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Critical Acclaim for A New Brain:

“AMAZING! A TIMELY REVIVAL ABOUT SECOND CHANCES AND THE URGENCY OF ART! Celebration Theatre’s inspired gender-expansive look at Finn and Lapine’s rarely-performed milestone musical...reminds us that the power of music, love, and the creation of art can never be lost! Powerful immersive performances by the entire energetic ensemble!”

- Shari Barrett, CULVER CITY NEWS

RECOMMENDED  “AN EXUBERANT PRODUCTION! A TRULY ENGAGING PIECE OF THEATRE!  AN ENSEMBLE OF EXCEPTIONAL VOCALISTS! A polished and downright fun version of this truly singular piece. Imaginative staging and inclusive casting make Celebration Theatre’s production of this classic piece of LGBTQ theatre feel FRESH AND VITAL!”

-Taylor Kass, STAGE RAW

 

“REMARKABLE!  A STIRRING TRIBUTE TO
THE EMOTIONAL POWER OF SONG!”

-Don Shirley, ANGELES STAGE

“I LOVED IT!  GO AND SEE THIS SHOW! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! HEART-STOPPINGLY GOOD! WONDERFUL! VIVID! BRUTALLY HONEST AND HIGHLY CREATIVE! EXCELLENT…PERFECTLY CAST, BEAUTIFULLY DONE!  UTTERLY MESMERIZING…I CANNOT RECOMMEND “A NEW BRAIN’ ENOUGH!"

-Samantha Ronceros, NOHOARTSDISTRICT.COM

 

“A major accomplishment commendable in every regard!
Cleverly staged and charmingly human!”

-Travis Holder, TICKETHOLDERS

 

WOW!  “SPECTACULAR!  GLORIOUSLY IMAGINATIVE!  MAGICAL PERFECTION! 'A New Brain' is Celebration at its crowd-pleasing, groundbreaking, remarkable best!”

-Steven Stanley, STAGESCENELA.COM

"Stories of Passion, Stories of Friendship, and Tales of How Romance Survives"

From the Tony-winning Writers of FALSETTOS and SPELLING BEE!

A New Brain

Music & Lyrics by William Finn
Book by William Finn & James Lapine

Directed by Khanisha Foster

Musical Direction by Gregory Nabours

Choreography by Alli Miller-Fisher

Presented by Celebration Theatre
In association with the Los Angeles LGBT Center

A timely revival of the Finn & Lapine show about second chances and the urgency of art, Celebration Theatre brings us into the world of this queer musical of “captivating eccentricity” (New York Times) with an intimate experience of pathos, humor, and just a little bit of magic—to bring us back to life.

Composer Gordon Schwinn collapses into their lunch and awakes in the hospital, surrounded by their lover, mother, co-worker, doctor, and nurses. Coming face to face with their own mortality, Gordon sees their greatest fear: will they die with their greatest songs still unwritten? A New Brain reminds us that the power of music, love, and the creation of art can never be lost.

With a gender-expansive casting vision from Celebration and director Khanisha Foster, thoughtfully imbued into a buoyant score and “fascinating story” (New York Post) from the Tony Award-winning authors of Falsettos and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, audiences have the unique opportunity to see A New Brain in Los Angeles as it has never been done before.

F E A T U R I N G: Amanda Kruger* (they/them), Yassi Noubahar* (she/her), Richardson Cisneros-Jones* (he/him), Gina Torrecilla* (she/her), Ryan O'Connor* (he/they), Whitney Avalon* (she/her), Sadé Ayodele (she/her), Mitchell Johnson (he/they), Jason Ryan* (he/him), and Gabi Van Horn* (she/her).

Performance Information

Runtime
95 minutes, no intermission

Suitability Suggestions
Appropriate for all audiences.

Health & Safety
Masks are currently required for all performances.

Parking
Available in the underground garage in the new Anita May Rosenstein campus.

Creative Team

Directed by Khanisha Foster** (she/her)

Musical Direction by Gregory Nabours (he/him)

Choreography by Alli Miller-Fisher (she/her)

Produced by Nathaniel Mathis (he/him)

Scenic Design by Stephen Gifford(he/him)

Lighting Design by Matt Richter (he/him)

Costume Design by Allison Dillard (she/her)

Sound Design by M Glenn Schuster (they/them)

Properties Design by Michael O’Hara (he/him)

Stage Management by Ruthie Geronimo (she/her)

Casting by Jami Rudofsky, CSA (she/her)

Assistant Director: Nico Pang (they/them)

Assistant Choreographer: Camal Pugh (he/him)

Assistant Stage Manager: Nick Zephyrin (he/him)

Audio Engineer: Dennis Peraza (he/him)

Associate Producer: Mark Giberson (he/him)

Publicity: DEMAND PR, David Elzer (he/him)

Social Media Manager: Sarah Mullis (she/her)

Cast

Gordon Schwinn…………Amanda Kruger* (they/them)

Roger Delli-Bovi…………Yassi Noubahar* (she/her)

Mimi Schwinn:…………Gina Torrecilla* (she/her)

Rhoda…………Sadé Ayodele (she/her)

Mr. Bungee…………Richardson Cisneros-Jones* (he/him)

Lisa…………Whitney Avalon* (she/her)

The Minister…………Jason Ryan* (he/him)

Dr. Jafar Berensteiner…………Mitchell Johnson (he/they)

Nurse Nancy / Waitress…………Gabi Van Horn* (she/her)

Nurse Richard…………Ryan O'Connor* (he/they)

Cover/Swing: Hannah Crews (they/she/he), Tal Fox* (she/her), Emily King Brown* (she/her), Laura Obiorah (she/her), Jason Ryan* (he/him), and Sal Sabella (he/him); Dance Captain: Mitchell Johnson (he/they)

Band

Piano/Conductor…………Gregory Nabours (he/him)

Drums & Percussion…………Gianluca Palmieri (he/him)

Cello…………Alec Glass (he/him)

Reeds…………Michaell Bustamante (he/him)

 

A NEW BRAIN is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com

 

* Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, Celebration Theatre, and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

** The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union

† The Scenic Designer is represented by United Scenic Artists - Local USA 829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees

California Community Foundation logo

This production is supported in part by a grant from the David Lee Foundation.

Celebration Theatre acknowledges that we operate on the unceded lands of the Tongva, Kizh, Chumash, and other Indigenous peoples who made their homes in and around the area we now call Los Angeles. Naming the original caretakers of this land is one way to register our impact on the financial, emotional, and generational damage we may cause by using local spaces for our purposes of entertainment. We also understand that this acknowledgment will change as our commitment evolves and, importantly, that these statements are by no means a replacement for actual justice for Indigenous people.

Help Us Create a Bigger Impact

We cannot survive on ticket sales alone. Your generous, tax-deductible donations to our General Fund allow us to produce quality, award-winning theatre for our LGBTQIA+ and allied community. We welcome contributions of any amount, whether a single amount or recurring monthly donation.