Children's Playhouse of Maryland Kicks Off its 2010-2011 Season

The Children's Playhouse of Maryland, Inc., in residence at the Community College of Baltimore County, Essex, opens its 2010-2011 season with the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Performances are at 1 p.m. Sept.18-19, 25-26, and Oct. 2-3, with an additional 4 p.m. performance on Sept. 26. All performances will be given in the J Building Lecture Hall at CCBC Essex, 7201 Rossville Boulevard. Tickets, which are $10 general admission and $8 for birthday parties and scout troops, are available in advance through the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS or online at http://www.ccbcmd.edu/performingarts/childrensplayhouse.html. Tickets are also available at the door for all performances.

James Ruth of Dundalk, Md., heads the cast as Joseph with Allison Comotto of Towson, Md. and Chelsea Keiner of Nottingham, Md. as The Narrators. Jamie Watson of Baltimore City appears as Pharaoh. A children's chorus is also featured in this production. Liz Boyer Hunnicutt serves as the director and Julie Parrish is musical director. This production features more than 30 youth actors from Baltimore City, Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties.

Based on the biblical story of Joseph, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is almost entirely sung with little spoken dialogue. In this musical, the Narrators tell the story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis. Joseph, one the 12 sons of Jacob, has dreams that he will one day rule over his brothers. His brothers are jealous of Jacob's favorite and sell Joseph into slavery, telling their father that he was killed. Through his ability to interpret dreams, Joseph comes to the attention of Pharaoh, and because of the success of his predictions based on the Pharaoh's dreams, becomes a powerful man in Egypt. When Joseph's starving brothers seek help from Pharaoh, trickery and drama build to an exciting finish. The musical score provides humor and humanity to the characters.

The CCBC Essex Lecture Hall is a wheelchair-accessible facility. Patrons requiring special accommodations are urged to inform the Box Office at the time of ticket purchase. For more information, call the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS or the Children's Playhouse of Maryland administrative office at 443-840-2426. For directions, log on to www.ccbcmd.edu.

Children's Playhouse of Maryland, Inc. is a not for profit community theatre dedicated to youth performers ages 18 and under.