[NEohioPAL] FINAL 4 PERFORMANCES OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED "MAIN-TRAVELLED ROADS"

[Neil Thackaberry]

Main-Travelled Roads, a new 4 person musical based on the short stories
of Hamlin Garland will have its final 4 performances this weekend:
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday at 8:00PM and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM
at Actors' Summit. 

 

The play with music by Paul Libman and book & lyrics by Dave Hudson, was
first performed by American Folklore Theatre in August, 2007. The author
and composer will be in attendance at the Saturday performance. 

 

The Play

            Main-Travelled Roads, the winner of the 2007 Richard Rogers
Award, is a bright, funny, romantic musical based on the short stories
of Hamlin Garland. Garland was born 7 years before and a few miles south
of Laura Ingalls Wilder's birth date & place. Set in turn-of-the-century
Wisconsin, the warm and honest portraits of life in the rural Midwest
are lively, touching, heartfelt, and timeless.  

Hamlin Garland was born in West Salem, Wisconsin, in 1860. After moving
with his family to a succession of homesteads in Iowa and South Dakota,
he went to Boston in 1884, determined to embark on a literary career.
His first success was Main-Travelled Roads, a collection of short
stories published in 1891. He moved to Chicago in 1893, lectured widely
on literary topics, and agitated for a realistic American literature
through a number of essays, some of which were revised into his 1894
manifesto, Crumbling Idols.

            Main-Travelled Roads was developed in part at the Stages
2006 Festival of New Musicals in Chicago and at Madison Repertory
Theater's Fall Festival of New Plays.

 

The Cast

            Three Actors' Summit regulars and one new member of the
acting company comprise the cast. Keith Stevens returns for his tenth
production, Kathleen Culler makes her sixth appearance and C.J. Bonde
appears for the tenth time at Actors' Summit. Making his Actors' Summit
debut is Equity actor Stephen Brockway.

Stephen Brockway, a native of Cuyahoga Falls, has Off-Broadway/NYC
credits that include:  Blane in Trolls (Actors' Playhouse), Lon in Meet
Me in St. Louis, Leonard (Chico) Marx in Minnie's Boys in Concert, The
Gondoliers (New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, at City Center).
National Tours include: Doody in Grease, Marley, Fezziwig and others in
A Christmas Carol, Carousel.  Local credits include: Tony in West Side
Story (Porthouse Theatre), Mr. Shove in The Gamblers (Kennedy's at
Playhouse Square), David Wills in Taking Sides (Cleveland Stage
Company), Simon Zealotes in Jesus Christ Superstar (Porthouse Theatre).
Stephen has a BM in Musical Theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College and
Conservatory of Music.

            In addition to her work at Actors' Summit C.J. Bonde has
performed at Great Lakes Theater Festival; Playhouse Square's 14th
Street Theatre; Carousel; Acting Out; Beck; Cain Park; CCC-E; Fine Arts;
Halle; HYT; Kalliope; Mercury SS; Adelphia television; independent and
industrial films.  After capturing the 2008 Regional Shakespeare
Competition title and the Thomas Joynes Award, CJ emerged as a National
Semi-Finalist in the National Shakespeare Competition at NYC's Lincoln
Center.  A recent second year apprentice with Young Audiences of
Northeast Ohio's ArtWorks Program, CJ can also be seen in the Expect
Respect touring troupe.  

            Kathleen Culler has performed in productions at The
Cleveland Play House, Weathervane Playhouse, the Beck Center, Player's
Guild Theatre, and Magical Theatre Company.  She holds a B.A. in musical
theatre from Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts,
located in Pittsburgh.  

Keith E. Stevens New York City credits include: The Snob (Actors
Studio), Audience (Brooklyn Playwright's Collective), Last Train to
Nibroc, Fool for Love, The Honey Makers and the world premiere of 2:51
(all at Circle in the Square Downtown), Deserters (Bernie West Theater),
Loader #26 (Theater for a New City/New York Fringe Festival) and Big Al
(ASDS).  Additional regional credits:  As You Like It, Eurydice, A
Midsummer Night's Dream, Suburbia, and Betrayal.  Keith holds a MFA in
Acting from The Actors Studio Drama School and a BA in Theater from
Cleveland State University.  He is a lifetime member of the Actors
Studio.

 

Directing Team

            Making her Actors' Summit directorial debut is Sasha
Thackaberry.  Previously, she has worked at Actors' Summit in a variety
of capacities, from stage manager to choreographer to actor.  With her
dance company, illuminata dance theater, she has produced and staged
full evening-length dance theater works, including g(r)o(w)ing up and
AVA, based on the novel by Carole Maso.  Her BFA is from The University
of Akron, and her MAT is from Kent State University.  

            Evie Morris returns to Actors' Summit as Musical Director.
She freelances throughout Northeast Ohio as a musical director, pit
player, accompanist, private piano teacher, and vocal coach. Her
most-recent stage appearance was in the 5-month run of We Gotta Bingo at
Playhouse Square, where she played Mary Ed Sullivan and also served as
musical director.  

Tickets
Tickets are $28 on Fridays & Saturdays, $25 on Thursdays & Sundays. All
full time students with ID are $7 at all performances. Seniors receive a
$3 discount at all regular Thursday and Sunday performances.  Season
subscriptions and discounted coupon books are available.  Group
discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. 

Tickets can be purchased on line at www.actorssummit.org or by phone by
calling (330) 342-0800.  


Web site


Actors' Summit Theater can be found on the web at ww.actorssummit.org. 

 

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