“An unabashed, full-bodied, proudly lowbrow romp! Hijinks ensue, gags abound, and everybody lives happily ever after.“ —The Star-Ledger

“Rapturous laughter...a bright production and terrific performances.” —BWW

“A fun, two-hour romp in the theatre.”  —Philly Gay Calendar

THE OLD GLOBE Announces the Cast and Creative Team for
the WORLD PREMIERE of Globe favorite
KEN LUDWIG’S THE GODS OF COMEDY,
Directed by AMANDA DEHNERT,

Presented in association with MCCARTER THEATRE CENTER

Performances Run MAY 11 – JUNE 16, 2019; Opens Thursday May 16

PHOTO EDITORS: Production photos from the McCarter production are available by clicking here.

SAN DIEGO (April 3, 2019)—The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team as comic playwright Ken Ludwig, who delighted Globe audiences with Robin Hood! and Baskerville, returns with a hilarious world premiere: Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy, directed by Amanda Dehnert (West Side Story at Carnegie Hall, world premieres of Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice and Ludwig’s Baskerville). Presented in association with McCarter Theatre Center, The Gods of Comedy will run May 11 – June 16, 2019 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, opening on May 16. Single tickets start at $30.00 and go on sale Friday, March 29 at 12:00 noon. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performances at McCarter Theatre Center run March 12 – 31, 2019.

Daphne and Ralph are young classics professors who have just made a discovery that’s sure to turn them into academic superstars. But:when something goes disastrously wrong, and Daphne cries out in a panic, “Save me, gods of ancient Greece!”…and the gods actually appear! College will never be the same as a pair of screwball deities encounters the carnal complexity of college coeds, campus capers, and conspicuous consumption. Two-time Olivier Award–winning comic playwright Ludwig brings us a world premiere with laughs that are simply divine.

The cast includes Jessie Cannizzaro as Thalia (Puffs at New World Stages); Steffanie Leigh as Zoe/Brooklyn (the title role in Broadway’s Mary Poppins, War Paint, Gigi); Jevon McFerrin as Ralph (Hamilton on Broadway, Smokey Robinson in Motown on Broadway); Keira Naughton as Dean Trickett (Broadway’s The Rivals, Three Sisters); Brad Oscar as Dionysus (The First Wives Clubat the Globe, The Squirrels at La Jolla Playhouse, Tony Award nominations for Something Rotten! and The Producers); George Psomas as Aristide/Aleksi/Ares (Broadway’s South Pacific and Fiddler on the Roof); and Shay Vawn as Daphne (soot and spit at The New Ohio Theatre).

The creative team includes Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominated scenic designer Jason Sherwood (recently: Rent the musical, Live on Fox!); costume designer Linda Roethke (Richard III at The Public); lighting designer Brian Gale (Disgraced at San Diego Rep, 24 years with The Walt Disney Company); sound designer Darron L West (Tony and Obie Award-winner, McCarter’s Murder on the Orient Express); wig designer Carissa Thorlakson (Grand Hotel and Little Rock off Broadway); illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer (Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast on Broadway), choreographer Ellenore Scott (King Kong: The Musical on Broadway), and Alison Cote (Production Stage Manager)

“The Old Globe’s audience loves to laugh, and our good friend Ken Ludwig, one of the towering comic playwrights at work today, always delivers for them,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “In recent seasons he’s given us hilarity in places ranging from Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest to Sherlock Holmes’s London, and now, in The Gods of Comedy, he takes us to ancient Greece and the contemporary university. Ludwig’s wild imagination gives us a classic fish-out-of-water tale: two Greek gods magically descend from Mt. Olympus and show up on a college campus. From there it’s mayhem, mistaken identity, pratfalls, and slamming doors, along with some surprising insights on how the wit and wisdom of the classical world guide us today. Ludwig and the talented director Amanda Dehnert, making her Globe debut, have created a giddy confection that will entertain and beguile San Diego audiences, and I’m thrilled to have it on our stage.”

Ken Ludwig is a two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright who has written over 28 plays and musicals, including six shows on Broadway and 7 in London's West End. Lend Me a Tenor won two Tony Awards® and was called "one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Additional awards include the Helen Hayes Award, the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year, The Samuel French Award for Lifetime Achievement, and The Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theatre. His Broadway plays have starred Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Tony Shalhoub, Lynn Redgrave, and Kristin Bell. His book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year. His best known works include Crazy for You (5 years on Broadway, Tony® and Olivier Awards for Best Musical); Moon Over Buffalo; Baskerville; A Comedy of Tenors; Sherwood; and a stage version of Murder on the Orient Express written expressly at the request of the Agatha Christie Estate. He holds degrees from Harvard, where he studied music with Leonard Bernstein, and Cambridge University. His work has been performed in over 30 countries in more than 20 languages, and is produced somewhere in the United States every night of the year.

Director Amanda Dehnert’s recent credits include West Side Story (Carnegie Hall at The Knockdown Center). World Premieres: Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice (Primary Stages NY, Seattle Rep, Hudson Valley Shakespeare); Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville (McCarter/Arena Stage); Eastland: A New Musical (also orchestration, Lookingglass Theatre Company);Cloudlands (Adam Gwon/Octavio Solis, South Coast Repertory). As director/composer/adaptor: Love’s Labor’s Lost, Timon of Athens (Oregon Shakespeare Fest.); The Verona Project (California Shakespeare Theatre); Peter Pan (Lookingglass Theatre Company); Richard III (Public Theater Mobile Unit). Other: Little Shop of Horrors (Cleveland Playhouse), The Fantasticks (Trinity Rep, Long Wharf, Arena Stage, South Coast Rep), Into the Woods, Julius Caesar (Oregon Shakespeare Fest.), My Fair Lady (Oregon Shakespeare Fest., Cleveland Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Virginia Stage, Trinity Rep.), Death of a Salesman (Dallas Theatre Center), Cabaret (Stratford Shakespeare Festival).

McCarter Theatre Center (Co-Producer , Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy), Under the leadership of award-winning playwright and Artistic Director Emily Mann, Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg, and Special Programming Director William W. Lockwood, McCarter’s mission is to create world-class theater and present the finest artists for the engagement, education, and entertainment to the community. Winner of the 1994 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, world premieres include Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (2013 Tony – Best Play); Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays; Emily Mann’s Having Our Say; and Danai Gurira’s The Convert. McCarter brings artists from around the world to Princeton, New Jersey including Ahmad Jamal, Rhiannon Giddens, David Sedaris, and more. Education and outreach efforts serve tens of thousands through student matinees, in-school residencies, and adult classes. More at mccarter.org.

The Gods of Comedy at The Old Globe is supported in part through a gift from Production Sponsors Nicki and Ben Clay, Elaine and Dave Darwin, Paula and Brian Powers, Jean and Gary Shekhter, and Pamela J. Wagner and Hans Tegebo. The Artist Sponsors for playwright Ken Ludwig is Jo Ann Kilty and Evelyn Mack Truitt. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.

Additional events taking place during the run of The Gods of Comedy include:

VICKI AND CARL ZEIGER INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.

This series provides an opportunity to closely connect with productions both onstage and backstage. A panel selected from the artistic company of each show (playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and/or technicians) engages patrons in an informal and illuminating presentation of ideas and insights to enhance the theatregoing experience. Reception at 5:00 p.m. FREE; no reservations necessary.

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesdays, May 21 and 28, 2019 and Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

Join us after the show for an informal and enlightening question-and-answer session with cast, crew, and/or Globe staff members. Get the inside story on creating a character and putting together a professional production. FREE for ticketholders of that evening’s performance.

SUBJECT MATTERS: Saturday, May 18, 2019 following the matinee performance.

Explore the ideas and issues raised by a production through brief, illuminating post-show discussions with local experts, such as scientists, artists, historians and scholars. Subject Matters will ignite discussion, bring the play's concerns into sharp focus, and encourage you to think beyond the stage! FREE; no reservations necessary.

Single tickets start at $30.00 and are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors, military members, and groups of 10 or more.

Performances begin on May 11 and continue through June 16, 2019 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run May 11–15. Opening night is Thursday May 16 at 8:00 p.m. Regular performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. There will be an additional matinee performance on Wednesday, June 5 and no matinee performance on Saturday, June 8.

LOCATION and PARKING INFORMATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Through a special arrangement with the San Diego Zoo, Old Globe evening ticket-holders have the opportunity to pre-purchase valet parking in the Zoo’s employee parking structure. With a drop-off point just a short walk to the Globe, theatregoers may purchase fast, easy, convenient valet parking for just $14 per vehicle per evening. Pre-paid only, available only by phone through the Old Globe Box Office. Call (619) 234-5623 or visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/valet-parking. The Balboa Park valet is also available during weekend performances, located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. There is a 10-minute zone at The Old Globe, used only for daytime deliveries, ticket purchases, and handicapped access dropoff. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/detailed-directions.

PLEASE NOTE: To look up online directions to The Old Globe, please do not use the Delivery Address above. Click here for directions to The Old Globe and nearby parking in Balboa Park.

CALENDAR: Life After (3/22–4/28), They Promised Her the Moon (4/6–5/5), AXIS: Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! (4/20), AXIS: Manila Disco Fever in Concert (5/9), Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy (5/11–6/16), What You Are (5/30–6/30), AXIS: San Diego’s Gods of Comedy (6/15), As You Like It (6/16–7/21), AXIS: Make Music San Diego (6/21), The Tale of Despereaux (7/6–8/11), Steve Martin’s The Underpants (7/27–8/25), Romeo and Juliet (8/11–9/15), AXIS: Mexican Independence Day Celebration (9/14), 2019 Globe Gala (9/21), AXIS: Day of the Dead (11/3).

PHOTO EDITORS: Digital images of The Old Globe’s productions are available at www.theoldglobe.org/press-room.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego’s flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Meteor Shower, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

Jessie Cannizzaro (Thalia) Select NYC: Puffs (New World Stages), Romeo and Juliet (Lincoln Center Education), The Christians (Playwrights Horizons), The Mysteries (The Flea), The Haunting of Ichabod Crane (Park Avenue Armory), The Events (New York Theatre Workshop), Hamlet in Hamlet (American Theatre of Actors). Select TV: “Nella The Princess Knight” (Nick Jr.), “Losing It with John Stamos” (Yahoo!), “Urban Teach Now” (official selection 2016 NYTVF). Select Film: Selah and The Spades (official selection 2019 Sundance Film Festival). Training: Williamstown Theatre Festival Apprenticeship, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, British American Drama Academy, Resident Acting Company “The Bats” at The Flea Theater. BA, Theater/Political Science: Swarthmore College. www.JessieCannizzaro.com

Steffanie Leigh (Zoe/Brooklyn) Broadway: War Paint (Dorian Leigh), Gigi (Liane d’Exelmans), Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins). National Tour: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins). NYC/regional: Passion (Signature Theatre); Dani Girl (Exit, Pursued by a Bear); Venus in Fur (Singapore Repertory Theatre); Jaques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Alliance Theatre); Into the Woods, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera). TV: “Blacklist,” “Blind Spot,” “Mysteries of Laura,” “The Following,” “The Good Wife,” “Members Only.” Film: Seaside, Easter Mysteries, American Dresser, Progress (and unrelated things), They’re Out of the Business. BFA acting/musical theatre, Carnegie Mellon. www.steffanieleigh.com

Jevon McFerrin (Ralph) is originally from San Francisco, CA; and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts NYC (03-05). Most recently Jevon was in Hamilton on Broadway as the Principle Standby for Alexander Hamilton and the Sons of Liberty, Simeon the Leper in Cinco Paul’s A.D.16 for the NAMT Festival, Smokey Robinson in Motown on Broadway, Dennis in Daniel Beaty’s Tearing Down the Walls, for which he received an Audelco Award nomination (Outstanding Male Performance in a Musical), T. Schreiber Studio’s award-winning production of Balm in Gilead, andBenny in RENT at Hangar Theatre (Ithaca, NY). Visit him at www.Jevonmcferrin.com

Keira Naughton (Dean Trickett) Broadway: The Rivals, Dance of Death, Three Sisters. Off-Broadway: These Paper Bullets, The Jammer, Hunting and Gathering, Indoor/Outdoor, All My Sons, The American Clock, among others. Regional credits include Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (New Neighborhood/White Heron), Church & State (Berkshire Theater Group), These Paper Bullets (Geffen Playhouse and Yale Rep), Elevada (Yale Rep), I Saw My Neighbor on the Train and I Didn't Even Smile (New Neighborhood/BTG), A Delicate Balance (Yale Rep), The Dining Room (Westport), Becky Shaw (Huntington Theatre Company), Proof (Helen Hayes Award nomination), Company (Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration). Keira directed the world premiere of Cedars by Erik Tarloff at Berkshire Theatre Group and she directed at the 92nd Street Y Lyrics and Lyricists series. TV/Film: The Exorcist (Fox), “Body of Proof,” “3 Lbs.,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Sex and the City,” “The Independents,” Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, and Cradle Will Rock. She is a founding member of New Neighborhood. She is a singer/songwriter in the theatrical band The Petersons. MFA from NYU.

Brad Oscar (Dionysus) Broadway: Something Rotten! (Tony Award nomination), Big Fish, Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Addams Family, Spamalot, The Producers (Tony Award nomination), Jekyll & Hyde, Aspects of Love. National Tour: The Phantom of the Opera, Young Frankenstein, Jekyll & Hyde. West End: The Producers. Off-Broadway: Nassim, Sweeney Todd (Barrow Street), Forbidden Broadway (Encores!), Annie Get Your Gun, Bells Are Ringing, and Do Re Mi. Regional: The Squirrels (La Jolla Playhouse); Fiddler on the Roof (Barrington Stage); Barnum (Asolo Rep/Maltz Jupiter-Carbonell Award, Best Actor in a Musical); The Mystery of Irma Vep, Cabaret, and Damn Yankees (Arena Stage); The First Wives Club(The Old Globe). Film: Ghost Town, The Producers. Television: “Madam Secretary,” “Smash,” “The Good Wife,” three “Law & Orders.”

George Psomas (Aristide/Aleksi/Ares) was in the 2015 Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof, and the 2008 Broadway production of South Pacific. Other theatre includes the world premiere productions of Sex and Other Disturbances (Portland Stage); Errol and Fidel (New York Musical Festival,, Best Supporting Actor Award); and Play It By Heart (Human Race Theatre Co.). George recently made his Carnegie Hall debut singing “Somewhere” from West Side Story honoring Academy Award Winner George Chakiris. Film: Jersey Shore Massacre, Family on Board, and Bittersweet Sixteen. Print: Vogue Magazine: in Romeo & Juliet by photographer Annie Leibovitz. George was also the 2016, 2017, 2018 Host of Broadway Under The Stars in NYC and the season 2 winner of Broadway Idol. Instagram @George_Psomas

Shay Vawn (Daphne) is delighted to make her regional debut with this incredible ensemble. NYC credits: soot and spit (Charles Mee world premiere; The New Ohio Theatre) and the 52nd St Project. TV: “DEVS” (FX) and “Instinct” (CBS). Training: NYU Graduate Acting @dictionarydame

Jason Sherwood (Scenic Design) is a Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, and Henry Hewes Design Award nominee. He recently designed Rent the musical, Live on Fox!; Sam Smith's Arena World Tour and campaign TV appearances (including the Grammys, “SNL,” “Ellen”); and the “People's Choice Awards” on E!. Upcoming: the Spice Girls World Tour, and the Broadway revival of The Secret Garden. More designs at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwright's Realm, Rattlestick, The Old Globe, American Repertory Theatre, Guthrie, among many others. Online: @JasonSherwoodDesign

Linda Roethke (Costume Design) Off-Broadway: Richard III (The Public Theater). Regional: Indecent (Arena Stage and Baltimore Center Stage); Oklahoma!, Richard II, Into the Woods, King Lear, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, All’s Well That Ends Well (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Hand to God, The Geller Girls, Managing Maxine, The Underpants, Shadowlands (Alliance Theatre); The Game’s Afoot (Cleveland Playhouse); The Good Book, Water by the Spoonful, The Dead, Orlando (Court Theatre); Stage Kiss, The Clean House (Goodman Theatre); Visiting Edna, Mary Page Marlowe, Motherf**ker with the Hat, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Intimate Apparel (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Indecent, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George (Kansas City Repertory Theatre); Miss Saigon (The Paramount Theatre). Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Center Stage, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, American Players Theatre, and Northlight Theatre. Other credits: co-director of the MFA Design Program at Northwestern University. Awards: Jeff Award (An Ideal Husband, Court Theatre); Suzi Bass nominations (The Geller Girls and The Underpants, Alliance Theatre); Connecticut Circle nomination (A Little Night Music, Connecticut Repertory Theatre). Education: MFA, University of Iowa.

Brian Gale (Lighting Design) Credits include: All My Sons, Two Trains Running (Matrix Theater); El Nino, Mexican Day, 100 Aprils (Rogue Machine); Punk Rock (Odyssey); God of Carnage, Carrie the Musical (La Mirada); Red, Disgraced (San Diego Rep.); Little Shop of Horrors (Cleveland Playhouse); Hugh Jackman One Night Only  (Dolby Theater). Lighting & projection design for Sleepless in Seattle: The Musical, lighting for Intimate Apparel and The Heiress (Pasadena Playhouse). Lighting and projection for Waiting for Godot, lighting for The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Harps’ and Angels (The Mark Taper Forum). Projection for Eurydice, lighting for Doctor’s Dilemma (A Noise Within). Lighting and projection for LA Opera’s complete Ring Cycle. 24 years with the Walt Disney Company, he continues to consult on theme parks, shows and special events worldwide. Mr. Gale is a member of IATSE USA Local 829.

Darron L West (Sound Design) McCarter: A Christmas Carol (2016-18); Murder on the Orient Express; Bathing In Moonlight; Hoodwinked; Baby Doll; Into the Woods; The Convert; Fetch Clay, Make Man; Me, Myself & I; Stick Fly; Miss Witherspoon; Hamlet; The Bells; and Crowns (2002). He is a Tony and Obie Award-winning sound designer whose work for dance and theater has been heard in over 500 productions in the U.S. and internationally in 14 countries. His accolades include the Drama Desk, Lortel, Audelco, and Princess Grace Foundation Statue Awards among many others.

Carissa Thorlakson (Wig Design) is a New Jersey-based wig and makeup designer. She has recently designed Grand Hotel and Little Rock off-Broadway. She is currently in her sixth season with McCarter, where her design work includes A Christmas Carol (2013-2018), Simpatico, The Mousetrap, and All the Days. She has designed for Temple University, Olney Theatre Center, University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players, The Princeton Festival, American Repertory Ballet, and NewArts group in Newtown, CT. She has served as a wig and makeup artist at Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, and Round House Theatre. Carissa also creates custom medical wigs, cosplay wigs, and teaches classes in wig and makeup. You can find her at CThorwigs.com and @wigician.

Jim Steinmeyer (Illusion Design)The New York Times calls him the “celebrated invisible man, designer and creative brain behind many of the great stage magicians.” His illusions have been featured by Doug Henning, Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield, Ricky Jay, and many others. He created special illusions for Broadway, including: Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Mary Poppins, and Aladdin. He’s also the author of books on the history and practice of magic.

Ellenore Scott (Choreography) is a NYC based choreographer and performer. Scott was a finalist and All-Star on the hit television show, “So You Think You Can Dance?” She is the Associate Choreographer for Head Over Heels and King Kong: The Musical on Broadway Scott was the Assistant Choreographer for the Broadway revivals of Cats and Falsettos. She also choreographed Off Broadway's Pride and Prejudice at the Cherry Lane Theater. Scott is the Artistic Director of ELSCO Dance, a NYC contemporary dance company.

Tara Rubin Casting (Casting) Selected Broadway and National Tours: Ain’t Too Proud, King Kong, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, The Band’s Visit, Prince of Broadway, Indecent, Bandstand, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, A Bronx Tale, Cats, Falsettos, Disaster!, School of Rock, Bullets Over Broadway, Les Misérables, Big Fish, The Phantom of the Opera, Billy Elliot, Shrek, Spamalot, …Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys.  Off-Broadway: Gloria: A Life; Smokey Joe’s Café; Here Lies Love; Love, Loss, and What I Wore.  Selected Regional: McCarter Theatre Center, Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Westport Country Playhouse. www.tararubincasting.com.

Alison Cote (Production Stage Manager) is in her 22nd season at McCarter Theatre. Highlights include Detroit ’67, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville; The Understudy, directed by Adam Immerwahr; The White Snake, directed by Mary Zimmerman; Danai Gurira’s The Convert, directed by Emily Mann; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Tina Landau; Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon; Sorrows and Rejoicings, directed by Athol Fugard; and Stephen Wadsworth’s adaptations of The Figaro Plays. Other credits include Edward Albee’s Me, Myself & I at Playwrights Horizons; Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/ Sister Plays at The Public Theater, Second Stage, Old Globe, Goodman Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Paper Mill, Kennedy Center, Long Wharf, Center Theatre Group, Berkeley Rep, Bard Summerscape, Pittsburgh Public, Williamstown, and 19 productions with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

World premiere
Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy
By Ken Ludwig
Directed by Amanda Dehnert
Presented in association with McCarter Theatre Center

RUNS: May 11 – June 16, 2019

Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center

TICKETS: Ticket prices start at $30.00.

SYNOPSIS: Daphne and Ralph are young classics professors who have just made a discovery that’s sure to turn them into academic superstars. But something goes disastrously wrong, and Daphne cries out in a panic, “Save me, gods of ancient Greece!”…and the gods actually appear! The Ivy League will never be the same as a pair of screwball deities encounters the carnal complexity of college coeds, campus capers, and conspicuous consumption. Two-time Olivier Award–winning playwright Ludwig brings us a knockabout world premiere with laughs that are simply divine.

CAST: Jessie Cannizzaro (Thalia); Steffanie Leigh (as Zoe/Brooklyn); Jevon McFerrin (Ralph); Keira Naughton (Dean Trickett); Brad Oscar (Dionysus); George Psomas (Aristide/Aleksi/Ares); and Shay Vawn (Daphne).

CREATIVE TEAM: Jason Sherwood (Scenic Design); Linda Roethke (Costume Design); Brian Gale (Lighting Design); Darron L West (Sound Design), Carissa Thorlakson (Wig Design); Jim Steinmeyer (Illusion Design), Ellenore Scott (Choreography), Alison Cote (Production Stage Manager).

BOX OFFICE WINDOW HOURS: Noon to final curtain Tuesday through Sunday. American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and VISA accepted. (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623].

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Free parking is available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($14, advance reservation by calling the Box Office, evening performances only).

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
PREVIEW PERFORMANCES:
May 11 SAT 8:00pm
May 12 SUN 7:00pm
May 14 TUE 7:00pm  (Zeiger Insights Seminar)
May 15 WED 7:00pm

OPENING NIGHT: May 16 THURS 8:00pm
REGULAR PERFORMANCES:
May 17 FRI 8:00pm
May 18 SAT 2:00pm  (Subject Matters)
May 18 SAT 8:00pm
May 19 SUN 7:00pm
May 19 SUN 7:00pm
May 21 TUE 7:00pm  (Post-Show Forum)
May 22 WED 7:00pm
May 23 THURS 8:00pm
May 24 FRI 8:00pm
May 25 SAT 2:00pm
May 25 SAT 8:00pm
May 26 SUN 2:00pm
May 26 SUN 7:00pm
May 28 TUE 7:00pm  (Post-Show Forum)
May 29 WED 7:00pm
May 30 THURS 8:00pm
May 31 FRI 8:00pm
June 1 SAT 2:00pm
June 1 SAT 8:00pm
June 2 SUN 2:00pm
June 2 SUN 7:00pm
June 4 TUES 7:00pm
June 5 WED 2:00pm
June 5 WED 7:00pm  (Post-Show Forum)
June 6 THURS 8:00pm
June 7 FRI 8:00pm
June 8 SAT 8:00pm
June 9 SUN 2:00pm
June 9 SUN 7:00pm
June 11 TUES 7:00pm
June 12 WED 7:00pm
June 13 THURS 8:00pm
June 14 FRI 8:00pm
June 15 SAT 2:00pm
June 15 SAT 8:00pm
June 16 SUN 2:00pm
June 16 SUN 7:00pm

PHOTOS: Digital images of Globe productions are available at TheOldGlobe.org/press-room.

PRESS CONTACTS:
Susan Chicoine
schicoine@TheOldGlobe.org
(619) 238-0043 x2152 / 325-9416

Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti
aenciso@TheOldGlobe.org
(619) 238-0043 x2356