigon (Helen Hayes Award, Carbonell Award, Jefferson Award nomination). REGIONAL: North Shore: Pacific Overtures (Irene Award); Gateway Playhouse: Oliver. TV: “Law and Order,” “Gideon Oliver.” FILM: Burn After Reading (Coen Brothers), Afterwards (with John Malkovich), Buzzkill, JFK, Company Man.

Judy Blazer

Luz

BROADWAY: LoveMusik, 45 Seconds from Broadway, Titanic, Me and My Girl, A Change in the Heir. OFF-BROADWAY: NYC Opera: Candide, Sweeney Todd; Lincoln Center: The House of Bernalda Alba, Hello Again; Carnegie Hall: Thomashefsky; The Drama Dept.: The Torch Bearers; Roundabout: Hurrah at Last; NYC Encores: Connecticut Yankee; The Met: Twyla Tharpe’s Everlast. REGIONAL: Sundance: Funny Girl; McCarter: The Night Governess; George Street: The Miracle Worker; Artpark: Peter Pan; Papermill Playhouse: My Fair Lady; Long Wharf: Twelfth Night; Musical Theatre of San Jose: On the Twentieth Century. TV: “Law and Order,” “As The World Turns,” “Guiding Light,” “Bernstein’s New York” (PBS), “In Performance at the White House” (PBS). RECORDINGS: featured on over 20 albums

Lewis Cleale

Bick

SIGNATURE: Passion (Giorgio, Helen Hayes Award). BROADWAY: Spamalot (Sir Galahad and Others; Mike Nichols, dir.), Amour, Once Upon a Mattress (Sir Harry, with Sarah Jessica Parker), Swinging on a Star (Drama Desk nomination). OFF-BROADWAY: A New Brain (Gordon), The Fantasticks (El Gallo), Time and Again; Encores!: Call Me Madam (opposite Tyne Daly), Big City Rhythm. NATIONAL TOUR: Sunset Boulevard (Joe Gillis, opposite Petula Clark), South Pacific (Lt. Cable, with Robert Goulet), Mamma Mia! (Sam, Las Vegas). DC AREA: Ford’s Theatre: 1776 (John Adams, Helen Hayes nomination). RECORDINGS: William Finn’s Infinite Joy, Encores from ENCORES!, Myths and Hymns, RCA Victor’s Great Musicals, Call Me Madam, Amour, Once Upon a Mattress, Swinging on a Star. For my parents.

John Dossett

Bawley

BROADWAY: Fifth of July, Mastergate, A Prelude to a Kiss, Ragtime, Dinner at Eight, Gypsy (Tony Award® nomination), Democracy, The Constant Wife. OFF-BROADWAY: Atlantic Stages 2: White People; Playwrights Horizons: Saved; Lincoln Center: The Clean House, Hello Again; MCC: Trudy Blue, Dinner With Friends; Circle Rep (member for 14 years): Reckless, The Diviners, Childe Byron, Dalton's Back, Sunshine, El Salvador, others. NATIONAL TOUR: Kiss of the Spider Woman. DC AREA: Ford’s Theatre: Captains Courageous, Elmer Gantry; Kennedy Center: A Little Night Music. TV: “Gossip Girl,” “Hack,” “Law & Order” (all), “Sex and the City,” “Homicide,” “John Adams” (Benjamin Rush). FILM: Little Manhattan, That Night, Longtime Companion. Proud member of AEA since 1979.

Marisa Echeverría

Juana

OFF-BROADWAY/NYC: Symphony Space: Surface To Air; NYMF: Kingdom (NYMF Award for Outstanding Performance); NAMT: Kingdom, Sunfish; PS122: At Said; Intar: Points of Departure, Tight Embrace; SPF: Welcome to Arroyo’s; BAM: Missionaries. REGIONAL: Syracuse Stage: Spike Heels; La Jolla Playhouse: Jersey Boys; Guthrie: Pleasure Cruise, The New New; Berkshire Theatre Festival: My Fair Lady; ART/Loeb: Richard III. TV: “ER,” “Law & Order,” “Rescue Me.” EDUCATION: Harvard, BA; NYU, MFA.

Jessica Grové

Heidi/Lil’ Luz

BROADWAY: Sunday in the Park with George (Celeste #2), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Miss Dorothy), Les Misérables (Eponine), The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy). OFF-BROADWAY: Anne of Green Gables (Diana), Illyria (Viola). NATIONAL TOUR: The Boy Friend (Polly), The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy). REGIONAL: Evita (Eva), Oklahoma (Laurie), Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel).

Michael Thomas Holmes

Pinky

BROADWAY: Oklahoma! (Ali Hakim). NATIONAL TOUR: The Producers (w/ Jason Alexander & Martin Short). REGIONAL: The Guthrie: 1776 (John Adams); Alley Theatre: An American in Paris; Boston/St. Paul: White Christmas; Westport Country Playhouse, CT: All About Us; Hangar Theatre, NY: All in the Timing. TV: “Law and Order." FILM: The Producers: The Movie Musical (Stormtrooper Rolf). EDUCATION: Washington University in St. Louis, BFA, Graphic Design; UC Irvine, MFA, Acting. Mr. Holmes is a graphic designer for theater and a member of The Acting Company.

Betsy Morgan

Leslie

BROADWAY: The Little Mermaid, High Fidelity (Original Cast Recordings). NEW YORK (Theater, workshops, and readings): Lincoln Center: Dodsworth (dir. Mark Lamos), Bernarda Alba (dir. Graciela Daniele); Sea Change, The Addams Family, Prairie (dir. Francesca Zambello), Leap of Faith (dir. Taylor Hackford), First Wives Club (dir. Francesca Zambello), Memphis (dir. Christopher Ashley), The Fantasticks (2006 revival, dir. Tom Jones). NATIONAL TOUR: Mamma Mia!. REGIONAL: Westport Country Playhouse: Of Mice and Men (dir. Mark Lamos); Pioneer Theatre: The Light in the Piazza. TV: “Flight of the Conchords” (HBO), “Cupid” (ABC). EDUCATION: Emerson College, BFA.

Jordan Nichols

Jordy Jr.

OFF-BROADWAY: The Fantasticks. REGIONAL: Westchester Broadway: Gypsy; Playhouse on the Square: Urinetown, Ragtime, Bat Boy! the Musical, Hair, Grease, The Who's Tommy, Children of Eden, Chess; Circuit Playhouse: HONK!; The Goat or Who is Sylvia?; Spinning into Butter; Zombie Prom; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. EDUCATION: NYU's Tisch School of The Arts-CAP 21, Drama, 2007.

Andres Quintero

Angel Sr. & Jr.

NATIONAL TOUR: Altar Boyz. EDUCATION: The American Musical & Dramatic Academy (NY).

Michelle Rios

Lupe

BROADWAY: The Capeman, The Sound of Music, Man of La Mancha. OFF-BROADWAY: 37 Arts: In the Heights; LaMaMa, ETC: Missionaries; The Public: Dogeaters; Intar: Miriam’s Flowers, Unmerciful Good Fortune. DC AREA: Kennedy Center: Goya, Don Pasquale. REGIONAL: Lincoln Center: Carmen; Weston Playhouse: Metamorphoses, The Light in the Piazza; InterAct Theater Company: The Beauty Inside; Alliance Theater: Sleepwalkers; Geva Theater Center; Berkshire Theater Festival; Spoleto Festivals (Charleston, SC and Spoleto, Italy). TV: “Law & Order,” “Third Watch,” “Guiding Light,” “One Life to Live,” “Washington Heights.” FILM: Dirt.

Ashley Robinson

Jett

OFF-BROADWAY: Take Me Along, Meet Me In St. Louis, A Child’s Christmas in Wales. REGIONAL: Wicked, Hair, Floyd Collins, The Good War, Twelfth Night, Waiting for Godot, The Cripple of Inishmaan. TV: “HATE.” FILM: Fallen Souls, The Accident. EDUCATION: North Carolina School of the Arts. 

Isabel Santiago

Petra

OFF-BROADWAY: The Acorn: Intervention. NEW YORK: Intar: Cuba Libre; La Mama: Dusty Springfield; The York: 06880 The Musical. REGIONAL: West Side Story (Maria), Show Boat (Julie), Can-Can (Pistache), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown). CONCERTS: Carnegie Hall: Mozart’s Requiem; Raja Theatre: Andrew Lloyd Webber in Concert; Loews: WHU: A Rock Concert, One Night Only. Ms. Santiago is in the rock band “Anything For Loaf.”

Paul A. Schaefer

Mike

BROADWAY: The Phantom of the Opera (Raoul U/S). OFF-BROADWAY: My Life with Albertine, The Pursuit of Persephone. NATIONAL TOUR: Thoroughly Modern Mille (Jimmy, Trevor U/S). REGIONAL: Mill Mountain Theatre: Beauty and the Beast (Beast), Maine State Music Theatre: The Fantasticks (Matt), The Pajama Game (Max), Evita. NY WORKSHOPS: On a Clear Day, Paradise Lost, The Bebop Heard in Okinawa. TV: “Guiding Light.” EDUCATION: University of Michigan.

Martín Solá

Dimodeo

BROADWAY: The King and I, La Bohème, Coram Boy. OFF-BROADWAY: All Eyes and Ears. NATIONAL TOUR: The King and I, Porgy and Bess. REGIONAL: Theater by the Sea: Evita; Two River Theater: The Tragedy of Carmen. OPERA/CONCERT: New York Pops: The Bernstein Songbook; New York City Opera: Anthony and Cleopatra, Cendrillon, Porgy and Bess, Margaret Garner; Queens Symphony: Gauchito and the Pony. FILM: Sabado Morning (Winner of NY International Latino Film Festival and USA Latino Film Festival). RECORDINGS: Amor Y Desengaño.

Nick Spangler

Bob Sr. and Jr./Lord Karfrey

OFF-BROADWAY: The Fantasticks (Theater Hall of Fame; Eileen and Jerry Orbach Musical Theater Fellowship Award); Old Vic: New Voices 24 Hour Plays (dir. Kevin Spacey). REGIONAL: Casa Manana: The Fantasticks; Gateway Playhouse: Thoroughly Modern Millie; Arvada Center: La Cage Aux Folles. TV: “The Amazing Race” (CBS, winner of season 13). EDUCATION: New York University, BFA, CAP21.

Katie Thompson

Vashti

NEW YORK: Workshops: Giant, The Lighthouse Project, Piece, A Visual Life; Events: Broadway South Africa (Gershwin), Defying Inequality (Gershwin), Katie & Friends (Birdland), Upright Takes Manhattan (Joe’s Pub), Broadway Loves Country (Joe’s Pub). RECORDINGS: The Ark (Sariah), The Forgotten Carols (Connie Lou), Dreaming Wide Awake (Say Goodbye), What I’ve Done Right, KT LIVE. AWARDS: LA Weekly Theater Awards: Best Musical Performance nomination, Best Musical Director nomination; Indie Award nomination for Connie Lou’s Christmas; Pearl Award nomination for Safe Harbors. EDUCATION: American Academy of Dramatic Arts (Los Angeles).

Julie Tolivar

Lady Karfrey

BROADWAY: Curtains (u/s Georgia Hendrix), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (u/s, Truly Scrumptious). OFF-BROADWAY: Lonestar Love (Miss Anne Page, original cast recording). NEW YORK: Bridge Theater Co.: Warning: Adult Content. REGIONAL: Stage First: Hamlet (Ophelia); Riverside: The Last Five Years (Cathy); Sacramento Music Circus: Swing; Stages St. Louis: Crazy for You (Polly); Prince: Bright Lights Big City (Vicky); Fulton: Lovers' Leap (world premiere); The MUNY and Northshore: Cats. TV: "All My Children," "Guiding Light," "The View." FILM: Across the Universe. CONCERTS: Cincinnati Pops and Symphony Orchestras, Joe's Pub. AWARDS: Kevin Kline Award 2008, Best Actress in a Musical. 

Mariand Torres

Analita

INTERNATIONAL: Reignwood Theatre (Beijing, China): Broadway in Beijing. NEW YORK: Abingdon Theatre: The People vs. Mona; York Theatre: Take Me, America (reading); LAByrinth Theatre Company: Untitled, by Brett C. Leonard (reading); NYMF: The Bubble, Cutman. REGIONAL: Merry Go 'Round Playhouse: My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra. EDUCATION: University of Miami, BM, Musical Theater.

Lori Wilner

Adarene

BROADWAY: A Catered Affair (Mrs. Hamilton), The Diary of Anne Frank (Mrs. Frank), Fiddler on the Roof (Golde), Awake and Sing! (Bessie u/s), Those Were the Days (Lavche). OFF-BROADWAY: Hannah Senesh (One-Woman Show), Milk and Honey, The Witch, Yiddish Trojan Women, Bubbe Meises, Bubbe Stories, Hannah 1939. NEW YORK: Lincoln Center: Everett Beekin, Carmen, Tribute to Rabin. REGIONAL: A Catered Affair, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Broken Glass, The Sisters Rosensweig, Lost in Yonkers, The Glass Menagerie, The Heidi Chronicles, The Immigrant, The Memory of Water, Conversations with my Father, The Sweepers. FILM: Second Guessing Grandma, Gebirtig, Ride for your Life. AWARDS: Drama Desk nomination, Goldy Award, DramaLogue Award.

Creative Team

Signature Theatre

4200 Campbell Ave Arlington, Virginia