Omaha, Neb. – Two upcoming staged readings will be held at the Omaha Community Playhouse as part of the 2017-2018 Alternative Programming series. 1776 will be held on Monday, July 17 and Cry-Baby will be held on Monday, July 31, both at 7:30 p.m. in OCP’s Howard Drew Theatre. The showings are free and open to the public with the opportunity for donation. No tickets or reservations are necessary.
1776
It’s the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence… if only our founding fathers can agree to do it! 1776 follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the Second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence.
In an effort to provide more performance opportunities for women actors and to look at familiar works of theatre through a different lens, this staged reading is fully cast with women playing all roles.
Event: Staged reading of 1776
Show date: Monday, July 17, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Credits: Book by Peter Stone
Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
Based on a concept by Sherman Edwards
(1969 Tony Award winner for Best Musical)
Director: Ashley Laverty
Music Director: Jeff Horger
1776 Cast
Colleen Kilcoyne as John Adams
Jennifer Castello as Benjamin Franklin
Samantha Grimes as Thomas Jefferson
Jennifer Ettinger as Richard Henry Lee, Dr. Josiah Bartlett, and Continental Congress Member
Julianna Cooper as Martha Jefferson and Joseph Hewes
Crystal Hartford as Abigail Adams and Samuel Chase
Caitlin Mabon as Edward Rutledge
Emma Johnson as Courier
Breanna Carodine as John Dickinson
Kim Alger as John Hancock
Cecilia Poon as Stephen Hopkins
Brenda Smrdel as Roger Sherman
Kate Simmons as Robert Livingston
Robyn Helwig as James Wilson
Suzanne Withem as Charles Thomason
Katy Boone as Andrew McNair
Jana Coburn as Lewis Morris
Peggy A. Holloway as Caesar Rodney
Jessie Kellerman as Col. Thomas McKean
Phyllis Bonds as Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon and Continental Congress Member
Suzanne Rose as Dr. Lyman Hall and Continental Congress Member
Cry-Baby
It’s 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism and Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker is the coolest boy in Baltimore. He’s a bad boy with a good cause – truth, justice and the pursuit of rock and roll. Cry-Baby and the square rich girl, Allison, are star-crossed lovers at the center of this world. Based on the cult classic, 1990 John Waters film, Cry-Baby features a delightfully demented book from the writers of Hairspray and a rockabilly score from the co-founder of Fountains of Wayne and the executive producer of “The Daily Show.”
Event: Staged reading of Cry-Baby
Show date: Monday, July 31, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Credits: Book by Thomas Meehan & Mark O’Donnell
Music and Lyrics by Adam Schlesinger and David Javerbaum
Based on the Universal Pictures film written and directed by John Waters
Director: Andrew Saladino
Music Director: Jeff Horger
Cry-Baby Cast:
Nick LeMay as Wade ‘Cry-Baby’ Walker
Julianna Cooper as Allison Vernon-Williams
Kim Alger as Mrs. Vernon-Williams
Timothy Vallier as Baldwin Blandish
Mackenzie Dehmer as Lenora Frigid
Crystal Hartford as Pepper Walker
Sydney Readman as Wanda Woodward
Aubrey Fleming as Mona ‘Hatchet-Face’ Malnorowski
Brendan Brown as Dupree W. Dupree
Mike Shelton as Judge Stone/Father O’Brien/Officer
Justin Eller as Whiffle #1
Ben Adams as Whiffle #2
Sean Johnson as Whiffle #3
Whitney Hansen, Katy Boone, Breanna Carodine, and Jessie Kellerman as Ensemble
Location: Omaha Community Playhouse, Howard Drew Theatre
6915 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132
Tickets: The showings are free and open to the public with the opportunity for donation. No tickets or reservations are necessary.
For more information on OCP alternative programs, contact Jeff Horger at jhorger@omahaplayhouse.com or (402) 553-4890, ext. 164.
Chris' Corner 