Way Off Broadway comes to ITAC

Amana - Way Off Broadway (WOB) is creating and staging an original musical production called Give My Regards! A Celebration of Broadway’s Best, which will debut on the Iowa Theatre Artists Company’s stage in Amana from September 9-18. WOB is Iowa’s only professional musical theatre company and the residential company at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts in Fairfield, Iowa. Randal K. West, WOB’s Artistic Director, is building Give My Regards! which will feature some of the best-known Broadway composers, as well as some of the new writers of Musical Theatre. The production will feature songs by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim and some surprises. West will be bringing some of Way Off Broadway’s residential company featuring Margaret Clair, Jeff Carty, Cassandra Schiano and Ian Zahren.

Margaret Clair (Fairfield) is a founding member of WOB and most recently performed the roles of Morgana in A Time Out of Rhyme, Amber in Hairspray and Annas in Jesus Christ Superstar just this past summer. Jeff Carty (Fairfield) is also a founding member who played in WOB’s first production of Musical of Musicals, (the Musical!). Jeff was also in Celebrate Sondheim and most recently was Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Cassi Schiano (Iowa City) was in the production that opened the Sondheim Center in 2008 when she performed in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and just recently created the role of Princess Lady Lee in A Time Out of Rhyme. Playing opposite Cassi in A Time Out of Rhyme in the role of Prince Chris, was Ian Zahren (South Amana).

Ian Zahren is a well-known performer on the ITAC stage having performed in productions in Amana the past three years, and most recently was the Musical Director and accompanist for ITAC’s spring production of Sister Robert Anne’s Cabaret Class.

Gage Mikels, (Bloomfield) a long time favorite of WOB's, will play the piano and Randy West (Fairfield) will be in the wings playing drums.

The Iowa Theatre Artists Company is proud to host Way Off Broadway in their Amana premiere and introduce this professional theatre to audience members who have not been able to travel to Fairfield to enjoy their work. “It’s a special opportunity to see these WOB performers in the very intimate setting of ITAC over two weekends in September, and we hope that area theatre-goers will take advantage of the chance to see this company perform closer to home,” states ITAC’s Artistic Director, Meg Merckens. West adds, “WOB is delighted to be collaborating with ITAC and hopes this will lead to a regular connection from the Sondheim Center to this delightful theatre in the Amana Colonies in the future.”

The show runs Friday, September 9 through Sunday, September 18. Performance times are Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm and Sundays at 1:30 pm. The September 9, Friday Evening performance is Opening Night and offers a special price of $18. Regular Ticket prices are: $20 Adult and $10 Student. Reservations are strongly recommended, and can be made through the ITAC box office by calling: 319-622-3222, or emailing: itac@southslope.net.