Saturday Night Fever – The Musical Brings Disco to Overture for One Night Only

For immediate release: Thursday, February 23, 2017
Contact: Sarah Knab, 608.258.4438 / sknab@overture.org
Click here for photos.

Saturday Night Fever – The Musical Brings Disco to Overture for One Night Only

“Hit song after hit song, bright lights and dancing to blow you away.” – BBC

“The show’s unique blend of poignancy and perpetual optimism coupled with the brilliance of the Bee Gees score and breathtaking choreography-should provide dazzlingly delightful nights for years to come.”- Theatermania.com

Madison, Wis. –  Saturday Night Fever – The Musical, the iconic story of Tony – the kid from Brooklyn USA – who wants to dance his way to a better life, is returning to Overture Center (in Overture Hall) for one night only on Saturday, March 4 at 8 p.m.

This all-new production that shares Tony’s love for dancing in spectacular new ways. Fueled by the vintage Bee Gee hits, this contemporary retelling of the classic story captures the energy, passion and life-changing moments that have thrilled audiences since 1977.  Now, a new generation of talented actor/singer/dancers meets a new generation of playgoers to explore the soaring sounds and pulsating rhythms of this coming-of-age disco fantasy.

Almost all of the songs from the original movie sound track are included in the stage musical. The album remained 24 weeks on the top of the US album charts and stayed until March 1980 on the charts. In the UK, the album also achieved first place for 18 weeks and it is one of the most successful movie sound tracks of all time. In 1979 it won a Grammy as Album of the Year. In 2003 it reached # 131 of Rolling Stone’s “500 best albums of all time”.

Based on Nik Cohn’s 1975 New York Magazine article “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night” and Norman Wexler’s hit 1977 film, Saturday Night Fever – The Musical features the world famous music of the Bee Gees. This musical adaptation of the classic film is the story of a talented, streetwise kid from Brooklyn who attempts to escape his dead-end life through dancing. The score includes many classic disco-era hits. Tony Manero is a clerk in a paint store in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. But he lives for Saturday evening and his visit to the local disco, 2001 Odyssey. At the disco Tony is no longer an inconspicuous employee, he is the king of the dance floor. There he meets dancer, Stephanie Mangano. The two decide to take part in a dance competition. Although Tony is interested in a relationship with Stephanie, she rejects him, thinking that she can pursue higher goals and meet a better selection of men in Manhattan. But Tony and Stephanie continue to rehearse and win the dance competition. However, Tony, not happy because a competing pair of Latino dancers was clearly better, hands the championship trophy to them. The dispute divides Tony and Stephanie. After some very tragic events, Tony and Stephanie decide to remain friends.

This production of Saturday Night Fever The Musical, presented by NorthCore Productions and 2 Luck Concepts LLC,  will be directed by Marcia Kash with choreography by Marc Kimelman and music direction by Steve Thomas. Tour direction is by Columbia Artists Theatricals, Gary McAvay, President (www.cami.com). Featured in the cast are Matt Alfano as Tony Manero, Tessa Alves as Stephanie, and Heather McGuigan as Annette, along with Christy Adamson, Jak Barradell, Katie Beethan, Deb Collins, Michael De Rose, Kristin Dobby, Aaron Ferguson, Nicko Giannakos, Ryan Gifford, Sarah Higgins, Galen Johnson, Kyla Musselman, David Rosser, Adam Sergison, AJ Simmons, Justin Stadnyk, and Jennifer Thiessen.

Tickets start at $30 and are on sale now:

• In person at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street)
• Online overture.org
• By phone at 608.258.4141
• Groups of ten or more eligible for discounts, email groups@overture.org or call 608.258.4159

Saturday Night Fever is presented by Overture Center as part of the Theatrical Series.

Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies, and hundreds of local artists engage nearly half a million people in educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org

With over 25 years of combined experience in theatrical producing and entertainment, NorthCore Productions was founded by Steve Roth and Rachel Crowther with the intention to produce, present and manage high quality entertainment while fostering new work and developing long term clients. With an extensive background in local, national and international theatre, touring and entertainment, we are focused on exceptional programming while facilitating expansion in the arts community. With roots in entertainment excellence and a core focus in creating, developing, managing and producing projects for the stage, our goal is to provide high quality product to houses across North America while nurturing a growing audience and maintaining creative integrity in the industry.

Executive Producer 2LUCK CONCEPTS (John Luckacovic and Eleanor Oldham): John spent 19 years with Columbia Artists Management Inc., rising to an officer and director of the company. Eleanor was with ICM Artists in London, where she signed and managed the careers of conductors and instrumentalists. In 2001, they formed 2Luck Concepts to search the world and develop and produce unique and engaging projects. Among many projects, 2Luck managed and produced all of Akram Khan’s projects including Sacred Monsters (featuring Akram and Sylvie Guillem) and In-I (featuring Akram and Juliette Binoche); they produced and managed the first-ever tours of London’s Shakespeare’s Globe Original Practice productions of Twelfth Night and Measure for Measure, followed by Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors and Hamlet. 2Luck also produced tours of Poland’s 100 member national treasure MAZOWSZE, as well as two coast-to-coast tours of Anda Union from Inner Mongolia, The Music Man In Concert featuring Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Current projects include the award-winning street dance/contemporary Company Wang Ramirez from Germany, Tina Packer’s Women of Will, and EarFilms, a unique approach to storytelling utilizing a 3D ambisonic sound system and a blindfolded audience.

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Ho-Chunk’s Dan Brown Elected to Chamber Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Feb. 23, 2017)

Contact: Erik Greenfield, Communications Manager, 608-443-1952 (office), 608-669-7884 (cell)

MADISON – Today the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced the election of Dan Brown, Executive Manager of Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, to its board of directors. Brown joins 48 current business and community leaders representing a broad cross-section of the Greater Madison economy on the Chamber board.

Dan Brown has worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation for more than 23 years and has been the Executive Manager of Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison since 2000. He also served a four-year term as an elected legislator for the Ho-Chunk Nation from 2007 to 2011 and was subsequently elected to serve as Vice President by the Legislature.

“Seats on the Chamber board do not open up very often. In fact, this year there is only one seat available, and the board wanted to seize this opportunity as a way to honor and recognize the Ho-Chunk Nation’s rich history and vital role in building this community,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “Dan Brown’s experience and business perspective will be a tremendous asset to the Chamber board, and we look forward to working with him as we write the next chapter in Greater Madison’s story.”

“I am honored to join the Chamber board and represent Ho-Chunk Gaming in Greater Madison’s business community in a new way,” Brown said. “I want to thank the members of the board for valuing the qualities I bring to this role, and I am excited to continue to work on the important issues facing our regional economy and the Ho-Chunk people.”

Click here for the full roster of the Greater Madison Chamber Board of Directors.

About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 10,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

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Wegner CPAs Announces New Staff

Madison, WI – Wegner CPAs is pleased to introduce the new, talented employees that have joined our firm. Each person brings unique expertise and will enhance our service to clients in the departments they join.

Zak Bloom, CPA, Director of Local Government Services

Zak is the newest member of our leadership team as the director of local government services and comes to us with 14 years of experience working for municipalities in Wisconsin. He will be instrumental in expanding our utility and municipal audit practice with his knowledge and expertise in this industry.

Carrie Shefchik, Supervisor-Accounting; Madison

Our accounting solutions team is pleased to welcome Carrie Shefchik. She comes to us with over 15 years of experience providing accounting to a variety of business clients. She will work with our team to provide outsourced accounting and QuickBooks software support to current and future clients.

Seth Kuehnel, CPA, Supervisor-Tax; Milwaukee

We welcome Seth to our expanding tax and business services team. He joins us with six years of experience in public accounting and will work out of our Waukesha office. Seth offers expertise in a variety of tax and accounting services for individuals and businesses. In addition, Seth is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and offers accounting software support.

Whitney Mauger, CPA, Supervisor-Tax; Madison

Whitney is a new supervisor in our tax and business services department. She comes to us with over six years of experience in public accounting. She enjoys working with a wide variety of clients and has expertise in the manufacturing and supply chain industry. Whitney will assist with tax planning, tax compliance, and multi-state returns.

Ryan Stucki, Staff Accountant-Tax; Baraboo

Ryan joins us as a staff accountant in our tax and business services department after having recently graduated from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a bachelors degree in accounting. Ryan will work with individual and business clients in our Baraboo office assisting them with tax planning and preparation.

Ying Zhang, Staff Accountant-Audit; Madison

Ying is a new staff accountant in our assurance department. She has a masters of professional accountancy from DePaul University. Ying also has her masters of science in financial analysis from the University of San Francisco and her bachelors degree in economics from Xiangtan University. Ying will work with our nonprofit clients performing audits and completing appropriate tax returns.

Mindy Peterson, Bookkeeper; Baraboo

Mindy joins us as a bookkeeper in our Baraboo office with 26 years of varied bookkeeping experience. She will perform outsourced accounting for our business and nonprofit clients. Mindy is also a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and will provide training and technical support.

Kimberly Brewer, Administrative Assistant; Madison

Kimberly comes to us with a background in municipal government and an associates degree in business management. She will assist our managing partner, firm accountant, and HR manager. We are very excited to have additional support in Madison to enhance our focus on firm-wide programs, policies and strategic initiatives for Wegner CPAs.

Wegner CPAs also welcomes five interns to our Madison office who continue to pursue degrees at local and state universities. We are happy to be developing these new staff in the early stages of their accounting careers and help them succeed in the future.

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About Wegner CPAs

Headquartered in Madison, WI, Wegner CPAs brings a unique perspective to the practice of accounting and business consulting.  The firm specializes in family-owned businesses, cooperatives, manufacturers, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and school districts with a complete range of accounting, audit, tax, and consulting services across the lifecycle of the organization. For more information, visit www.wegnercpas.com or call 888.204.7665.

Breunig Named Mortgage Underwriter

Settlers bank board of directors and executive management are pleased to announce that Mary Breunig has been selected as Mortgage Underwriter.  Mary joined Settlers bank in 2015 as Mortgage Operations Processor, and has more than 20 years of financial industry experience. Mary is a graduate of Edgewood College with a B.S. in Business Administration/ Economics.

Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical Makes U.S. Premiere at Overture

For immediate release: Monday, February 20, 2017

Contact: Sarah Knab, Overture Center, 608.258.4438 / sknab@overture.org

Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical Makes U.S. Premiere at Overture
“Rambunctious, raunchy and ridiculous … hits all the high notes!” – Mooney on Theatre
“Refreshingly ludicrous” – The New York Times

Madison, Wis. – Overture is proud to present the U.S. premiere of Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical in the historic Capitol Theater Tuesday, March 14 – Sunday, March 19, 2017. Based on Parker’s fan-favorite film of the same name, Cannibal! The Musical is a fun-filled, action packed, delightfully campy night of musical comedy for mature audiences.

With songs like “When I Was On Top of You” and “Meat my Destiny” this parody of classic American musicals takes Oklahoma and adds a dash of Friday the 13th to cook up a deliciously ridiculous evening of musical theatre.

“I’ve been a long-time Trey Parker fan, and when I saw the film version of Cannibal! The Musical I loved it,” said Bond, co-creator and director. “As fans of the original, we’ve made sure to stay true to its campy spirit, while adding more goofs and hilarious songs. It’s allowed us to bring something new to the stage that has the same vintage Trey Parker wit. Now with our stellar cast – a range of talented comedians and musical theatre pros – we’ve got the perfect group to bring this creation to life.”

Originally a cult classic movie, Cannibal! The Musical was written by South Park and The Book of Mormon’s Trey Parker, conceived when he was a film student at the University of Colorado. It was Parker’s first time working with his creative partner, Matt Stone. This theatrical production bears all the hallmarks of a Parker-Stone collaboration: irreverent humor, uproarious lyrics, and catchy tunes. Full of songs, dance and laughs, this production will mark the U.S. premiere of a re-vamped show featuring additional book, lyrics and music by Christopher Bond (Evil Dead – The Musical!), Aaron Eyre and Trevor Martin.

Cannibal! The Musical follows five miners from Utah who embark on a treacherous journey to stake their claim on land in the Colorado Territory. Led by their reluctant guide, Alferd Packer, the group encounters trappers, natives and a whole lot of tom-foolery before losing their way in the Rocky Mountains. When they are found days later, Alferd is the only one left standing, and the Sheriff arrests him for cannibalism. Intrepid reporter Polly Pry is determined to tell the REAL story… that is, if she doesn’t fall in love with the unsuspecting Packer first.

Tickets, on sale now, start at $30 and are available in person at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), online at overture.org or by phone at 608.258.4141.

For an additional $15, attendees can arrive prior to the show (6 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2017) for Overture’s Get Social program to expand upon their experience and receive a discounted performance ticket. A Get Social ticket includes appetizers, activities such as 8-bit Cannibal gaming, cannibal trivia, old time photo booth, and more. Overture’s Get Social is presented by Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. More information is available at overture.org/getsocial.

Short show description:

The highly anticipated new production tells the hilarious, and (mostly) true story of Alferd Packer, the only person ever convicted of cannibalism in America– the show follows Alferd and his companions, on the hunt for Colorado gold, when they lose their way in the wilderness and are forced to consider unthinkable acts: Singing!…Dancing!…and possibly eating somebody.

Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in over half a million educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org

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