Mill Mountain Theatre
Music, Book & Story by STEVE MARTIN
Music, Lyrics & Story by EDIE BRICKELL
Grantors
Sponsors
Special Thanks
- Cassandra Laymon
- Jane Hellman
- Theater Roanoke College
- Susan Adams
Donors
Mill Mountain Theatre would like to thank the generous gifts from our Donors. We would not be here without you!
Donors
Tributes
Mill Mountain Theatre is honored to acknowledge gifts made in tribute or memory of special friends. To make such a gift please contact John Levin at (540) 342-5761 or development@millmountain.org.
Tributes
Performers
Ben Armstrong
*
Ensemble
Danny Borba
*
Max/Stanford/Ensemble
Sarah Coleman
*
Ensemble
Sade Crosby
*
Edna/Clerk/Ensemble
AnnElese Galleo
*
Florence/ Ensemble
Rob Hancock
*
Mayor/Daddy Cane
Burke Hutchinson
*
Daryl/Dr. Norquist
Jenna Leigh Miller
*
Mamma Murphy
Alaina Margaret Droog
*
Margo Crawford
Caitlin McAvoy
*
Lucy
Jeffrey McGullion
*
Daddy Murphy
James Moledor
*
Ensemble
James Owens
*
Billy Cane
Mamie Parris
*
Alice Murphy
Mamie Parris
*
Alice Murphy
Trevor St. John-Gilbert
*
Jimmy Ray Dobbs
Setting
Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in 1945–46 with flashbacks to 1923. It is based on a true incident.
There will be one 15-minute intermission
Songs & Scenes
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
“Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an International organization of performing arts unions. www.actorsequity.org
Production Staff
Venue Staff
School Administration Staff
Musicians
Board of Directors
President
Macel H. Janoschka
Vice President
J. Lee E. Osborne
Treasurer
Lori D. Cauley
Secretary
Nathaniel L. Bishop
Board Members
David K. Allen, Lauren Ellerman, Linda Garbee<, Nancy O. Gray, Dr. Robyn Hakanson, Laurence E. Kufel, Dr. Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, Cynthia Lawrence, William L. Lee, Reynolds Lynch III, Dr. Elizabeth Rice Martin, Laura McKeage, Nancy Ruth Patterson, Gary S. Powers, Doris Rogers, Edward M. Smith, Judy Tenzer, Will Trinkle, Maxwell Huddleston Wiegard
Student Advisory Board
Meet the Cast
Ben Armstrong
*
Ben Armstrong is in 12th grade and excited to be returning to Mill Mountain Theatre. His favorite credits include: Cinderella (Prince Topher), The Secret Garden (Dickon), and The Addams Family (Lucas Beineke) at Virginia Children's Theatre, High School Musical (Chad Danforth) and Matilda The Musical (Doctor/Ensemble). You may also remember Ben from Best of Broadway where he was a featured vocalist here at MMT. Ben was last year’s Sarabeth Hammond Scholarship recipient at Virginia Children's Theatre. He is also a part of the Conservatory at MMT. Ben would like to thank his mom, the cast, and the entire Mill Mountain Theatre staff for their continued love and support.
Danny Borba
*
Danny Borba is an actor, singer, and dancer based in New York City. He recently finished performing as El Mountain Lion with the National Tour of El Otro Oz produced by TheaterWorks. He is a recent graduate of the Actor Training Program at the University of Utah. He was also seen in the Ensemble of Elf The Musical at Pioneer and also as Frog in A Year With Frog and Toad and Ryker in SLACabaret: Down the Rabbit Hole, both at Salt Lake Acting Company. Past credits also include the Ensemble in Aftershock (Plan-B Theatre) and Henry V/King of France in Henry V and the musical Songs for a New World (University of Utah). He has also recently worked on the TV show, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. He is represented by Act One Management in New York and Talent Management Group in Utah. He thanks his family and friends and God for their ongoing support.
Sarah Coleman
*
Sarah Coleman is thrilled to be back on the Mill Mountain stage! You may remember her from the Best of Broadway concert earlier this year or rockin' out in the Ladies of the 80s concert! Sarah is a southerner at heart growing up in Tazewell, VA and got her BS in Theatre Performance from Radford University. Fav credits include: Reno Sweeney (Anything Goes), Heather Duke/Dance Cap. (Heathers: The Musical), and Petulia Croserie (Hell in High Water) where she was a featured singer on the Mississipi cast recording with original music by grammy nominee, Vasti Jackson. Thank YOU for supporting live theatre!
Sade Crosby
*
All the way from the Sunshine State, Sade Crosby is thrilled to make her Mill Mountain debut with this production! A lifelong Florida girl, Sade has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Jacksonville University and has several regional credits under her belt including Little Shop of Horrors (Ronnette), Grease (Jan), Avenue Q (Gary Coleman), Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (Aida), and the world premiere of Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty’s new musical, Knoxville. She thanks her friends & family for their love and support! Enjoy the show!
AnnElese Galleo
*
AnnElese Galleo is a performer and creative from the Roanoke Valley and is a recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. She was previously seen in MadLibs Live! (Merrily), Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical (Swing), on staff as a teaching assistant and choreographer, and will be in the upcoming tour Stellaluna as Stellaluna. Other regional credits include The debut cast of Little Miss Perfect, Newsies (Ensemble & Dance Captain), and From The Mountain Tops (Bessie Tufts).
Rob Hancock
*
London: Daddy Long Legs National Tour: Mamma Mia! Regional Theater: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Court Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Northlight Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Westport Country Playhouse, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Theatreworks, Arizona Theatre Company, Rubicon Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre, La Mirada, Skylight Music Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Hangar Theatre, Laguna Playhouse TV/Film: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Royal Pains, True Blood: Postmortem, Guiding Light, and the leading role in Greenport (Best Actor - NYC Independent Film Festival) Other: soloist with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Japan, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra Singapore, Evergreen Symphony - Taipei
Burke Hutchinson
*
Burke is an actor, musician, and filmmaker based in NYC, and he is delighted to be working with Mill Mountain Theatre again. Off-Broadway: Pinkalicious the Musical (Vital Theatre Co.) Regional: Jersey Boys (Mill Mountain Theatre), We Will Rock You (Scranton Shakes), Love’s Labour's Lost (Scranton Shakes) Educational: Jesus Christ Superstar (Strange Players). Burke holds a B.S. degree from Ithaca College. He is ever-grateful to work with such a wonderful company, and, as always, he would like to give extra special thanks to his friends, family, and partner.
Jenna Leigh Miller
*
Mama Murphy Mill Mountain Debut! Jenna is a NYC-based Actor/Singer/Dancer, Content Creator, Social Media Manager and Theatre & Brand Coach (@ProblemSolvedbyJenna). Jenna just finished a run of Oliver as Charlotte/Dance Captain at Sharon Playhouse. Credits: Anything Goes - Reno Sweeney (Black Rock Theater), Hairspray - Tracy (Roxy Regional Theatre, ETC), Elf - Deb (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina), Songs for a New World - Woman 2(Servant Stage), Side Show - Dolly Dimples/Dance Captain (White Plains Performing Arts Center), Escape to Margaritaville - Tammy/ Dance Captain (Cumberland County Playhouse). Upcoming: Gypsy - Rose (ETC). Otterbein University BFA in Musical Theatre.
Alaina Margaret Droog
*
Alaina Margaret Droog is an actor-singer-songwriter-guitarist based in New York City. Originally from Grafton, North Dakota, and recently graduated from Virginia’s own Shenandoah Conservatory, Alaina is truly just a small town girl chasin’ her big city dreams! She is so grateful to be here in Roanoke performing in this beautiful and timeless show. She would like to thank to the cast and creative team for being the most wonderful folks—not only to share the stage and to work with, but also to create and discover this incredible story with.
Caitlin McAvoy
*
Caitlin is thrilled to share "Another Round" with Mill Mountain Theatre! Previous credits include Graziella in West Side Story, Bebe in A Chorus Line and Lila in Holiday Inn. This Holiday season keep an eye out for Caitlin on the Hallmark Channel! When not on stage or screen, Caitlin is passionate about coaching and mentoring the next generation of performers. In her free time, you can often find Caitlin at the local coffee shop nose-deep in a mystery novel. Being surrounded and supported by this indelible theatre, company and her incredible family is sweeter than a sloe gin fizz!
Jeffrey McGullion
*
Originally from Los Angeles, Jeffrey has performed throughout the southeast with Barpeg Productions, Barter Theatre, Roanoke Children’s Theatre, Temple Theatre, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Wohlfahrt Haus, The Barn Dinner Theatres, and as co-founder of the Roanoke Valley Shakespeare Festival. He was last seen at Mill Mountain Theatre as Gyp DeCarlo and more in Jersey Boys and Mr. Dussel in The Diary of Anne Frank. Other MMT credits include Clown 1 in The 39 Steps, Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird, Felix in The Odd Couple, Wilbur in Hairspray, Bill Ray in On Golden Pond, and Lt. Schrank in West Side Story. He is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Georgia Theatre Department.
James Moledor
*
James Moledor is excited to be back on stage at MMT! Some of his favorite credits include Matilda: The Musical (Rudolpho/Ensemble), The Sound of Music (Friedrich), Shrek TYA (Pinocchio), A Christmas Story (Ensemble), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Snug/Cobweb). He loves performing and plans on studying musical theater in college. He has been taking MMT Conservatory classes for over seven years and studies dance at Star City School of Ballet. Some of his other interests include photography and playing piano. He would like to thank his family for supporting him in all his endeavors.
James Owens
*
James is so grateful to perform for his first time at Mill Mountain Theatre. He's based in Los Angeles, California and studied Drama at the Sergent Conservatory of Theatre Arts (formerly The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University). There, James performed in shows such as Love's Labors Lost, the Musical (Longaville) and Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino). Amidst the SAG and WGA strikes, James has been honing his craft at the Graham Shiels Acting Studio in Los Angeles. He'd like to thank his parents Chris and Jim for always supporting his acting career, and his best friends Gio, Anthony, and Johnny. Lastly, he thanks Melissa Rain Anderson, for recommending him to audition for Bright Star.
Mamie Parris
*
Thrilled to be making her Mill Mountain debut! On Broadway, Mamie is perhaps best known for her iconic rendition of "Memory" from the recent revival of Cats. Other Broadway credits include Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock, Ragtime, Tony-winning Best Musical The Drowsy Chaperone, On The 20th Century, and 110 in the Shade. Off-Broadway: Anything Can Happen in the Theater (cast album out now), Pump Boys and Dinettes (Prudie). On tour: Wicked (Elphaba), 9 To 5 (Judy), Legally Blonde. Regional roles at Paper Mill Playhouse, Arena Stage, The Old Globe, Goodspeed Opera House, Pittsburgh CLO, and more. Film & TV includes A Standup Guy, State of Affairs, The Blacklist and The PBS Great Performances 50th Anniversary Special, airing now. Audiobook narrator (find her on Audible.com) and lauded symphony soloist (visit her website for upcoming dates in Milwaukee, Baltimore, Columbus, and more!). Thanks to Jim, love to Johnathan.
Mamie Parris
*
Thrilled to be making her Mill Mountain debut! On Broadway, Mamie is perhaps best known for her iconic rendition of "Memory" from the recent revival of Cats. Other Broadway credits include Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock, Ragtime, Tony-winning Best Musical The Drowsy Chaperone, On The 20th Century, and 110 in the Shade. Off-Broadway: Anything Can Happen in the Theater (cast album out now), Pump Boys and Dinettes (Prudie). On tour: Wicked (Elphaba), 9 To 5 (Judy), Legally Blonde. Regional roles at Paper Mill Playhouse, Arena Stage, The Old Globe, Goodspeed Opera House, Pittsburgh CLO, and more. Film & TV includes A Standup Guy, State of Affairs, The Blacklist and The PBS Great Performances 50th Anniversary Special, airing now. Audiobook narrator (find her on Audible.com) and lauded symphony soloist (visit her website for upcoming dates in Milwaukee, Baltimore, Columbus, and more!). Thanks to Jim, love to Johnathan.
Trevor St. John-Gilbert
*
Trevor is so thankful to be a part of this wonderful Bright Star team! Originally from Dallas, TX, Trevor graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Some favorite theatrical experiences include Chuck in Footloose (Norwegian Cruise Lines), Les Miserables (MUNY), and LadyShip (NYMF). All my love to my family - Dad, Mom, Tori, Whitney, Daddy George and Granny! Most importantly I want to give all the glory to Jesus. Thank you God for saving me and giving me the opportunity to play one of my dream roles. Luke 18:9-14.
Meet the Team
James Moye
*
James is thrilled to return to MMT after directing Million Dollar Quartet in the 2021 season. A Christiansburg native, he has directed around the country at South Coast Rep in California, The Marriott Theatre outside Chicago, and Flat Rock Playhouse in NC. His acting credits include ten Broadway shows, seven Off-Broadway shows, tours, and many regional productions. He has been seen on screen in Fair Game (with Sean Penn) and his TV credits include: Law and Order, The Blacklist, Royal Pains, The Mysteries of Laura, and several commercial campaigns. James is a graduate of James Madison University, where he received the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Sam Saint Ours
*
Sam is thrilled to be making his MMT debut! Performance credits include: Romeo and Juliet, Comedy of Errors, All's Well That Ends Well, The Tempest (American Shakespeare Center); Once (2019 US Tour, Engeman Theatre); Wonderland (Atlantic Theatre Company); Oil (Olney Theatre); The Lion in Winter, Billy Bishop Goes to War (Cape May Stage). Past credits as a music director: Resident artist/composer 2020-2022 (American Shakespeare Center); The Lightning Thief (Laguna Playhouse); Once, Dogfight (James Madison University); The Wild Party (Illumination Act). Sam is a proud alumnus of JMU and native of the Shenandoah Valley, where a love of bluegrass music was forever impressed upon his life. Eternal thanks to his family--especially his brothers Robert, Phillip, and John for introducing him to musicianship. *Apologies given to any legit pianists who have to watch this guitarist flap his T-rex fingers across the ivories for the next two hours*
Nick Kepley
*
Born and raised in Asheville, NC, Nick Kepley trained with Sandra Miller and spent summers at School of American Ballet and The Juilliard School. Concert dance: Ballet Austin, Kansas City Ballet. Broadway/NY stage: Mary Poppins (Neleus, Valentine, Ensemble), Cinderella (Asst. Choreographer), Waitress (Asst. Choreographer), Camelot (NY Philharmonic), American Dance Machine for the 21st Century (Joyce Theatre). TV/Film: SMASH (NBC), Great Performances (PBS). Choreography: Working (Prospect Theatre NY, Assoc.), Cake Off (Bucks County Playhouse, Assoc.), West Side Story (Mill Mountain Theatre), Dirty Dancing in Concert, Guys and Dolls (Flat Rock Playhouse). Kepley has served as Rehearsal Director for Dance Lab/New York (2016-2018), Ballet Master of Ballet Austin II (2013-2015), and on full-time faculty for Milwaukee Ballet's Pre-Professional Program (2021-2022). In 2010, Kepley founded MOTION Dance Theatre, a summer choreographic residency program in Asheville, NC, and served as artistic director until 2015.
Audrey Hamilton
*
Audrey Hamilton delights in joining Mill Mountain Theater as Costume Designer of Bright Star.
Audrey earned a BFA in Theatre from the Mississippi University for Women and an MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Alabama. Costume/hair/makeup designs include: Le Nozze di Figaro, Rigoletto, Gianni Schicchi, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, (La Musica Lirica, Novafetria, Italy) Die Fledermaus, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Cinderella (Opera in the Ozarks, Eureka Springs, AR) La Traviata, Sweeney Todd (Opera Roanoke), Wittenberg, Antony and Cleopatra (American Shakespeare Center) Shrek (New Stage, Jackson, MS).
Currently, Audrey is visiting assistant professor of costume design and technology at Roanoke College. Roanoke College Costume Design: The Importance of Being Earnest(Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Faculty Design nomination), Blood Wedding, and Mac Beth.
Peppy Biddy
*
Peppy Biddy is happy to return to Mill Mountain Theatre and to Roanoke. Biddy is a Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Mississippi University for Women (Columbus, MS). He earned his MFA in Theatre at Trinity University (San Antonio, TX) and has worked as either actor, director, or stage manager at such companies as Dallas Theatre Center, Dallas Summer Musicals, Casa Manana (Ft. Worth, TX), Dallas Children’s Theatre, and New Stage Theatre (Jackson, MS.) He served as the Production Manager for the Sundance Theatre Lab in Utah from 2000-2017. Previous MMT credits include director of The Glass Menagerie, Smokey Joe’s Café, The Marvelous Wonderettes, The 39 Steps, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Idols of the King and as stage manager for On Golden Pond, Holiday Inn and Jersey Boys. Member of Actors Equity Association.
Jennie Ruhland
*
Jennie Ruhland has been professionally designing costumes for over 20 years. She received her BS in Theatre from Radford University, her MFA in Costume Design and Construction from UVA, and is an assistant professor of theatre at Radford University. Since 1999, Jennie has costume designed numerous plays for MMT and she is thrilled to be back! She has also designed costumes for Heritage Repertory Theatre, Roanoke Children’s Theatre, Opera Roanoke, La Musica Lirica, Operafestival di Roma, Studio Roanoke, Radford University, UVA, Hollins University, and Roanoke College. When not teaching all things costumes, Jennie cherishes her time spent with her husband James and her two sons, Mason and Calvin.
Erin Markham
*
Erin Markham is a Roanoke native with a lifelong passion for the theatre and music. She graduated summa cum laude from Radford University with a B.S. in Theatre and an emphasis in stage management. Along with stage managing several productions and student projects at Radford, Erin worked as a House Manager, Box Office Assistant, and an Assistant to the Chair. In previous summers, Erin has worked with the Christiansburg Dance Academy and the Virginia Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities. Her most recent work includes Assistant Stage Manager for Mill Mountain Theatre’s productions of Jersey Boys, Holiday Inn, and Fun Home as well as Stage Manager for Mill Mountain Theatre’s Summer Tour of Curious George: The Golden Meatball. Erin is thrilled to be working on this production and sincerely hopes you enjoy the show!
Pre-Show Snack or
Post-Show Dinner?
Don’t let the evening end when the curtain comes down. With The Marquee Local, you can find the perfect place for a pre-show snack, an evening meal, or a post-show cocktail. Enjoy exclusive deals from our local partners as you catch up, discuss the show, and create memories to last a lifetime.
Grab a Bite
Fortunato
Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Roanoke, Virginia, Fortunato is the region's only traditional Italian kitchen & Neapolitan style pizzeria.
Fortunato
Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Roanoke, Virginia, Fortunato is the region's only traditional Italian kitchen & Neapolitan style pizzeria.
Marquee Deal!
Have a group ticket? Show your MMT Ticket stub to receive 10% off your meal! Valid for one-time use only at participating restaurants.
Martin's
Casual dining on burgers, BBQ & other bar food in an open tavern setting with live music & a patio.
Martin's
Casual dining on burgers, BBQ & other bar food in an open tavern setting with live music & a patio.
Marquee Deal!
The Pine Room
From the snack n' share options and hearth flatbreads to the farmland offerings and signature items, The Pine Room features American Rustic cuisine that presents simplistic, sustainable, and high-quality ingredients in an inviting presentation.
The Pine Room
From the snack n' share options and hearth flatbreads to the farmland offerings and signature items, The Pine Room features American Rustic cuisine that presents simplistic, sustainable, and high-quality ingredients in an inviting presentation.
Marquee Deal!
Have a group ticket? Show your MMT Ticket stub to receive 10% off your meal! Valid for one-time use only at participating restaurants.
The Regency Room
Enjoy dining al fresco! Spring is here and it's patio season! The Regency Room and The Pine Room Pub are the perfect place to enjoy dinner or drinks on the patio with spring in the air!
The Regency Room
Enjoy dining al fresco! Spring is here and it's patio season! The Regency Room and The Pine Room Pub are the perfect place to enjoy dinner or drinks on the patio with spring in the air!
Marquee Deal!
Have a group ticket? Show your MMT Ticket stub to receive 10% off your meal! Valid for one-time use only at participating restaurants.
Awful Arthur's
Modern tavern offering varied seafood, bar bites & a raw bar plus sports on TV & live music.
Awful Arthur's
Modern tavern offering varied seafood, bar bites & a raw bar plus sports on TV & live music.
Marquee Deal!
Corned Beef & Co
Sports bar serves sandwiches & pub grub in expansive digs equipped with pool tables & countless TVs.
Corned Beef & Co
Sports bar serves sandwiches & pub grub in expansive digs equipped with pool tables & countless TVs.
Marquee Deal!
Crescent City Bourbon and Barbecue
The smoked meat is made with care and passion in a stick burner smoker and indoor wood burning smoker.
Crescent City Bourbon and Barbecue
The smoked meat is made with care and passion in a stick burner smoker and indoor wood burning smoker.
Marquee Deal!
Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint
Bar chain serving creative burgers & a lengthy list of beers in a casual, funky space.
Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint
Bar chain serving creative burgers & a lengthy list of beers in a casual, funky space.
Marquee Deal!
Nawab Indian Cuisine
Indian classics & all-you-can-eat buffet lunches, served in a low-key traditional dining room.
Nawab Indian Cuisine
Indian classics & all-you-can-eat buffet lunches, served in a low-key traditional dining room.
Marquee Deal!
Raise a Glass
Sidecar
Casual dining on burgers, BBQ & other bar food in an open tavern setting with live music & a patio.
Sidecar
Casual dining on burgers, BBQ & other bar food in an open tavern setting with live music & a patio.
Marquee Deal!
Have a group ticket? Show your MMT Ticket stub to receive 10% off your meal! Valid for one-time use only at participating restaurants.
Three Notch'd Brewing Co.
The food menu features traditional European foods like handmade sausages in traditional German, Polish, and English styles, as well as Belgian hand-cut fries, mussels, steak frites, and Polish pierogies.
Three Notch'd Brewing Co.
The food menu features traditional European foods like handmade sausages in traditional German, Polish, and English styles, as well as Belgian hand-cut fries, mussels, steak frites, and Polish pierogies.
Marquee Deal!
Have a group ticket? Show your MMT Ticket stub to receive 10% off your meal! Valid for one-time use only at participating restaurants.
Twisted Track Brewpub
In addition to hand crafted beer, we offer pub fare with yet another twist and a selection of wines, ciders and soft drinks – something for everyone.
Twisted Track Brewpub
In addition to hand crafted beer, we offer pub fare with yet another twist and a selection of wines, ciders and soft drinks – something for everyone.
Marquee Deal!
Have a group ticket? Show your MMT Ticket stub to receive 10% off your meal! Valid for one-time use only at participating restaurants.
Benny Marconi's
Serving huge slices of pizza in downtown Roanoke, VA. Established in 2012.
Benny Marconi's
Serving huge slices of pizza in downtown Roanoke, VA. Established in 2012.
Marquee Deal!
Billy's
Buzzy dining room with a full wooden bar plating refined American cuisine such as lobster Alfredo.
Billy's
Buzzy dining room with a full wooden bar plating refined American cuisine such as lobster Alfredo.
Marquee Deal!
Fork in the Market
Quirky, independent eatery offering updated comfort food, a full bar, a patio & live music nightly.
Fork in the Market
Quirky, independent eatery offering updated comfort food, a full bar, a patio & live music nightly.
Marquee Deal!
Texas Tavern
Family-owned since 1930, this 24/7 diner offers breakfast, burgers, sandwiches & its popular chili.
Texas Tavern
Family-owned since 1930, this 24/7 diner offers breakfast, burgers, sandwiches & its popular chili.
Marquee Deal!
While You Wait
With the help of our friends at Theatrely.com, Marquee Digital has you covered with exclusive content while you wait for the curtain to rise.
EXCLUSIVE: Watch A Clip From THEATER CAMP Starring Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and Molly Gordon
Finally, summer has arrived, which can only mean one thing: it's time for camp! Theater Camp, that is. Theatrely has a sneak peak at the new film which hits select theaters today.
The new original comedy starring Tony Award winner Ben Platt and Molly Gordon we guarantee will have you laughing non-stop. The AdirondACTS, a run-down theater camp in upstate New York, is attended by theater-loving children who must work hard to keep their beloved theater camp afloat after the founder, Joan, falls into a coma.
The film stars Ben Platt and Molly Gordon as Amos Klobuchar and Rebecca-Diane, respectively, as well as Noah Galvin as Glenn Wintrop, Jimmy Tatro as Troy Rubinsky, Patti Harrison as Caroline Krauss, Nathan Lee Graham as Clive DeWitt, Ayo Edebiri as Janet Walch, Owen Thiele as Gigi Charbonier, Caroline Aaron as Rita Cohen, Amy Sedaris as Joan Rubinsky, and Alan Kim as Alan Park.
Theater Camp was directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman and written by Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman & Ben Platt. Music is by James McAlister and Mark Sonnenblick. On January 21, 2023, Theater Camp had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
You can purchase tickets to the new film from our friends at Hollywood.com here.
READ: An Excerpt From Sean Hayes Debut YA Novel TIME OUT
Actor Sean Hayes is what we in the biz call booked and blessed. On top of his Tony-nominated performance as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar, Hayes has partnered with Todd Milliner and Carlyn Greenwald for the release of their new YA novel Time Out.
Heralded by many as Heartstopper meets Friday Night Lights, Time Out follows hometown basketball hero Barclay Elliot who decides to use a pep rally to come out to his school. When the response is not what he had hoped and the hostility continually growing, he turns to his best friend Amy who brings him to her voting rights group at school. There he finds Christopher and… you will just have to grab a copy and find out what happens next. Luckily for you, Time Out hits shelves on May 30 and to hold you over until then we have a special except from the book just for Theatrely:
The good thing about not being on the team the past two weeks has been that I’ve had time to start picking up shifts again at Beau’s diner and save up a little for college now that my scholarship dreams are over.
The bad part is it’s the perfect place to see how my actions at the pep rally have rotted the townspeople’s brains too.
During Amy’s very intense musical theater phase in middle school, her parents took her to New York City. And of course she came back home buzzing about Broadway and how beautiful the piss smell was and everything artsy people say about New York. But she also vividly described some diner she waited three hours to get into where the waitstaff would all perform songs for the customers as a way to practice for auditions. The regulars would have favorite staff members and stan them the way Amy stans all her emo musicians.
Working at Beau’s used to feel kind of like that, like I was part of a performance team I didn’t know I signed up for. The job started off pretty basic over the summer—I wanted to save up for basketball supplies, and Amy worked there and said it was boring ever since her e-girl coworker friend graduated. But I couldn’t get through a single lunch rush table without someone calling me over and wanting the inside scoop on the Wildcats and how we were preparing for the home opener, wanting me to sign an article in the paper or take a photo. Every friendly face just made the resolve grow inside me. People love and support the Wildcats; they would do the same for me.
Yeah, right.
Now just like school, customers have been glaring at me, making comments about letting everyone down, about being selfish, about my actions being “unfortunate,” and the tips have been essentially nonexistent. The Wildcats have been obliterated in half their games since I quit, carrying a 2–3 record when last year we were 5–0, and the comments make my feet feel like lead weights I have to drag through every shift.
Today is no different. It’s Thursday, the usual dinner rush at Beau’s, and I try to stay focused on the stress of balancing seven milkshakes on one platter. A group of regulars, some construction workers, keep loudly wondering why I won’t come back to the team while I refuse proper eye contact.
One of the guys looks up at me as I drop the bill off. “So, what’s the deal? Does being queer keep ya from physically being able to play?”
They all snicker as they pull out crumpled bills. I stuff my hands into my pockets, holding my tongue.
When they leave, I hold my breath as I take their bill.
Sure enough, no tip.
“What the fuck?” I mutter under my breath.
“Language,” Amy says as she glides past me, imitating the way Richard says it to her every shift, and adds, “even though they are dicks.” At least Amy’s been ranting about it every free chance she gets. It was one thing when the student body was being shitty about me leaving the team, but the town being like this is even more infuriating. She doesn’t understand how these fully grown adults can really care that much about high school basketball and thinks they need a new fucking hobby. I finally agree with her.
[She’s wearing red lipstick to go with her raccoon-adjacent eyeliner as she rushes off to prepare milkshakes for a pack of middle schoolers. I catch her mid–death glare as all three of the kids rotate in their chairs, making the old things squeal. My anger fades a bit as I can’t help but chuckle; Amy’s pissed-off reaction to Richard telling her to smile more was said raccoon makeup, and her tolerance for buffoonery has been at a negative five to start and declining fast.
I rest my arms on the counter and try not to look as exhausted as I feel.
“Excuse me!” an old lady screeches, making me jump.
Amy covers up a laugh as I head to the old lady and her husband’s table. They’ve got finished plates, full waters. Not sure what the problem is. Or I do, which is worse.
“Yes?” I say trying to suppress my annoyance.
“Could you be bothered to serve us?”
Only five more hours on shift. I have a break in three minutes. I’ll be with Devin at Georgia Tech tomorrow. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” I say, so careful to keep my words even, but I can feel my hands balling into fists. “What would you—?”
And suddenly Amy swoops in, dropping two mugs of coffee down. “Sorry about that, you two,” she says, her voice extra high. “The machine was conking out on us, but it’s fine now.”
Once the coffee is down, she hooks onto a chunk of my shirt, steering us back to the bar.
“Thanks,” I mutter, embarrassed to have forgotten something so basic. Again.
“Just keep it together, man,” she says. “Maybe you’d be better off with that creepy night shift where all the truckers and serial killers come in.”
Honestly, at least the serial killers wouldn’t care about my jump shot.
It’s a few minutes before my break, but clearly I need it. “I’ll be in the back room.”
Right before I can head that way though, someone straight-up bursts into the diner and rushes over to me at the bar. It’s a middle-aged dad type, sunburned skin, beer belly, and stained T-shirt.
“Pickup order?” I ask.
“You should be ashamed,” he sneers at me. He has a really strong Southern accent, but it’s not Georgian. “Think you’re so high and mighty, that nothing’ll ever affect you? My kid’ll never go to college because of you and your lifestyle. Fuck you, Barclay Ell—”
And before this man can finish cursing my name, Pat of all people runs in, wide-eyed in humiliation. “Jesus, Dad, please don’t—”
I pin my gaze on him, remembering how he cowered on the bench as Ostrowski went off, how he didn’t even try to approach me. “Don’t even bother,” I snap.
I shove a to-go bag into his dad’s arms, relieved it’s prepaid, and storm off to the break room.]
Amy finds me head in my arms a minute or two later. I look up, rubbing my eyes. “Please spare me the pity.”
She snorts and hands me a milkshake. Mint chocolate chip. “Wouldn’t dare.” She takes a seat and rolls her shoulders and neck, cracks sounding through the tiny room. “Do you want a distraction or a shoulder to cry on?”
For more information, and to purchase your copy of Time Out, click here.
Reframing the COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Stage Manager’s Eyes
When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in the United States in March 2020, Broadway veteran stage manager Richard Hester watched the nation’s anxiety unfold on social media.
“No one knew what the virus was going to do,” Hester said. Some people were “losing their minds in abject terror, and then there were some people who were completely denying the whole thing.”
For Hester, the reaction at times felt like something out of a movie. “It was like the Black Plague,” he said. “Some people thought it was going to be like that Monty Python sketch: ‘bring out your dead, bring out your dead.’”
While Hester was also unsure about how the virus would unfold, he felt that his “job as a stage manager is to naturally defuse drama.” Hester brought this approach off the stage and onto social media in the wake of the pandemic.
“I just sort of synthesized everything that was happening into what I thought was a manageable bite, so people could get it,” Hester said. This became a daily exercise for a year. Over two years after the beginning of the pandemic, Hester’s accounts are compiled in the book, Hold Please: Stage Managing A Pandemic. Released earlier this year, the book documents the events of the past two years, filtering national events and day-to-day occurrences through a stage manager’s eyes and storytelling.
When Hester started this project, he had no intention of writing a book. He was originally writing every day because there was nothing else to do. “I am somebody who needs a job or needs a structure,” Hester said.
Surprised to find that people began expecting his daily posts, he began publishing his daily writing to his followers through a Substack newsletter. As his following grew, Hester had to get used to writing for an audience. “I started second guessing myself a lot of the time,” Hester said. “It just sort of put a weird pressure on it.”
Hester said he got especially nervous before publishing posts in which he wrote about more personal topics. For example, some of his posts focused on his experiences growing up in South Africa while others centered on potentially divisive topics, such as the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Despite some of this discomfort, Hester’s more personal posts were often the ones that got the most response. The experience offered him a writing lesson. “I stopped worrying about the audience and just wrote what I wanted to write about,” Hester said. “All of that pressure that I think as artists we put on ourselves, I got used to it.”
One of Hester’s favorite anecdotes featured in the book centers on a woman who dances in Washington Square Park on a canvas, rain or shine. He said he was “mesmerized by her,” which inspired him to write about her. “It was literally snowing and she was barefoot on her canvas dancing, and that seems to me just a spectacularly beautiful metaphor for everything that we all try and do, and she was living that to the fullest.”
During the creation of Hold Please, Hester got the unique opportunity to reflect in-depth on the first year of the pandemic by looking back at his accounts. He realized that post people would not remember the details of the lockdown; people would “remember it as a gap in their lives, but they weren’t going to remember it beat by beat.”
“Reliving each of those moments made me realize just how full a year it was, even though none of us were doing anything outside,” he adds. “We were all on our couches.” Readers will use the book as a way to relive moments of the pandemic’s first year “without having to wallow in the misery of it,” he hopes.
“I talk about the misery of it, but that’s not the focus of what I wrote... it was about hope and moving forward,” Hester said. “In these times when everything is so difficult, we will figure out a way to get through and we will move forward.”
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