Have a "Meet Me in St. Louis" Christmas!

(Stoneham, MA) Let your heart be light, and have yourself a Meet Me in St. Louis Christmas, live, on stage at Stoneham Theatre. Performances run from November 28–December 28, 2014. Written by Hugh Wheeler, this musical is based on “The Kensington Stories” by Sally Benson, and the MGM motion picture Meet Me in St. Louis starring Judy Garland. The songs are composed by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blaine, published by EMI Feist Catalog, and produced for the Broadway stage by Brickhill-Burke Productions, Christopher Seabrooke, and EPI Products. Directed by Stoneham Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Caitlin Lowans, with Ceit Zweil as Choreographer and Bethany Aiken as Musical Director, this show features “The Trolley Song,” “The Boy Next Door,” and, of course, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

In the Smith Family home in St. Louis, Missouri, on the verge of the 1904 World’s Fair, Esther Smith has fallen for the boy next door. When her father is offered a job in New York City, they face being uprooted from their home and stifling Esther’s hopes of love. Dismayed by the thought of spending their last Christmas together in their cherished hometown, Mr. Smith is challenged with the decision of a lifetime. Will he choose his job over the happiness of his family? This heart-warming American musical is a celebration of family, home, hearth, and love.

Associate Artistic Director Caitlin Lowans said, “Meet Me in St. Louis brings three generations together under one roof. Side by side, the Smiths experience changes in life that many families face: a child heading off to college, the frenzy of first love, and relocating their home to a distant place. This musical is captivating for audiences of all ages, and many parents and grandparents will be delighted to pass this beloved piece of Americana down to the next generation this Christmas.”

Meet Me in St. Louis stars 18-year-old two-time IRNE Award-winning actress Sirena Abalian as Esther Smith. Hailing from Lexington, MA, Sirena has drawn attention for her performances in the local productions of Wheelock Family Theatre’s Pippi Longstocking, Fiddlehead Theatre Company’s Little Princess, and Stoneham Theatre’s Nutcracker the Musical. Susan S. McGinnis, the Founding Artistic Director of the Seaside Shakespeare Festival in Nantucket, will play the role of Mrs. Anna Smith. Mr. Alonso Smith will be played by Robert Saoud, who last appeared at Stoneham Theatre as Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie. William Gardiner returns for his 6th holiday performance with Stoneham Theatre in the role of Grandpa Prophater. Ripe with energy and raw talent, the Meet Me in St. Louis cast also includes Emerson College graduates Gigi Watson as Rose Smith and Daniel Irwin as Lon Smith, Emerson College students Felix Teich as John Truitt and Tara Feeley as Lucille Ballard, and Stoneham Theatre’s young company alumnus and Berklee College of Music student Adele Leikauskas as Eve. young company alumnus Tyler Rosati will play the role of Sidney Purvis, while working as Director for Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka, one of four productions in the young company’s Winter Festival 2015. As part of Stoneham Theatre’s young company comes to Mainstage initiative, three current students are also cast in this production. Skylar DiCecca and Chloe Nasson will alternate in the role of Tootie Smith, and Molly Geaney joins the Ensemble.

Meet Me in St. Louis opens on November 28, 2014 and runs through December 28, 2014. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 2pm. The Press Opening is Saturday, November 29, 2014 at 7pm. There is a post-show talkback on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Tickets are $50–$55. Senior tickets are $45–$50. Student tickets are $15 (with a valid ID). For more information or to purchase tickets, call Stoneham Theatre’s Box Office at 781-279-2200, or visit www.stonehamtheatre.org.

CAITLIN LOWANS (Director/Associate Artistic Director) In her time at Stoneham, Caitlin has directed or co-directed 21 shows on the Mainstage: most recently, Doubt, A Parable. Favorite Stoneham productions include My Fair Lady, A Year with Frog and Toad, Picnic at Hanging Rock and the IRNE-nominated Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story. As the Director of Education, she directed 25 shows for the young company, including The House Theatre of Chicago’s Rose and the Rime and Brendan Kennelly’s translation of The Trojan Women. She recently helmed Jane Bowles’ In the Summerhouse for Fort Point, as well as the world premieres of Ryan Landry’s M at the Huntington Theatre Company and MJ Kaufman’s Outlaw Jean for Fresh Ink Theatre. This spring will find her directing for Fresh Ink again with the world premiere of A. Nora Long’s Clytemnestriad, as well as Walking the Tightrope starring Johnny Lee Davenport here at Stoneham. Caitlin is an alumna of Georgetown University, Harvard University’s Arts in Education program, and the Lincoln Center Directors Lab.

SIRENA ABALIAN (Esther Smith) has performed in numerous shows in the Boston area, including: Sara Crewe, A Little Princess (Fiddlehead Theatre); Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Longstocking (Wheelock Family Theatre); Fredrika, A Little Night Music (Arlington Friends of the Drama); Clara, Nutcracker the Musical (Stoneham); Jojo, Seussical (Wheelock). She has been awarded two IRNE Awards and four nominations for “Best Performance by a Young Actor” and will be starring as the title role in Pinnochio at Wheelock Family Theatre in January 2015. Sirena performed in two productions with the young company at Stoneham Theatre, Beauty & the Beast and Les Miserables.

For more information about other members of the Meet Me in St. Louis cast, please visit stonehamtheatre.org/season15/meetmeinstlouis.html.

About Stoneham Theatre:

Now in its 15th season of live, professional theatre in Stoneham, MA, the mission of Stoneham Theatre is to keep the art of theatre and dramatic education thriving in the suburbs by providing the best in professional plays, musicals, and entertainment. Each season, we produce six Mainstage shows, present a series of concerts and special events, and run year-round classes, lessons, and fully staged productions through the young company for students in grades 1–12.

Box Office: (781) 279-2200

Box Office Hours: Mondays – Fridays 11am to 6pm; Saturdays 1pm to 6pm

Location: 395 Main Street, Stoneham, MA 02180

Website: www.stonehamtheatre.org

Flagship Season Sponsors: StonehamBank and the Stoneham Savings/Salem Five Charitable Foundation