Ground Floor Theatre presents PARADE For Limited Engagement

Ground Floor Theatre, Central Texas' newest theatre company announces its inaugural production, a concert version of the hit musical PARADE with book by Alfred Uhry and music/lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, December 3-5 at 8:00 pm with a Saturday matinee at 2pm at Ground Floor Theatre, located at 979 Springdale Road in Austin at the corner of Springdale and Airport Boulevard.

Parade is the heart rendering, true story of Leo Frank: a Brooklyn-raised Jewish man living in Atlanta who, in 1913, was wrongfully convicted of murder of his thirteen-year-old employee, Mary Phagan. Because Frank's trial was replete with faulty testimony and lacked clear evidence, Georgia's governor eventually commuted his sentence from death to life imprisonment. Despite this ruling, an unruly mob lynched Frank in Marietta, Georgia. The momentous case drew national attention to Anti-Semitism, and was pivotal to the founding of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Artistic Co-Director and Founder Lisa Scheps views the script as an ideal first project for Ground Floor Theatre, whose mission is to present work by and for underrepresented communities. Parade addresses not only anti-Semitism, but also discrimination in a broader spectrum, including racism, ageism and sexism.

"Parade is such an impactful story. It asks many more questions than it answers, which is key to powerful art. Much like the script, the score is also incredibly complex and beautiful," Scheps says. "We're proud to be able to present Parade as our inaugural production, and to also have the support of Austin's Anti-Defamation League."

Playing the lead role of Leo will be Scott Ferguson, Sarah Danko as Lucille Frank, Kyle Cauglin as Britt Craig, Liliana Sweeten as Mary Phagan, Vincent Hooper as Jim Conley, Matrex Kilgore as Newt Lee, Scotty Roberts as Governor Slaton, Dale Sandish as Hugh Dorsey and Travis Gauden as Frankie. Rounding out the cast is Becky Musser, Chelsea Manasseri, Craig McKerley, Samantha Bagdon, Lucy Rose Abramowitz, Kristin Hall, Emily Haynes, Jane Newchurch, Hal Roberts, Alyssa Dillard and Chelsea Hockaday.

Lisa Scheps directs, with music direction by Adam Roberts, produced by co-director Patti Neff-Tiven, light design by Natalie George, and sound by Jeff Miller.

For tickets and information, please visit GroundFloorTheatre.org or call 512.926.2203.

Ground Floor Theatre concentrates on works by and for underrepresented communities. It serves as an incubator to foster and grow new and groundbreaking works that shine a light on groups that are often overlooked.?It is also a home for the Austin theatre community to come together and learn from one another in order to help Austin continue to excel as a leader in the national theatre community. For more information visit www.groundfloortheatre.org.

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