Mile Square Theatre presents "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

Published by New Jersey Stage
09/28/2024

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by John Minigan will play a four-week limited engagement at Mile Square Theatre from October 3-20, 2024. This is the classic tale of Ichabod Crane, the lovelorn schoolmaster in a town on the Hudson River, who confronts a Headless Horseman on a shadowy night. The story is told by one man who embodies all the characters of Sleepy Hollow, including the lovely Katrina Von Tassel and the burly Brom Bones.

Taking on the tour-de-force role is the brilliant Shawn K. Jain* (For All Mankind; WeCrashed). *Performing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

The production features scenic design by Matthew J. Fick, prop design by Emmet Grosland, costume design by Allison Essanason, sound design by Mark Fifer, and lighting design by Emily Clare Gocon. Arielle Legere* is the Production Stage Manager.

“I grew up obsessed with the animated version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” says Kevin R. Free, Artistic Director of Mile Square Theatre. “Producing this version, with its exhilarating plot twists-and-turns, has been a spooky joy, from start-to-finish. A lot has changed at Mile Square Theatre, but our love of juicy storytelling has stayed with us.”

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow plays the following regular schedule through Sunday, October 20 - Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 4:30pm & 8:00pm; and Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets are $35 through October 6, and then $45 for all performances thereafter. Tickets are available for purchase online and may also be purchased in-person at the theater a half hour before the performance.  The theatre is offering a special “Pay-What-You-Will” performance on October 3, and an Artist Appreciation Night on October 4 (use the code ARTIST10 for $10 tickets). Mile Square Theatre is located at 1400 Clinton Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. The production has a running time of 80 minutes with no intermission. It is recommended for children 9 + up.

Mile Square Theatre was founded in 2003 as a non-profit professional theatre. MST enriches and engages the region through the production of professional theatre and innovative arts education. MST produces original and gently used productions year-round, including shows for young audiences and their annual festival of plays about baseball, 7th Inning Stretch.

BIOGRAPHIES

JOHN MINIGAN (Playwright) John Minigan is a recent Massachusetts Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing. Tall Tales from Blackburn Tavern, commissioned by Gloucester Stage Company, premiered there in 2023, and Covenant was produced by Moonbox Productions as part of the 2024 Boston New Works Festival. His solo adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow received the Broadway World Best New Play Award and the Elliot Norton Award for Best Solo Performance. In the Scorpion’s Nest (formerly Queen of Sad Mischance) won the Judith Royer Award from Kennedy Center/ATHE, and his comedy Noir Hamlet was an EDGE Media Best of Boston Theater selection and an Elliot Norton Outstanding New Script nominee. He has developed new work with Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Portland Stage Company, Utah Shakespearean Festival, and the Great Plains Theatre Conference. John teaches at Emerson College and serves as Dramatists Guild Ambassador for the Boston area.

DEVANAND JANKI (Director) Dev is the artistic director of Live & In Color, whose mission is to develop new works that promote and celebrate diversity. His career spans all facets of the performing arts, winning multiple awards and nominations. Credits: Off B’way: Little Girl Blue -The Nina Simone Musical; Zanna, Don’t!; Yellow Brick Road; Junie B. Jones; Cupid & Psyche; Henry & Mudge; and Skippyjon Jones. Regional: With Bells On! The Musical, Wings of Ikarus Jackson, Barrio Grrrl! (Kennedy Center), The Rocky Horror Show, Xanadu (Hangar Theatre), Disney's Aladdin (Chicago Shakespeare), Man of La Mancha (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), The Full Monty, Songs for a New World (Village Theatre) and The Who’s Tommy (Flint Rep). Star-studded B’way concerts: Funny Girl, feat. Whoopi Goldberg, Sutton Foster, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth; Grammy-nominated concert of Hair starring Jennifer Hudson; 20th anniversary concert of Dreamgirls. Lincoln Center: Amahl and the Night Visitors, Babes in Toyland, and Anything Goes in Concert (assoc.). 9 years as artistic associate for Broadway Bares benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. As a performer he has appeared on Broadway in Miss Saigon, Cats, The King & I, Side Show, and tours of A Chorus Line and West Side Story.

SHAWN K. JAIN* (Washington Irving, a storyteller) Shawn K. Jain is thrilled to work on this truly timeless tale! Some of his favorite theatre credits include: Pericles (Target Margin), Cowboys & East Indians (Denver Center), Heartland (New Repertory Theater), Clue (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Merrimack Repertory Theatre), 12 Chairs (The O'Neill), Hamlet (Gloucester Stage Company), Assistance (American Repertory Theater), Guards at the Taj (SoHo Shakes), Our Town (Nebraska Repertory Theatre). Film/TV credits: For All Mankind, Law & /Order, WeCrashed, FBI: Most Wanted, Billions, Girls5eva, Blue Bloods, Gossip Girl, Thespian. Shawn is the lead in a campaign for Universal Theme Parks and has narrated nearly 100 audiobooks. Originally from California, Shawn received his MFA in Acting from A.R.T. Institute at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre School. Thanks to Kevin and Dev for this incredible opportunity and to my dear reps Brian, Anna, and Maddie! Shawn is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.

MATTHEW J. FICK (Scenic Designer) has been a member and scenic designer at Mile Square for 21 years. Throughout, his work has included: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged, Good Night Moon, Circle Mirror Transformation, Dracula, Sonia, Vanya, Masha, and Spike, Driving Miss Daisy, Cyrano, Core Values, 12th Night, Othello, ‘Scapin, A Midsummer’s Nights Dream, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, A Christmas Carol, Rikki Tikki Tavi, Go, Dog. Go! , God of Carnage, Berta, Berta, Rabbit Summer and It’s a Wonderful Life: the radio play...thrice. Not to mention a vast majority of MST’s 7th inning Stretch. He received his MFA from Rutgers University in the Spring of 2005 and has been a freelance designer working up and down the Eastern seaboard. Matt is currently Professor of Design at the College of Staten Island CUNY.

EMMET GROSLAND (Prop Master/Scenic Artist) is an artist, an actor, a maker, and an advocate for trans joy. They have designed, propped and/or painted for Mile Square Theater, The Peddie School, The New School of Drama, Malloy University and others. As an actor, they have worked at Steppenwolf, Berkeley Rep, Tuacahn, The Signature, and many others. Or you can see them as Nurse Kai Brunstetter in NBC’s New Amsterdam. Em received his BFA from Washington University in St. Louis.

ALLISON ESANNASON (Costume Designer) is a multidisciplinary artist and costume designer based in NYC. In 2019, she received her BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design. After discovering a deep-rooted passion for storytelling, history and culture, Allison naturally gravitated towards costumes. Currently, her work centers the intersectionality of culture, politics, and gender through costume design, wearable art and installation. Back to design this season's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Allison has also designed Rabbit Summer and Berta, Berta at MST.

MARK FIFER (Sound Designer) Mark is thrilled to be a part of MST’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow team, as he has been obsessed with the Headless Horseman since childhood! Born and raised on a farm in Delaware, Mark’s artistic inclinations were clocked early on (his green thumb was not). Starting with piano lessons at age 5, Mark has never stopped channeling that creative energy, seeking out myriad forms of collaborative storytelling. Nomination, Best Musical Direction (Audelco) for his work as Arranger/Music Supervisor on Little Girl Blue, a musical about the iconic Nina Simone. As Musical Director: Rent, The Who’s Tommy, Company, Cabaret, Fame - The Musical, Side by Side by Sondheim, Our Town, Tits Fisher with Kitten’s Kiss, Pippin, All Shook Up, Hello Again, Elegies, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and many more. He has scored and orchestrated for Comedy Central, Netflix, and more. Mark serves as Vocal Director for Carnival Entertainment and Artistic Associate for Southern Opera Theatre Company. Adjunct faculty at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Thanks to Dev and MST for this opportunity! Love and gratitude to Bess, family and friends for your unwavering support!

EMILY CLARE GOCON (Light Designer, she/her) is a Filipino-American lighting designer and technician for theater and dance based in NJ/NY. She is a graduate of Montclair State University, where she received a BFA degree in Theater Production & Design with a focus in Lighting Design & Technology. Some of her recent design credits include A Chorus Line (High Tech High School), The Drowsy Chaperone (Cardinal Hayes High School), and Carmina Burana: Masterwork Highlights (Montclair State University). Though her main focus is lighting design for theatre, dance and other live performance, Emily has many other passions and hobbies that include different aspects of the performing and visual arts. Some of which include dance/choreography, playing the guitar, singing/songwriting, photography, and crocheting/crafting.

ARIELLE LEGERE* (Stage Manager, she/they) is a stage manager, actor, teaching artist, and technical theatre professional based in the New York City area. She is the resident stage manager at Mile Square Theatre, and teaches for the MST education program. Arielle is a multidisciplinary artist and a member of Actor’s Equity Association. She is also frequently involved in NYC nightlife, notably at House of Yes and the Red Pavilion in Bushwick. Recent credits include In Search of Elaina (Drift In, Act Out); Sustainable Fashion is a Cabaret (zero waste daniel for NYFW); Rabbit Summer, The Christmas Tree Farm, Funny Like An Abortion (world premiere), Balloonacy, Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, The Burdens, Virtual Impossibilities with Eric Walton, It's a Wonderful Life, & 5 Times in One Night (MST); The 24 Hour Plays: Hoboken (24 Hour Plays Co); box. bag— & blood (Edinburgh Fringe); The Devouring (Paradise Club at The Times Square EDITION); Dr Faustus, All’s Well That Ends Well, & Macbeth (Hudson Shakespeare Co). Huge thanks to everyone who supports our theatre community, and a very happy spooky season to all!