Dates Set for World Premiere of Waitress at ART, Featuring Score by Sara Bareilles & Directed by Diane Paulus

The American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts will launch its 2015-16 season with the world premiere of Waitress. The musical, based on the film of the same name directed and written by the late Adrienne Shelly, features a score by Grammy nominee and Billboard chart-topper Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. Performances will begin on August 1, 2015 at the Loeb Drama Center. ART Artistic Director Diane Paulus, who has been developing the project with Bareilles, will helm the production

Waitress follows Jenna, a pregnant waitress in the south trapped in an abusive marriage and looking for a happy ending. She finds relief—and potentially that happy ending—by making creatively-titled pies and forming a romance with an unlikely newcomer.

While casting and complete creative team has not yet been announced, The New York Times reported in November that Beautiful Tony winner Jessie Mueller will headline the tuner. Playwright Paula Vogel was at one point attached to the project as bookwriter before Nelson joined the creative team.