Santino Fontana, Josh Radnor & More Set for Vassar’s 2016 Powerhouse Theater Season

Poughkeepsie is the place to be this summer as a handful of new works come to life. Vassar and New York Stage and Film’s 2016 Powerhouse Season will include a new presentation of the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd, adapted by and starring Tony nominee Santino Fontana. Among the other names lined up for the summer festival are Josh Radnor, Michael Mayer and John Slattery.

The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd introduced such American songbook standards as “Who Can I Turn To?,” “The Joker” and “Feeling Good.” Fontana, who can be seen on screen in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, has been commissioned by Roundabout Theatre Company to adapt the classic work by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.

The upcoming season will also feature two fully-staged productions of new plays written and directed by women. Transfers, by Lucy Thurber, will run from June 30 through July 10 with Jackson Gay at the helm. Lila Neugebauer will direct Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves, which will run from July 21 through July 31.

Additionally, two TV stars and Broadway alums will present play as part of the Reading Series. Josh Radnor will offer his first play Sacred Valley, while Emmy nominee John Slattery will direct a reading of Lorien Hayne’s Good Grief. Meanwhile, Michael Mayer will direct a private presentation of a new musical, titled Head Over Heels. The show features a book by Jeff Whitty and music by The Go-Go’s. Tom Kitt will serve as music supervisor for the project; he and Mayer collaborated previously on American Idiot at Powerhouse.

The 32nd annual festival is scheduled to run from June 24 through July 31. Additional events and casting will be announced later.