Chase Brock to Choreograph Kansas City Rep's PIPPIN

Kansas City Repertory Theatre's artistic director Eric Rosen has selected the creative team for his staging of the Rep's 2012-13 season opener Pippin, a musical by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Roger O. Hirson (book). Pippin will run September 14 – October 7, 2012 at Spencer Theatre in Kansas City, MO.

"Pippin is a show I've loved for a very long time and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to direct our new interpretation of this epic rock fable," said Rosen. "Our production will be a musically vigorous, genre- shifting explosion of high energy, tempered by a heartbreaking story about the search for meaning and significance in our lives."

Choreographer Chase Brock's work can be seen in the current Broadway hit Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. New York Magazine praised him for his ability to "mix a witty Broadway sensibility with rock and roll zest." He works simultaneously in concert dance, theatre, opera, television film, music and video gaming, which includes the bestselling video game Dance on Broadway for Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Move.

Curtis Moore recently worked with film and stage director Sam Mendes as musical director of Richard III, starring Kevin Spacey and now on international tour. Moore's relationship with Kansas City Rep includes musical direction of Moisés Kaufman's production of Into the Woods and Rosen and Matt Sax's 2010 world premiere rock musical Venice, which TIME magazine called "The Year's Best Musical."

The Pippin creative team also includes Set Designer Jack Magaw (The Whipping Man, Cabaret, A Flea in Her Ear, Winesburg, Ohio-KC Rep); Costume Designer Alison Heryer (The Whipping Man-KC Rep; The Bluest Eye-NY); Lighting Designer Jason Lyons (Little Shop of Horrors, Clay, A Flea in Her Ear, world premiere of A Christmas Story, The Musical-KC Rep; Rock of Ages, The Threepenny Opera, Clay, Broke-ology-New York); Lighting Designer Zachary Williamson (Cabaret-KC Rep; The Shaughraun-Irish Repertory Theatre).

Pippin runs September 14 – October 7, 2012, at Spencer Theatre located at 4949 Cherry Street in Kansas City, MO. For ticket and performance information, call the Rep Box Office at 816-235-2700 or visit www.KCRep.org. For group ticket information and sales, please contact Group Sales at 816-235-6122.

Now in its 48th season, Kansas City Repertory Theatre is its region's only member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and serves as the professional theatre in residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Lauded by The Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine, Variety and the Toronto Sun, the Rep produces mainstage plays and special events at Spencer Theatre on the UMKC campus and Copaken Stage located in downtown Kansas City. Kansas City Rep employs more than 250 professional artists, technicians and administrators, and serves more than 100,000 patrons and 10,000 school children annually. Kansas City Repertory Theatre is led by Artistic Director Eric Rosen, Managing Director Cynthia Rider and Producing Director Jerry Genochio.

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