FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2023 Sweeney Todd; The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Opens this Weekend at the Hopewell Theatre in Youngstown! YOUNGSTOWN, OH – Just in time for Halloween, The Millennial Theatre Company (MTC) presents Sweeney Todd; The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Hopewell Theatre (702 Mahoning Ave. Youngstown, OH 44511), Friday October 20 and Saturday October 21 at 7:30pm, Sunday October 22 at 2:00pm, Friday October 27 and Saturday October 28 at 7:30pm, and Sunday October 29 at 2:00pm. Tuesday October 31, Friday November 3, and Saturday November 4 at 7:30pm. Joe Asente, director of the production, is thrilled to bring this production to the stage, “We made the difficult decision to retire our production of Rocky Horror after last season, and began the search for a new musical that would be a good fit for the Halloween season. After the success of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods last season, we thought that Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd would be the perfect follow up.” Asente said that he had one condition when agreeing to take on the project; it needed to be bloody, “I have seen many productions of Sweeney Todd where the blood was very subtle; a line of red magic marker would have been more convincing than what was used. I knew that if we were to do it, I needed it to be bloody. I am a huge fan of horror, and came by Sweeney Todd not through the Broadway musical but through the extremely bloody 2007 film version, and I wanted to carry that over into our production. We worked with Tolin FX out of Pittsburg, who has worked on and developed special effects for major motion pictures and television shows such as The Dark Knight Rises and Mindhunter, to bring our bloody vision to life. This is the perfect way to spend a night during the Halloween season!” *Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street* tells the riveting tale of a vengeful barber, Sweeney Todd, driven by a burning desire for justice and retribution. Joined by the cunning and resourceful Mrs. Lovett, they embark on a chilling and exhilarating journey of dark secrets, unexpected twists, and haunting melodies that will leave you on the edge of your seat, craving for more! The cast includes Tyler Stouffer, Brandy Johanntges, Hannah Marzano, George Maillis, Finn O’Hara, Sydney Campbell, Chris Harben, Ben Doss, Edward Bazzell, Andy Scott, Aubrey Vernon, Roz Blystone, Landon Eli, Michelle Jalbert, Lexie Dumbrowski, Jackson Linko, Josh Cummings, and Hannah Derenzis, with direction by Asente and music direction by Cari Auth and Rosie Bresson. Asente said that he is super excited about the cast, as it features many new faces for the company, “I was thrilled at auditions to see so many new faces for our theatre. We have a rich talent pool that returns time and time again for auditions, but we are also just so excited to bring in new faces into our shows, as well as some community theatre regulars who are making their MTC debut! This was easily the show that folks were most excited about this season, and we are so excited to share it with the community!” Tickets are on sale now for $25 and are available online at www.millennialtheatre.org. Promotional photos available HERE <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aEuMezMkp6XcUnmXr6pxaeK_-utD-0JJ?usp=sharing> . For more information regarding this performance please connect with MTC via Facebook, Instagram (@mtc_theatre), or email millennialtheatrecompany@gmail.com About the Millennial Theatre Company: The Millennial Theatre Company (MTC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company committed to producing theatrical experiences that reflect the interests and experiences of the Millennial Generation. They aim to produce generation relevant content through musicals, millennial-created and written works, workshops, and other various theatrical experiences. For more information, visit MTC’s website millennialtheatre.org, as well as their Facebook and Instagram (@mtc_theatre). ####