Directed by Nick Corley
Music Direction by David M. Lutken

Devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley, and Darcie Deaville, Helen J. Russell, and Andy Teirstein

TheaterWorks Hartford, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, presents WOODY SEZ: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie, devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley, Darcie Deaville, Helen J. Russell, and Andy Teirstein. This infectiously fun musical portrait of Woody Guthrie returns to TheaterWorks Hartford from July 13-28, 2024. Tickets are now on sale at twhartford.org. This performance is not part of the 23/24 subscription season.

Legendary folk hero Woody Guthrie defined an American era of social consciousness and political expressions with songs like “This Land is Your Land.” He transformed the folk ballad into a vehicle for social protest and observation, paving the way for musicians such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, and more. Woody comes to life in this joyous, toe-tapping musical portrait that captures the heart and spirit of America’s great folk troubadour and tells the story of Woody’s incredible journey.

Featuring four amazingly talented actor-musicians, Sam Sherwood (Woody Guthrie), David Finch, Megan Loomis, and Helen J. Russell, performing over 25 of his classic songs - discover why Woody’s considered the “patron saint of American rebelliousness” and how his legacy defined an American era of consciousness and expression that is alive and palpable today.

From Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, “We are excited to bring back WOODY SEZ 10 years later for this fun, summer event! Our audiences are in for an awesome treat. The cast is incredibly talented. The story is quintessential American history seen through fresh eyes. It’s exhilarating, thought provoking, and heartwarming.”

The additional creative team for WOODY SEZ includes Luke Cantarella (set design), Jeffrey Meek (costume design), Seth Reiser (lighting design), and Tom Kosis (stage manager).

About the Artists

DAVID M. LUTKEN (Co-Deviser/Music Director) is returning to TheaterWorks ten years later for WOODY SEZ! Broadway: Inherit the Wind (’07); Ring of Fire; The Civil War; The Will Rogers Follies. West End: Woody Sez (nominated 2011 Best Musical, Evening Standard).  NY City Opera: Paul Bunyan (Balladeer). Off-Broadway:  Stars in Your Eyes; The Portable Pioneer and Prairie Show; Woody Guthrie’s American Song; Winter Man. Regional Theater (UK): Dark of the Moon, Bonnie and Clyde, A Month in the Country. (USA):  Man of La Mancha; Southern Comfort; Elmer Gantry; Finian’s Rainbow; Big River (Rob Ruggiero, Dir.); Buddy; Pump Boys and Dinettes; The Love List; On Golden Pond; Fire on the Mountain; In the Deep Heart’s Core.  David studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He has performed across The United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and China, at Carnegie Hall, The 92nd St.Y and as ‘principal banjoist’ with the Baton Rouge Symphony. For his role in Woody Sez, he won both the Helen Hayes and the Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best Actor, 2012.

NICK CORLEY (Director/Co-Deviser) has directed WOODY SEZ all over the world (including London, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., Edinburgh, Israel, China, and right here in Hartford) and also co-wrote the show. NYC: Flight (Callaway Directing Nom.), About Face (NYMF Best Dir. Nom.), Tall Grass, Fables in Slang, Tim and Scrooge, Mother Russia (Carnegie Hall), and Tallboy Walkin’. Regionally Nick co-wrote and directed  A Young Lady of Fashion (Fulton Opera House) and Eliot Ness… in Cleveland (Denver Theatre Center). Other directing credits include Milwaukee Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, St. Louis Rep, Houston’s Alley Theatre, Adirondack Theater Festival, Lyric Oklahoma (also former Artistic Director) and Vermont’s Commons Group. Nick’s acting credits include Broadway (Drood, Mary Poppins, A Christmas Carol, She Loves Me) and Off-Broadway, regional, film (Kissing Jessica Stein), recordings, and television.

HELEN JEAN RUSSELL (Cast) Helen’s affiliation with Woody Guthrie and David Lutken began in 1994 with Woody Guthrie’s American Song at the Pope Theatre. She sang on the cast album and was a member of the cast of ‘American Song’ for its European debut at Vienna’s English Theatre. She toured the Austrian secondary school system, performing This Land is Your Land, the Guthrie-inspired show for children. This V.E.T. tour visited 49 cities in Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic, bringing Woody to thousands of students. She joined Woody Sez for its 2007 debut in Edinburgh and for subsequent trips throughout the US, UK, Europe, the Middle East and China. In 2012, she was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for her work in the show. At home in New York City, her debut album Holly Days was released in 2008.

DAVID FINCH (Cast) is an actor/musician based in Brooklyn, New York. He has performed with Alan Cumming, Serj Tankian, Tony Bennett, Amanda Palmer and Dee Snider, among others, in venues ranging from Lincoln Center to San Francisco’s Castro Theatre. A cast member of the Tony award-winning revival of Cabaret, he performed on Broadway at Studio 54 and toured the U.S., Canada and Japan. He made his West End debut with Evening Standard Best Musical nominee Woody Sez. Off- Broadway credits include Fame on 42nd Street and the New York premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm. He toured Europe, the U.S. and Canada with Fame the Musical and regionally has performed in most of the U.S. Finch was an associate producer at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in New York from 2004 to 2006. His CD the fiddle made me do it is on iTunes. He is also co-creator and musical supervisor of Careless Love: A Down Home Musical.

Dates: July 13 - 28, 2024

The performance schedule is Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm.

Location: TheaterWorks Hartford’s historic home, located at 233 Pearl Street, Hartford, CT.

Tickets are priced at $35-50. All tickets can be purchased online at twhartford.org or by calling 860.527.7838.

Hootenanny Sundays are back! Unstructured and free flowing jam sessions with the cast. Sunday July 14, 21, and 28 after the show. Patrons are encouraged to bring their favorite instruments and play along with the cast. Free of charge, show attendance not required.