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The Great Comet
The Great Comet

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

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Book, Music and Lyrics by Dave Malloy
Direction by Rachel Chavkin
Choreography by Sam Pinkleton

Music Direction by Or Matias
Music Supervision by Sonny Paladino

Natasha is young, Anatole is hot, and Andrey isn’t here…But what about Pierre? Based on a scandalous 70-page slice of War and Peace, this electropop opera (from the musical mind of Dave Malloy who brought Three Pianos, Ghost Quartet, and Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage to A.R.T.) is Tolstoy like you’ve never experienced him before. Step into a glamorous, romantic world of chandeliers, vodka and caviar in the salons and opera houses of 19th century Moscow, where passions ignite as Napoleon’s war rages outside the city. With the cast and musicians swirling among audience members (in an immersive set designed by 2015 MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Winner, Mimi Lien), this new musical brings to life the heart of literature’s most epic tale of love and fate.
@americanrep  #GreatCometART

Click Here to listen to the Original NYC Cast Recording on Spotify!

Need to know

This production contains sustained extended heavy strobe lights, loud noises, mature themes, and haze.

Latecomers will not be admitted until the intermission.

There will be no readmittance if you leave the theater during the performance.

Read more

Click here to read more about the show in our winter Guide.

Click here to view the Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Program.

Click here to visit our BlogKit (Blog + Toolkit) for podcasts, videos, interviews, songs, photos, sketches, and other behind-the-scenes features about Great Comet and its source material, a slice of Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Notable dates

Audio Described Dates

Dec. 30, 7:30PM – Jan. 3, 2PM

Open Captioned

Dec. 17, 7:30PM – Dec. 20, 2PM

Age Appropriateness

Recommended for grades 9 and up.

The contemporary electropop score will engage students over the age of 14, regardless of their familiarity with War and Peace. Prepared high school students will find the production to be an accessible, fun and poignant entry into the world of Tolstoy’s masterpiece. The immersive environment at the Loeb Drama Center may include seating onstage, which may require extra preparation on theater etiquette when there is little to no physical separation between audience and performance space. The story includes mature themes of intimacy and alcohol consumption.

The acclaimed production from

Originally commissioned, developed and world premiere produced by Ars Nova

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Credits

Creative team

Book, Music, and Lyrics

Dave Malloy

Book, Music, and Lyrics

Dave Malloy

Dave Malloy is a composer/writer/performer/sound designer making his fourth appearance at A.R.T., following the Obie Award-winning Three PianosBeowulf—A Thousand Years of Baggage, and, most recently,Ghost Quartet. He has written the music for ten musicals, including Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Richard Rodgers Award, Obie Award, and 11 Lortel nominations). Other musicals include Preludes at LCT3, Black Wizard/Blue WizardBeardoSandwich, and Clown Bible.  He has won a Jonathan Larson Grant, an ASCAP New Horizons Award, and a NEA/TCG Grant for Theatre Designers, has been a Guest Professor in devised music theater at Princeton and Vassar Universities, and is the composer for Banana Bag & Bodice. Future projects include adaptations of Moby-Dick and Shakespeare’s Henriad, commissioned by The Public and Berkeley Repertory Theater, and a piece on Taoism at ACT.  

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Director

Rachel Chavkin

Director

Rachel Chavkin

Rachel Chavkin is an Obie Award-winning director/dramaturg/writer, and the Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based experimental ensemble the TEAM (theteamplays.org), now in its 10th year. A.R.T.: Three Pianos,Particularly in the Heartland. Selected projects: Anne Washburn’s trans adaptation of Euripedes’ Iphigenia in Aulis, Classic Stage Company; Dave Malloy’s Preludes (World Premiere), LCT3; The TEAM’sRoosevElvis, PS122’s COIL festival, and tours to the Royal Court, Walker Art Center, and A.R.T.; Bess Wohl’s Small Mouth Sounds (World Premiere), Ars Nova; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (World Premiere), Ars Nova, Kazino (New York TimesTime Out New York and New York Post Critics’ Picks); British artist Chris Thorpe’s Confirmation (World Premiere, 2014 Edinburgh Fringe First Award, American Theatre's Top 10 Shows at the Edinburgh Fringe), with Warwick Arts Centre and Battersea Arts Centre; Meg Miroshnik’s The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, Yale Rep; Marco Ramirez’s The Royale, The Old Globe and upcoming at Lincoln Center; and multiple collaborations with Taylor Mac, including his extravaganza The Lily’s Revenge (World Premiere Act II), HERE. Doris Duke Impact Award nominee (2013 and 2014), Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations (for Great Comet). NYTW Usual Suspect, Artistic Associate at London’s Gate Theatre, alum of Soho Rep’s Writer/Director Lab, Drama League Directors Project, Women’s Project Director’s Lab, and New Georges Affiliate Artist. She has also taught extensively at NYU, Pace, and other colleges. Proud member of SDC.

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Choreography by

Sam Pinkleton

Choreography by

Sam Pinkleton

A.R.T./OBERON: Kansas City Choir Boy. Broadway: MachinalThe Heidi Chronicles. Recent: Amélie, Berkeley Rep; Significant Other, Roundabout; Heisenberg, MTC; Pretty Filthy, The Civilians; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino; Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric PlayFly By NightStage Kiss; Playwrights Horizons; I Promised Myself to Live Faster, Pig Iron/Humana Festival; HAIR: Retrospection, Kansas City Rep;The Understudy, McCarter. Sam is an Associate Artist with The Civilians and Witness Relocation and is co-director of The Dance Cartel’s ONTHEFLOOR. Upcoming: Rimbaud in New York, BAM; The Good Swimmer, Prototype Festival. sampinkleton.com

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Scenic Design

Mimi Lien

Mimi Lien

Scenic Design

Mimi Lien

A.R.T.: Moby-Dick; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812Communist Dracula Pageant. Broadway: True WestLifespan of a Fact; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards). Off-Broadway: Fairview, Soho Rep/TFANA; A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, St. Ann’s Warehouse. Opera: Die Zauberflöte, Staatsoper Berlin; Pelléas et Melisande, Cleveland Orchestra. Awards: Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Bessie, LA Drama Critics Circle, Cullman Award for Extraordinary Creativity, Hewes Design Award, Obie Award for sustained excellence, MacArthur Fellowship.

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Costume Design

Paloma Young

Paloma Young Headshot

Costume Design

Paloma Young

A.R.T.: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; The Tempest. Broadway: Peter and the Starcatcher (Tony Award). Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Lucille Lortel Award), Kazino; The Patron Saint of Sea Monsters, Fly By Night, Playwrights Horizons; Wildflower, Second Stage; Recall, Colt Coeur; Brooklyn Babylon, BAM Next Wave. Regional: The Bandstand, Paper Mill Playhouse; Troublemaker… and You, Nero, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Hoover Comes Alive! and A Current Nobody, La Jolla Playhouse. Ms. Young has also worked at South Coast Repertory, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, California Shakespeare Theater, Hand2Mouth, and Mixed Blood among others. Education: MFA, UCSD.

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Lighting Design

Bradley King

Lighting Design

Bradley King

A.R.T.: Moby-Dick, We Live in Cairo, Endlings, Burn All Night, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, O.P.C. Broadway: Fat Ham, Hadestown (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC Awards), Flying Over Sunset (Drama Desk Award, Tony Nomination), The Great Comet(Tony, Drama Desk, OCC awards), Bernhardt/Hamlet. Numerous shows Off-Broadway, regionally, and around the world. Upcoming musicals: Water For Elephants, Alliance; Buena Vista Social Club, Atlantic; Lempicka; Goddess; How to Dance in Ohio. bradleykingld.com

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Sound Design

Matt Hubbs

Sound Design

Matt Hubbs

A.R.T.: Marie AntoinetteThree Pianos. Sound Design credits: Preludes, LCT3; The RoyaleTime and the Conways, Old Globe; Stage Kiss100 Saints You Should Know, Playwrights Horizons; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino, Ars Nova; Marie Antoinette, Soho Rep, Yale Rep; How We Got OnDeath TaxA Devil at Noon, Humana Festival of New American Plays; Three Pianos, NYTW; The Human Scale, Public Theater; Telephone, Foundry Theatre; HammockThe Matter of Origins: TeaBlueprints of Relentless Nature613 Radical Acts of Prayer, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange; the National Playwrights Conference, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. A company member of the TEAM, he has designed The Holler SessionsRoosevElvisMission DriftArchitectingParticularly in the Heartland, and A Thousand Natural Shocks. BA in Philosophy as a University Scholar at Xavier University.

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Wig & Makeup Design

Rachel Padula Shufelt

Orchestrations

Dave Malloy

Orchestrations

Dave Malloy

Dave Malloy is a composer/writer/performer/sound designer making his fourth appearance at A.R.T., following the Obie Award-winning Three PianosBeowulf—A Thousand Years of Baggage, and, most recently,Ghost Quartet. He has written the music for ten musicals, including Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Richard Rodgers Award, Obie Award, and 11 Lortel nominations). Other musicals include Preludes at LCT3, Black Wizard/Blue WizardBeardoSandwich, and Clown Bible.  He has won a Jonathan Larson Grant, an ASCAP New Horizons Award, and a NEA/TCG Grant for Theatre Designers, has been a Guest Professor in devised music theater at Princeton and Vassar Universities, and is the composer for Banana Bag & Bodice. Future projects include adaptations of Moby-Dick and Shakespeare’s Henriad, commissioned by The Public and Berkeley Repertory Theater, and a piece on Taoism at ACT.  

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Music Supervision

Sonny Paladino

Music Supervision

Sonny Paladino

A.R.T.: Pippin (Associate Music Director). Broadway: The Last Ship (written by 16-time Grammy Award winner, Sting; Associate Music Director); Pippin; (Assistant Conductor/Keys): Jesus Christ SuperstarBilly ElliotGreasePriscilla, Queen of the Desert; Keyboards: Guys and DollsMama MiaPromises, PromisesAddams FamilyWomen on the Verge. Music Supervisor for Disney's High School Musical, Milan/Italy Tour.First National Tours: Disney's High School MusicalDirty Rotten ScoundrelsGrease. Work with Alicia Keys, Ke$ha, Matthew Morrison. As composer: The Return of the Blue Cat (with poet F.D. Reeve). TV: The X-Factor (Australia), The Next Big Thing. Sonny is also the music director and arranger for The Doo Wop Project. BFA in Jazz Piano from CUNY City College. 

sonnypaladino.com

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Music Direction

Or Matias

Music Direction

Or Matias

A.R.T.: Debut. Most recent productions: First Daughter Suite, Public Theater; Preludes (Rachmaninoff, Music Director), LCT3. As writer: music, lyrics, and book for The Wave—based on the 1967 experiment which turned an entire school into a proto-fascist movement. Original scores for Land of Broken Toys at Fringe NYC and “Israel Story” radio show. Education: Juilliard and NYU (Dean’s Award). For Mai, who makes us sing, laugh, and love more than we knew we could. ormatiasmusic.com

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Casting

Stewart/Whitley

Casting

Stewart/Whitley

Duncan Stewart CSA/Benton Whitley CSA. A.R.T.: WILDMoby-Dick,The Black Clown, Great Comet of 1812, The TempestPippin. Broadway/NY: Hadestown (Artios Award), Chicago the Musical, Paradise Square, Rock of Ages, Lightning Thief,Great Comet of 1812, Elf, On the Town, Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. TV/Film: Netflix, 20th Century Fox, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney Channel. West End/U.K.: Hadestown, Thriller Live, Menier Chocolate FactoryTours: Hadestown, Hairspray, Waitress, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Into the Woods, We Will Rock You. Regional: Berkeley Rep, Alley, Bay Street, For The Record, TUTS, Hollywood Bowl, McCarter, Signature, RCCL. Follow: @stewartwhitley and stewartwhitley.com.

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Production Stage Manager

Karyn Meek

Production Stage Manager

Karyn Meek

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Elf, Fiddler on the Roof, RENT, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. First National Tours: The Drowsy Chaperone, 9 to 5, La Cage Aux Folles. Off Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino; Almost, Maine (World Premiere), Daryl Roth Theatre; Preludes (World Premiere), Lincoln Center; Summer of ’42, Variety Arts; Iphigenia in AulisNaked, HurricaneThe Misanthrope, Classic Stage Company; The Day Emily MarriedBarefoot Boy With Shoes On, Primary Stages; What Didn’t Happen, Playwrights Horizons; The Dying Gaul, Vineyard Theatre, and many others. Regional: Six seasons at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, as well as Dallas Summer Musicals, TUTS, TOTS, Pantages Theatre, Starlight Theatre, Missouri Rep. 

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Cast

Sonya

Brittain Ashford

A.R.T./OBERON: Ghost Quartet. Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Sonya, Lucille Lortel nomination), Kazino, Ars Nova; Ghost Quartet, Bushwick Starr, The Heath, Curran: Under Construction. Brittain is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter and fronts the Brooklyn-based band Prairie Empire. The band is pleased to announce its forthcoming album, The Salt, available in 2016. prairieempire.org.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Mary/Maid Servant/Opera Singer

Gelsey Bell

Mary/Maid Servant/Opera Singer

Gelsey Bell

A.R.T./OBERON: Ghost Quartet. Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino, Ars Nova; Ghost Quartet, Bushwick Starr, The Heath. Opera: thingNY’s This Takes Place Close By (also co-composer), Knockdown Center; Prisoner’s Song(also composer), Roulette; Event: Choreography by Merce Cunningham (also co-composer), The Joyce Theater; You are my heat and glare (also composer), New York Live Arts; Here Be Sirens, Dixon Place; Crash, the Whitney, Roulette; Varispeed’sPerfect Lives (also co-creator), various locations. Film: Matthew Barney’s The River of Fundamentgelseybell.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Bolkonsky/Andrey

Nicholas Belton

Bolkonsky/Andrey

Nicholas Belton

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Hair (Berger u/s). Tours: Wicked (Fiyero u/s), Evita (Che u/s), Hair. Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino; My Life With Albertine, Playwrights Horizons; See Rock City, Duke on 42nd; Normal, Transport Group. Regional: Turn of the Century, Goodman Theatre; Carousel, Long Wharf/Court Theatre; Idaho Shakespeare; Pittsburgh CLO. Nick is also a personal chef and food / travel blogger @ForageAndFree.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Natasha

Denée Benton

Natasha

Denée Benton

A.R.T.: Debut. U.S. National Tour/West End: The Book of Mormon (Nabulungi). Regional: Annie (Star to Be), Sunset Boulevard, Fiddler on the Roof, Pittsburgh CLO. BFA Carnegie Mellon University. Thank you to the Comet team for the chance to be a part of this magical show. Gratitude is overflowing to God, Mommy, and Daddy for their boundless love and support.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Manik Choksi Headshot

Dolokhov

Nick Choksi

Manik Choksi Headshot

Dolokhov

Nick Choksi

A.R.T.: Moby-Dick; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Dolokhov). Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Off-Broadway: Indian Ink, Roundabout; Bunty Berman Presents (Lortel Nomination), New Group; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Ars Nova; God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, Encores!; King Tot, D Deb Debbie Deborah, Clubbed Thumb; Huck & Holden, Cherry Lane. Film/​TV: “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”; “New Amsterdam”; “Good Fight”; “Mindhunter”; “Elementary”; “Happyish”; “One Life To Live” (Vimal Patel), Home, Passing Season. Composer: Those Lost Boys (workshop), The Ramayan (workshop), Ars Nova; Food Odyssey, 3LD; Education: The Juilliard School.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Hélène

Lilli Cooper

Hélène

Lilli Cooper

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Spring Awakening (Original Broadway Cast), Wicked (Elphaba; Broadway, Australia & Second National Tour). Theater: Noir, New York Stage and Film & NAMT; The Threepenny Opera, Atlantic; LMNOP, Goodspeed; Independents (NY Times’ Critic’s Pick). Lilli is the creator of Glamour.com’s web-series “It’s Not Okay, Cupid.” She is a proud LaGuardia Arts High School Graduate, and a Vassar alum. Lillicooper.com

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Marya D

Grace McLean

Marya D

Grace McLean

A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino; Brooklynite, Vineyard Theatre; Bedbugs!!!, Arclight; The World is Round, BAM; Sleep No MoreTwelve Ophelias, Woodshed Collective. Regional: Pump Boys and Dinettes, Weston Playhouse; La MaMa Cantata, Spoleto, Italy; Zagreb, Croatia; Belgrade, Serbia; From The Fire (MTM Best New Musical), Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011; The Last Goodbye, Williamstown Theater Festival. Grace McLean & Them Apples opened the 2015 Lincoln Center American Songbook season and in April 2015 traveled to Pakistan on a U.S. State Department-sponsored tour. Original music available on iTunes.  gracemclean.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Balaga/Servant/Opera Singer

Paul Pinto

Balaga/Servant/Opera Singer

Paul Pinto

A.R.T.: Debut. Paul Pinto creates and produces experimental music and theatrical works, and is the founder and co-director of ensembles thingNY and Varispeed. Opera: ADDDDDDDDDTIMEPatriotsThis Takes Place Close ByPerfect Lives (praised in the Los Angeles TimesWall Street JournalTime Out New York, where Steve Smith named it on his “Best of 2011” List; and in the New York Times “Standout operas of recent decades”). He is currently working on his new operas Thomas Paine in Violence (HERE Arts Center, The Industry) and an untitled opera for Iktus Percussion about boxers.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Pierre

Scott Stangland

A.R.T.: Debut. Select theater: Once, Broadway; The Wheel, Steppenwolf Theatre; Eastland, Lookingglass Theatre Company; A Christmas Carol, Goodman Theatre. Select TV/film: “Crisis,” “Chicago Fire,” NBC; “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” TNT;ContagionEnd of the Tour. Scott received his MFA from The Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University. As a musician, Scott also plays in the band Youth in a Roman Field. scottstangland.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Anatole

Lucas Steele

Anatole

Lucas Steele

A.R.T.: Oliver Twist. Broadway: The Threepenny Opera (with Cyndi Lauper and Alan Cumming). Off-Broadway: has originated numerous roles including Anatole in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Lucille Lortel Award, Best Featured Actor in a Musical), Ars Nova, Kazino; Myths and Hymns, Prospect Theater Co; The Kid, The New Group. Regional: Berkeley Rep, Rubicon Theatre Company, Walnut Street Theatre, Intiman Theatre.

LucasSteele.com    

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Sumayya Ali

Ensemble

Sumayya Ali

A.R.T. Debut. Opera: Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line (Harriet Tubman), American Opera Projects. Broadway: Porgy and BessRagtime!. Off Broadway: Ragtime!, Lincoln Center; Lost in the Stars, Encores!. Regional: Master Class, Kennedy Center; Oklahoma!, Portland Center Stage. Film: Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer (feature), Easter Mysteries (feature), Being Iman (lead). BA Spelman College; MM New England Conservatory. Sumayya is thrilled to be playing the violin in this production.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Courtney Bassett

Ensemble

Courtney Bassett

A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Bedbugs!!!. Regional: Pop! Who Shot Andy Warhol? (Edie), City Theatre PA; The Marvelous Wonderettes (Missy), Pittsburgh CLO; The Light in the Piazza (Clara), Evita (Evita), Pittsburgh Playhouse. Other favorites: Lead vocalist for New York City Ballet’s West Side Story Suite, Field Trip with science/art collaborative Superhero Clubhouse and Columbia University climatologists. Some of Courtney’s original music can be heard on End NF, a benefit album for children’s brain tumor research, released on iTunes this winter. Thank you beautiful Comet team, and Boston family! courtneybassett.com

 

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Josh Canfield

Ensemble

Josh Canfield

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Doctor Zhivago (Liberius). Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Anatole), Kazino. London: Sail Away (Barnaby), Sadlers Wells. Germany: Hair (Claude), The English Theatre of Frankfurt. Regional: Godspell (Jesus),Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph; Carbonell, Broadwayworld nominations), Actors’ Playhouse; Next Fall (Luke), Caldwell Theatre; The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow), Lyceum Theatre. TV: CBS’ "Survivor: San Juan Del Sur."

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Ken Clark

Ensemble

Ken Clark

ART: Debut. Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino; February House, Public Theater. First National Tour: La Cage aux Folles. Regional: Moonshine (Bucky Jr), Dallas Theater Center; Camelot (Arthur), Drury Lane Theater; Rent (Roger), Syracuse Stage; Urinetown (Bobby), Connecticut Rep; Sweeney Todd (Anthony), The Gateway. TV: "House of Cards." Love to Mom, Dad, Gramps, Granny. Stoop and Tara. Thanks to Team “En.” Miami Hurricane, class of 2010.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Erica Dorfler

Ensemble

Erica Dorfler

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: The Book of MormonMemphisBaby It’s You!Scandalous. Off-Broadway: Avenue QForbidden BroadwaySilk Stockings. National Tours: Mamma Mia!Rent. New York: Here’s Hoover, Abrons Arts Center; The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Radio City Music Hall. Regional: Bull Durham, Alliance Theatre; The Motherline, Milagro Theatre. TV: “The Family,” “Comedians in Cars.” BFA University of Miami. Special thanks to The Mine. Love to my new husband, Brian, and my wonderful family.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Daniel Emond

Ensemble

Daniel Emond

A.R.T.: Debut. Regional: Another Happy Ending (Lysander), Goodwill Theater; Poems, Prayers, and Promises (Dan), Florida Studio Theatre; The Underclassmen (Freddy), Daisies (Ashley and Allen), The Secret Theatre. Daniel plays in 3 bands, including the bluegrass outfit The Blue Eyed Bettys (performing in The Peppercorn Theatre Company's upcoming The Tourist Trap), the indie folk band Lion and Spaniel, as well as his solo act. Daniel is also musical supervisor for Oh Force! Theatre Co and a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Daniel is excited to be playing the clarinet in this production. Danielsswelltunes.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Lulu Fall

Ensemble

Lulu Fall

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway/National Tour: Hair (ensemble). Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Hélène u/s), Kazino; Pretty Filthy, Brown Sugar. New York: August Rush (ensemble; developmental lab); 15 Minutes (ensemble; workshop), NYSAF; Annie Golden Bounty Hunter (Janessa; workshop). Regional: Smokey Joe’s Café (Brenda), Capital Repertory Theatre, Albany; Crowns (Swing), Arena Stage; Passing Strange (ensemble), Studio Theatre. Featured music performances:Jazz Re:freshed (Performer), London; American Songbook Program (Performer), Smithsonian; Langnau Jazz Nights Festival (Performer), Switzerland. lulufall.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ashley Pérez Flanagan Headshot
Ashley Pérez Flanagan Headshot

Ensemble

Ashley Pérez Flanagan

A.R.T.: Moby-Dick; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Prometheus Bound. Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (u/s Sonya, Princess Mary). Off-Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme, Ars Nova; In The Green, LCT3; The Lucky Ones, Ars Nova; Hadestown, NYTW; Orpheus and Eurydice Are…In Love, Ars Nova; In Love With Jobim, York Theatre. Regional: Evita, West Side Story, The Sound of Music. Select workshops: The Connector, Cowboy Bob, NYSF; The Seeker, Public Theater; No Good Things Dwell In The Flesh, WP Theater. Concerts: Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below. Film: The Kitchen. Ashley is a member of the indie folk hop trio @moondrunkband.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Nick Gaswirth

Ensemble

Nick Gaswirth

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway/Tour: A Christmas Story: The Musical. NY/Regional: Secondhand Lions, Seattle 5th Ave; I Am Harvey Milk, Lincoln Center; The Gig, NYMF; Yeast Nation, FringeNYC; James and the Giant Peach, Goodspeed; Minnie’s Boys,Knickerbocker Holiday, York Theatre; Lend Me a Tenor, Ocean State Theatre; The Full Monty, Westchester Broadway; Candide…Frog and Toad, Arden Theatre Co. BFA in Musical Theatre, University of Michigan. nickgaswirth.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Azudi Onyejekwe

Ensemble

Azudi Onyejekwe

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Violet (Original Cast, Flick standby—performed opposite Sutton Foster). Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Kazino; Central Avenue Breakdown, NYMF. Select NY Workshops: We Foxes (dir. Leigh Silverman), Playwrights Horizons; Hadestown (dir. Rachel Chavkin), NYTW. Regional: Guthrie Theater, NJPAC, New Harmony Theatre, Cortland Repertory Theatre. Film: Hairbrained. BFA NYU Tisch. A foremost thanks to God, my family, the Comet team, my manager Tony, and Brisa. Always for my father.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Pearl Rhein

Ensemble

Pearl Rhein

A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Transport, The Irish Repertory Theatre; Volpone, Red Bull Theatre. Regional: Ah, Wilderness!, Arena Stage; Cowgirls!, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Horizon Theatre; The Road to Where, The Weston Playhouse; Memphis!, La Jolla Playhouse. 2013-2014 Singer-Songwriter in Residence, RedHouse Arts Center in Sycaruse, NY. BA in Theatre from Ball State University, MFA in Acting from UC San Diego. Pearl is thrilled to be playing the viola in this production. pearlrhein.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Heath Saunders

Ensemble

Heath Saunders

A.R.T.: Debut. New York: Lennon: Through a Glass OnionI Am Harvey Milk, Avery Fisher Hall; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Encores!; Der Gelbe Stern, NYMF; Gods and Kings, The Other Mirror Theatre. Regional: The 12, Denver Center; SpamalotHairspray: In ConcertPirates of PenzanceSaving AimeeRent, 5th Avenue Theatre; Les MiserablesAvenue Q, Balagan Theatre; James and the Giant Peach, Seattle Children’s Theatre. Workshops: The BattlesNikola Tesla Drops the Beat. Love and gratitude to the family, batch, and, as always, my class. heathcliffsaunders.com

@feeltheheath

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Katrina Yaukey

Ensemble

Katrina Yaukey

Katrina Yaukey

Ensemble

Katrina Yaukey

A.R.T.: The Heart of Robin Hood. Broadway: Cabaret (1998, 2014 Revivals), WarhorseBilly ElliotCompany. National/International Tours: Billy ElliotSweeney ToddCabaretVictor/Victoria. Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Princess Mary); Public Theater; A.C.T.; The Cape Playhouse; Totem Pole Playhouse. Studied Oboe Performance and Musical Theatre at Penn State University. Current student, Berklee College of Music in Music Production and Technology. Katrina is excited to be playing accordion and glockenspiel in this production.

For Walter. katrinayaukey.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ensemble

Lauren Zakrin

Ensemble

Lauren Zakrin

A.R.T.: Debut.   Broadway: Rock of Ages (Sherrie). National Tours: Wicked (Glinda u/s), Grease (Sandy), Legally Blonde (Elle Woods u/s). Off-BroadwayNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Natasha u/s), Kazino. Vegas: Surf: The Musical (Brooke). Regional: MUNY’s Legally Blonde (Elle). Workshops/Readings: Anne of Green Gables (Anne), Slaughterhouse FiveFlashdanceCatch Me If You Can. TV: MTV’s "Search for the Next Elle Woods" (finalist). Web Series: featured actress on The Kloons.

@laurenzakrin laurenashleyzakrin.com

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Band

Piano/Conductor

Or Matias

Piano/Conductor

Or Matias

A.R.T.: Debut. Most recent productions: First Daughter Suite, Public Theater; Preludes (Rachmaninoff, Music Director), LCT3. As writer: music, lyrics, and book for The Wave—based on the 1967 experiment which turned an entire school into a proto-fascist movement. Original scores for Land of Broken Toys at Fringe NYC and “Israel Story” radio show. Education: Juilliard and NYU (Dean’s Award). For Mai, who makes us sing, laugh, and love more than we knew we could. ormatiasmusic.com

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Keyboard/Accordion/Glockenspiel

Matt Doebler

Keyboard/Accordion/Glockenspiel

Matt Doebler

A.R.T.: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Broadway: WickedBook of MormonNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812Kinky BootsCharlie and the Chocolate FactoryShe Loves MeLes Misérables. National Tour: WickedBook of Mormon. Off-Broadway: Heathers. Regional: Elf, NERDS. Education/Training: Penn State University.

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Calrinet/Bass Clarinet

Ryan Yuré

Calrinet/Bass Clarinet

Ryan Yuré

A.R.T.: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. A native of Los Angeles, California, Ryan Yuré currently makes his home in Boston, Massachusetts. Ryan has performed both the clarinet and saxophone with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Ballet, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, San Antonio Chamber Orchestra, and the New World Symphony, among others. He has appeared at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, New Hampshire Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Santo Domingo Music Festival, and the Hampden-Sydney Chamber Music Festival. In 2006, Ryan made his professional solo debut with the Boston Pops, performing the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto under the baton of John Williams. Ryan has also played the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, Weber Concertos, his own arrangement of Bloch’s Schelomo on bass clarinet, and Charles Leoffler’s saxophone concerto, Divertessement Español.

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Oboe/English Horn

Miri Kudo

Oboe/English Horn

Miri Kudo

A.R.T.: Crossing. Performances with Boston Pops Orchestra, Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, A Far Cry, Orchestra of Indian Hill, Boston Musica Viva, Unitas Ensemble, Boston Civic Orchestra. Winner of the Boston Woodwind Society Oboe Merit Award Competition 2011, Longy School of Music Concerto Competition 2011. Holds Artist Diploma and Graduate Performance Diploma from Longy School of Music, studied with Keisuke Wakao.

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Viola

Jason Fisher

Viola

Jason Fisher

(he/him) A.R.T.: 1776Moby-DickWe Live in Cairo; Jagged Little Pill; The Black ClownNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Crossing. Founding Member, A Far Cry. Principal Viola, Boston Baroque, period viola with Handel and Haydn Society, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, The English Concert, ACRONYM Ensemble, The Thirteen, Seattle and Portland Baroque Orchestras, Byron Schenkman & Friends, Teatro Nuovo, Opera Lafayette, Relic, The Sarasa Ensemble. Carnegie Hall Fellow and Peabody Singapore Fellow. Tours of Europe, Asia, Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic. Performances with Pink Martini, Jake Shimabukuro, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa, members of the Florestan Trio, and the Æolus, Brentano, Cleveland, Emerson, Mendelssohn and St. Lawrence String Quartets. Concerts at Vienna Musikverein, Singapore Esplanade, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. Grammy nominee, Best Chamber Music/​Small Ensemble Performance, 2014 & 2018. Faculty, The Rivers School Conservancy. MM, Longy School of Music of Bard College; BM, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

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Cello 1

Loewi Lin

Cello 1

Loewi Lin

A.R.T.: Debut. Taiwanese-Canadian cellist Loewi Lin grew up in Taiwan and moved to Calgary when he was seven. Loewi started playing cello at age 11 but always wanted to be a doctor; as a high-school senior, he converted to music and has been a devout follower ever since. He now lives in Boston where he helped found the conductor-less chamber orchestra A Far Cry; the group is in-residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, as well as the New England Conservatory.  Loewi is also the principal cellist of the Boston Lyric Opera. Aside from cello, he enjoys the culinary arts, billiards and finding good eats.

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Cello 2

Chu-Yun Lin

Cello 2

Chu-Yun Lin

A.R.T.: Debut. Chu-Yun Lin has performed with Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra and been awarded top prizes by the Osaka International Music Competition, Taiwan National Music Competition, and Boston National Chamber Music Competition. Lin has premiered composer Adeline Wong's ‘Five Letters,’ been a Representative of Taiwanese Students, and performed for the previous president of Singapore. Graduate Diploma from New England Conservatory of Music, Master of Music from Cleveland Institute of Music, Bachelor of Music from National University of Singapore.

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Double Bass

Lizzie Burns

Double Bass

Lizzie Burns

A.R.T.: Moby-Dick; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Performs with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Knights, A Far Cry, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Decoda, Jupiter Chamber Players, New Orchestra of Washington, New Haven Symphony, New York City Ballet Orchestra. Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect Fellow ’16-’18, Yellow Barn participant ’14-’18. Education: New England Conservatory and Boston University.

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Guitar

Benjamin Moniz

A.R.T.: Jagged Little PillNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Sub). Education/Training. BA, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Jazz and Classical guitar. Freelance performer and educator on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and mandolin.

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Drums

Nate Tucker

Nate Tucker

Drums

Nate Tucker

A.R.T.: The TempestFinding Neverland. Music Director for Mt. Auburn Cemetery's A Glimpse Beyond. Principal Percussionist for Juventas New Music Ensemble and Flamenco Boston. Resident composer for Boston Theater Company, Come On Over Ensemble Theater, Danza Organica, Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion. Dance Accompanist for Boston Ballet and Boston Conservatory. New Album Off Gridavailable on iTunes. Percussion Performance degrees from The Boston Conservatory and University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

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Additional staff

Assistant Stage Manager

Taylor Brennan

Taylor Brennan

Assistant Stage Manager

Taylor Brennan

A.R.T.: Stage Manager: We Live in CairoBarber Shop Chronicles; The Black Clown; HEAR WORD! Naija Woman Talk True; Burn All NightNotes from the Field: Doing Time in Education1984; O.P.C.The Shape She MakesThe Donkey Show. Assistant Stage Manager: Othello; ExtraOrdinary; Jagged Little Pill; Bedlam’s Sense & Sensibility; The Night of the Iguana; Fingersmith; RoosevElvis; Kansas City Choir Boy; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; The Heart of Robin Hood; All the Way; The Glass Menagerie; The Lily’s Revenge; Once. Production Associate: Prometheus Bound; The Blue Flower; Cabaret. Education/​Training: Boston University College of Fine Arts (Summa cum laude).

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Assistant Director

Rachel Stevens

Assistant Director

Rachel Stevens

A.R.T: Debut. Rachel was most recently assistant director on The Bandstand, (directed by Andy Blankenbeuhler, Papermill Playhouse; and on Preludes (directed by Rachel Chavkin), LCT3. She holds an MFA in Directing from The Actors Studio Drama School, (Pace University), and a BFA in Musical Theatre (Point Park University). She would like to thank the entire creative team, cast, and crew for this beautiful story. 

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Associate Choreographer

Chloe Treat

Associate Choreographer

Chloe Treat

A.R.T./OBERON: Kansas City Choir BoyOff-Broadway: The Lightning Thief, Lortel; Heisenberg, MTC; The Elder (Wax-Workshop), Public Theater; Buyer and Cellar, Barrow Street. Regional: All's Well That Ends Well (choreographer), Shakespeare on the Sound; Amélie, Berkeley Rep; Dirty/Crusty, Page 7; The Fairy Tale Lives of Russian Girls, Yale Rep. Opera: Daphnis and Chloe (choreographer), Heartbeat Opera; Falstaff, Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble. BFA, NYU Tisch.

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Fight Director

Turner Smith

Fight Director

Turner Smith

A.R.T.: Debut. Turner Smith is a stunt performer and fight choreographer based in New York City. Stunt credits include GothamBoardwalk EmpireBlindspot, Marvel's DaredevilBlacklist, and many others. Off- Broadway fight choreography credits include shows with Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage, and more.  He is thrilled to be working with director Rachel Chavkin and the Great Comet team again, and to be working with A.R.T. for the first time.

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Associate Scenic Designer

Jason Lajka 

Assistant Scenic Designers

Noah Mease, Brittany Vasta

Associate Lighting Designer

Nick Solyom

Associate Sound Designer

Nicholas Pope

Associate Music Director

Matt Doebler

Music Assistant

Isaac Alter

A.R.T. Institute Production Dramaturg

Tessa Nelson

Production Assistants

Catherine Agis, Emily Bergquist, Erich Riepen, Lindsey Ruggles, Jake Stepansky