Photo Flash: Get A First Look At Brown/Trinity Rep TICK, TICK... BOOM!

BroadwayWorld has a first look at The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program's tick, tick...BOOM!, directed and choreographed by Ken-Matt Martin, a third year student in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Directing program. Written by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, this rock musical set in 1990 New York City tells the story of an aspiring theater composer, as he is forced to reevaluate his passions and decide whether he should keep pursuing his dream or give it all up for a stable career. Performances run November 29 through December 9 at the Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire St., Downtown Providence. General admission is $15 with a discounted price of $10 for seniors and $7 for students. Tickets are on sale now at Trinity Rep's box office, by phone (401) 351-4242, or online at www.TrinityRep.com.

Director Ken-Matt Martin was drawn to the music of Jonathan Larson in this semi-autobiographical piece. "I truly feel that the music is one of the best things about this show," said Ken-Matt. "I said from the beginning that I want to put the music at the center of this piece." Originally a one-person show that Larson had been workshopping before his death, the story revolves around the time he spent developing his hit musical Rent. With a protagonist about to turn 30, the story is all about transitions. As Ken-Matt said, "It's really about what it means to be at a point of transition and taking an assessment of what it is people think you're supposed to have achieved at a certain age versus just being happy, confident, and comfortable with where you are."

The Brown/Trinity Rep Directing MFA is a three year program in which students participate in studio course work and direct a variety of productions. Students direct Brown/Trinity Rep actors in a workshop of a contemporary/modern play as well as three full productions of plays with moderate technical support. These productions include one classical verse play and several plays of the directors' choosing. Their final directing thesis project, an opportunity for directing students to showcase their abilities and vision and bring attention to a work they believe is important, includes full production support.

Ken-Matt Martin is a sixteen-time Cloris Leachman Excellence in Theatre Award nominee and two-time winner for Best Play and a Special Recognition Honor. He is a graduate of Drake University with degrees in Musical Theatre and Journalism, and a third year MFA directing candidate at Brown/Trinity Rep. He is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Pyramid Theatre Company in Des Moines, Iowa, where he has directed and produced several plays throughout their six seasons. Pyramid Theatre Company has received two regional Broadway World Awards and two Des Moines Dionysus Award nominations. Ken-Matt Martin is a diverse theater artist who started performing as a child in film and television. Working as a child actor until his late teens, he started pursuing musical theater more seriously until he started directing at 22 years old. Since then, he has still found his way on stage, making his off-Broadway debut in the 35th Anniversary revival production of The Gospel of Colonus at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Starting as a director's assistant on the project, a series of happy accidents unfolded into Ken-Matt appearing on stage as a part of the cast. From 2007 to 2010, Martin completed three years of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre's musical theatre training program and also served as an intern under former Artistic Director Robert Hupp. During the 2015-16 season, he served as Apprentice General Manager at The Goodman Theatre where he spent the season being mentored by Roche Shulfer, John Collins, and Peter Calibraro. In May of 2016 he served as Assistant Director to Anne Kauffman on The Goodman Theatre's production of Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window. His directorial work has been described as nuanced, provocative, and potent. Ken-Matt uses Pyramid Theatre Company as a platform to uplift the voices of artists of color by producing works of, by, and for minorities and people of color.

The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs provide a three-year professional training program for eighteen students under the auspices of an Ivy League university and Rhode Island's Tony Award-winning theater company. Brown University's Department of Theater and Performance Studies is internationally recognized for the quality of its faculty and instruction. Trinity Rep, with its deep tradition of resident artists, provides powerful artistic assets and creates a firm foundation for a new generation of theater artists.