Olney Theatre Center Presents JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, 2/23-3/20

With "a crash of drums, a flash of light," Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat explodes on stage at Olney Theatre Center as its first production of Season 2011.  This traditional biblical parable is set to unfold in a very untraditional, musical manner.
 
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat plays the Mainstage February 23 through March 20.  Tickets start at $26, with discounts available to groups, seniors, military, and students.  Call the Box Office at 301.924.3400 or visit olneytheatre.org for tickets and information.  Please see FACT SHEET below for complete performance and ticketing information.

The first full-length musical by legendary theatrical team Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice began as a 20-minute "pop cantata" written by 19-year-old Webber for a British school choir to perform in 1968.  He asked his friend Rice to write the lyrics for Joseph..., and eventually the musical was produced on the London stage five years later.  The show crossed the pond in 1982 to play on Broadway.
 
Director David Hilder's vision for this production of Joseph marries the big-scale impact of the musical with the personal sentiment of the story:
 
"When I think of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, I think of a show as big as its title - splashy, flashy, big dance numbers, terrific music...it all feels epic, gigantic.  And yet when I read the story - both the text of the show and the section of the Old Testament from which it's drawn - what strikes me is much simpler and, fundamentally, more personal.  Here is the tale of a young man of great gifts, punished for having them, who stays true to himself, and by doing so, achieves great things.  It's a powerful story we all can learn from."
 
He continues:  "I also reflect on the show's settings, Israel and Egypt, and contemplate how the Middle East hasn't known lasting peace in such a long time.  So the concept of wartime weighs heavily on how I see the musical, as well."
 
Hilder was raised in Vienna, Virginia.  He spent several years performing locally at such theaters as Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, while also directing and writing.  He turned his focus to directing, both in New York and locally at Theater J and Rep Stage (Philadelphia Story).  His New York credits include the world premieres of Philip Gerson's Jumping Blind and Dan Via's Daddy, and the New York premiere of Martin Casella's Scituate, all at TBG Arts Center.  He served as Assistant Director to Doug Hughes on the Broadway revival of Kaufman & Ferber's The Royal Family (five Tony nominations) and the Broadway and Off Broadway productions of Frozen (four Tony nominations).  He was recently named one of NYTheatre.com's People of the Year for 2010.
 
Performing at Olney for the first time is Alan Wiggins, in the title role of Joseph.  His national and international touring credits include Theo in Children's Letters to God (Windwood Productions) and Johnny Casino in Grease (Phoenix Entertainment).  He's performed regionally at Toby's Dinner Theatre, Pennsylvania Center Stage, Shadow Block Productions, and others.  Joe Peck plays Jacob (Joseph's father), as well as Potiphar.  He most recently appeared at Olney in Call of the Wild.  Other local credits include Studio Theatre, Ford's Theatre, The Kennedy Center, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Signature Theatre. 
 
Stephawn Stephens, as Joseph's brother Reuben, sings "Those Canaan Days."  Stephens recently directed Black Nativity for Theater Alliance, and performed in Crowns at Arena Stage.  Mardee Bennett, making his Olney debut as Judah, covers "Benjamin Calypso."  His local credits include Show Boat with Signature Theatre, Twelfth Night with Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, La Muneca with Single Carrot Theatre,and Jerry Springer: The Opera with Studio Theatre.  Nick Lehan, last seen at Olney in Big River, performs "One More Angel in Heaven" in the role of Levi.
 
The rest of Joseph's brothers are played by Kurt Boehm, Parker Drown, LC Harden Jr., Vincent Kempski, Ben Lurye, Jeramiah Miller, Andrew Sonntag, and Russell Sunday.
 
Returning to Olney as the Narrator is Eleasha Gamble, who made her professional debut in that very role at Olney in 1999.  Gamble most recently performed as Laurey in Arena Stage's critically-acclaimed Oklahoma.  She received her first Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for Civil War at Ford's Theatre.  She has worked at many other Washington area theaters, including Signature Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, and Toby's Dinner Theatre.
 
Rounding out the cast for Joseph... are Mary Lee Adams, Heather Marie Beck, Erin Driscoll, Jamie Eaker, Ashleigh King, Emily Levey, and Sean Silvia.
 
In addition to Hilder, the rest of the creative team includes Christopher Youstra (Musical Director), Wendy Seyb (Choreographer), Eugenia Furneaux-Arends (Scenic Designer), Ivania Stack (Costume Designer), Dan Covey (Lighting Designer), G.W. Rodriguez (Sound Designer), and Renee E. Yancey (Stage Manager).

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