Theatre Group Asia (TGA) is proud to announce that acclaimed Filipino-American theater director Nicholas Polonio will direct its upcoming production of The Notebook, The Musical.
Based in New York City, Polonio is one of the most exciting Filipino theater artists working internationally today. Known for crafting emotionally rich productions with nuanced, deeply human performances, he has built a distinguished career directing new plays and musicals while collaborating with many of the United States’ leading theater companies and cultural institutions.
His directing credits include The Self Improvement and Male Preservation Society, or S.I.M.P.S. (IRT Theater), Mary Stuart (The Lee Strasberg Institute), The Police (Hangar Theatre Wedge), and POV: U Run Joe Biden’s TikTok (ANTFest). He has also developed new works with Ars Nova, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Bedlam, Ma-Yi Theater Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, Audible Theater, the American Playwriting Foundation, and numerous other organizations. He currently serves as Director-in-Residence for Leviathan Lab.
As an associate director, Polonio has worked alongside some of today’s most celebrated theater makers on acclaimed productions including the Tony Award-winning Slave Play on Broadway, the West End, and its Los Angeles premiere; Public Obscenities at Soho Rep; Jelly’s Last Jam at New York City Center Encores!; Hamlet at Center Theatre Group; Shit. Meet. Fan. at MCC Theater; X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at the Metropolitan Opera, Detroit Opera, Opera Omaha, and Seattle Opera; A Raisin in the Sun at The Public Theater and Williamstown Theatre Festival; Richard III at the Delacorte Theater; A Long Day’s Journey Into Night at Minetta Lane Theatre; A Streetcar Named Desire at Williamstown Theatre Festival; Paris at Atlantic Theater Company; 17 Border Crossings at New York Theatre Workshop; The White Devil at the Lucille Lortel Theatre; and productions of Henry IV, Part I and Richard II at Shakespeare’s Globe. Most recently, he completed the critically acclaimed production of La Cage Aug Folles starring Billy Porter and Wayne Brady at the New York City Center.
“We are thrilled to welcome Nicholas home to direct the international premiere of The Notebook The Musical,” said Clint Ramos, TGA Overall Artistic and Creative Director. “His remarkable artistry, international experience, and gift for revealing the complexity of human relationships make him the ideal director to bring this extraordinary story to Philippine audiences.”
Polonio is a former New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Directing Fellow and Drama League Hangar Directing Fellow. His artistic training also includes the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, Mercury Store Directors Lab, Roundabout Directors Group, Williamstown Theatre Festival Directing Corps, and the Young Vic Genesis Directors program. Before pursuing directing, he received a National YoungArts Award for Spoken Theater as an actor. He earned his BFA in Acting from Rutgers University and currently leads a directing seminar at New York University.
Featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and a book by Bekah Brunstetter, The Notebook The Musical is based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel and the beloved film adaptation. The musical tells the timeless story of Allie and Noah, whose enduring love transcends the passage of time, memory, and life’s greatest challenges.
Previously announced leads include Morissette as Middle Allie, Sheena Belarmino as Young Allie, and Philippine musical icon Celeste Legaspi in the role of Older Allie. London-based Laurence Mossman is set to play Middle Noah, Benedix Ramos as Young Noah, and acclaimed veteran artist Rody Vera as Older Noah.
For more information, visit TGA’s website www.theatregroupasia.com, Instagram @theatregroupasia, or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theatregroupasia.