Actors Theatre of Louisville Announce Cast and Creative Team for GIRLFRIEND

Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are pleased to announce the cast and creative team for Girlfriend. This irresistible rock musical begins previews January 29 and 30, opens January 31 and runs through February 17. Girlfriend, with book by Todd Almond and music and lyrics by Matthew Sweet, will be directed by Les Waters and run for three weeks in the Pamela Brown Auditorium at Actors Theatre of Louisville as part of the Brown-Forman Series.

"I adore this musical. Girlfriend is full of these perfect pop songs that Todd Almond has brilliantly transformed into a touching and genuine story about all the joys and terrors of falling in love," Waters remarks. "We have a fantastic cast, an incredibly talented all-girl band and a creative team who are in love with this piece as much as I am. It's very joyous, very sweet and it has a huge heart."

Nebraska, the 1990s. Two teenage boys-one a social outcast, the other the quintessential jock-explore a relationship during a summer of self-discovery between high school graduation and the rest of their lives. Set to irresistible songs from Matthew Sweet's landmark pop album of the same name, this rock musical gives voice to those of us who grew up in small towns, those of us who didn't quite fit in and learned we were somehow different, and anybody who remembers the terror and thrill of first love.

Described by Broadway Magazine as a "lovingly sweet romantic dream of a show" that "speaks to timeless themes and leaves you remembering your own first love,"Girlfriend premiered in 2010 under the direction of Les Waters at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Actors Theatre is the first theatre to fully produce the musical since its premiere. A concert version of Girlfriend was staged at Joe's Pub in New York in 2012.

Girlfriend will star two talented young actors, Ryder Bach as Will and Curt Hansenas Mike, both making their Actors Theatre debuts. They will be joined live onstage by Musical Director Julie Wolf as she leads a rocking four-piece band featuring top musicians Jyn Yates (drums), Kelly Richey (guitar) and Sara Lee (bass).

The design team includes Obie award-winning designer David Zinn (Sets and Costumes), Mark Barton (Lighting Designer), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Designer) and renowned San Francisco choreographer Joe Goode(choreography).

Girlfriend is made possible in part by Brown-Forman through their continued commitment to the Brown-Forman Series.