Miguel Cervantes, Nick Blaemire, Drew Gehling, Grace McClean, and Derrick Baskin Join South Carolina New Play Festival

 The South Carolina New Play Festival has announced casting for A Black-billed Cuckoo by Mat Smart, KWEEN by Vichet Chum, The Essential Alice by Michael Friedman and Annie Weisman and Catching the Moon, The Story of A Young Girl’s Baseball Dream by Nichole Jackson and Tyrone L. Robinson.

The festival will run August 10-13 starring Derrick Baskin (Broadway: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee- Drama Desk Award, Little Mermaid, Memphis, Ain’t Too Proud- TONY nomination), Nick Blaemire (Broadway: Glory Days, Godspell, CryBaby), Kim Blanck (Off-Broadway: Octet -Drama Desk Award), Miguel Cervantes (Broadway: Hamilton, American Idiot, If/Then), Lyndsey Cole (National Tour: Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia), Drew Gehling (Broadway: Waitress, Almost Famous, On a Clear Day…), Rhett Guter (Regional: Oklahoma, Bye Bye Birdie), Kelly McAndrew (Broadway: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Grace McClean (Broadway: Bad Cinderella, TV: The Americans, Strange Angel), Jennifer Naimo (Broadway: Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Grease), Mauricio Perez (Broadway: Jersey Boys), Samuel Stricklen (Broadway: Superior Donuts), and Mimi Wyche (National Tour: CATS)

The South Carolina New Play festival will take place at venues including The Gunter Theatre at the Peace Center, Warehouse Theatre, Greenville Theatre, South Carolina Children’s Theater, and CentreStage. In addition to the new play line up, SCNPF is presenting a closing night Cabaret at the Westin Poinsett Ballroom as well as a Town Hall panel at the Greenville ONE Center. All readings are free with reserved seating. To reserve a seat or learn more about the South Carolina New Play Festival, visit www.southcarolinanewplayfestival.org. VIP seating available until July 15. 

August 10th the SC New Play Festival will open with The Game by Rhett Guter, directed by West Hyler (Broadway: Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour) at 7pm at CentreStage, sponsored by Laura and Bill Pelham. 

August 11th will feature the panel on The Post-COVID Transformation of American Theatre at 2pm at the Greenville One Center and available as a livestream through Stellar Tickets. Panelists include: Travis Ballenger (Broadway producer), Adam Burke (Artistic Director of Children’s Theater of Charlotte), Kimberly Colburn (Literary Director), Matt Giles (Artistic Director of SC Children’s Theatre), Jim McCarthy (Stellar Live CEO), Laura Nicholas (Artistic Director of Centre Stage), and Max Quinlan (Artistic Director of Greenville Theatre). The panel will be moderated by West Hyler (Executive Director of SC New Play Festival). Sponsored by SC Humanities. 

The evening of Aug 11, A Black-billed Cuckoo by Mat Smart (Kill Local, The Agitators: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass) directed by Shelley Butler (World Premiere: A Doll’s House Part 2). It will play at the Greenville Theatre at 7pm. The company will include Jo Garcia-Reger as Sadie, Kelly McAndrew as Ruth, Jennifer Naimo as Tessa,?Samuel Stricklen as Ed, and Mimi Wyche as Marge. Sponsored by Lillian and Henry Parr. 

August 12th will feature KWEEN by Vichet Chum (High School Play: A Nostalgia Fest, Bald Sisters) directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh (Vietgone, Queen), at The Warehouse Theatre at 2pm. The staged reading will star Deryck Hak as Sophat, Kelseigh Redmon as Britney, Charlene Hong White as Dahvy, and Eryn Woo as Soma, with more roles yet to be announced. Sponsored by DataMax. 

The evening of Aug 12, Michael Friedman (Broadway: Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson) and Annie Weisman’s (Apple +: Physical) musical The Essential Alice will be presented, directed by Des McAnuff (Broadway: Jersey Boys; TONY award, TOMMY; TONY award, Ain’t Too Proud, Big River) at the Gunter Theatre at the Peace Center at 7pm. The company will include Derrick Baskin as Cheshire Cat/Violet, Kim Blanck as the Lorina/Duchess/Tigerlilly, Nick Blaemire as the White Rabbit/Mad Hatter, Lyndsey Cole as Mouse/Cook/Rosebud/Dormouse, Drew Gehling as Charles Dodgson/Mock Turtle, Grace McClean as the Queen of Hearts, Mauricio Perez as King/Gryphon, and introducing Molly Wareham as Alice. Sponsored by the Peace Center. 

August 13th will present Catching the Moon, The Story of Young Girl’s Baseball Dream by Nichole Jackson and Tyrone L. Robinson (Show Way, Bliss) as directed by Clark Nesbitt at South Carolina Children’s Theater at 3pm. The production will star Jamaica Brewster as Marcenia Lyle, Niecy Blues as Mama and the Moon, Isaiah Hogue as Harold, Wesley Hudson as Clarence, and Evan Harris as Gabby Street, and Kenneth Washington as Papa. Sponsored by the Daniel-Mickel Foundation. 

The festival will conclude on the evening of  Sunday, August 13, with a Broadway Cabaret featuring Hamilton's Miguel  Cervantes at the Westin Poinsett Ballroom. Cervantes will share backstage stories from working on the Broadway productions of Hamilton, American Idiot, and 25th Annual...Spelling Bee, among others and perform a selection of songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda to Green Day in an intimate cabaret setting. 

Visit www.scnpf.org for tickets or more information.