Historian George Muschamp to Helm 1776 at Gettysburg Community Theatre

Gettysburg Community Theatre, the non-profit 501c3 organization located in the original Elks Lodge building at 49 York Street within the first block of Lincoln Square in historic downtown Gettysburg, will present 1776 the musical, to celebrate the 240th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration Of Independence. Performances will be held at GCT Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm July 15-31, 2016. GCT only seats 80. Limited Reserved Seating Tickets are $18 plus tax/fees of the Gettysburg Borough Amusement Tax. Tickets can be ordered online at www.GettysburgCommunityTheatre.org or by calling 717-334-2692 for group sales of 20 or more or visit the box office during box office hours 5-7pm Mondays-Thursdays at GCT. Opening night will include a complimentary wine reception with the cast and crew after the performance.

1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It dramatizes the efforts of John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document. It premiered on Broadway in 1969, earning warm reviews, and ran for 1,217 performances. The production was nominated for five Tony Awards and won three, including the Tony Award for Best Musical. In 1972 it was made into a film adaptation and was revived on Broadway in 1997.

The show is directed by George Muschamp, of Gettysburg, who has been a Theatre Professor at Gettysburg College and HACC, and performed and directed in the Central PA area and beyond for many years. Vanessa Rice of Gettysburg is serving as the music director and piano/conductor with a live band for the historical show. The cast includes adults from York/Adams County and beyond including: Michael Ausherman of York, Edward Gobrecht, Michelle Gorski, Kramer Hardman, Kyle Hardman, D. Scott Hartwig, Boyd Hetrick, Jeff Meyers, Shane Miller, James O'Dell, Monisola Otokie Uro, and Mark Oldenburg of Gettysburg, Austin Greene and Steve Huete of Orrtana, James Hamilton and Ian Kress of Littlestown, David Hurlbert of Fayetteville, John Loy and James Loy of Taneytown, Jen McGurn of Dover, Matt Meckley of East Berlin, Lee Merriman and Daniel Signore of Chambersburg, Paul Oakes of Abbottstown, Brian Scace and Martin Schroeder of Biglerville, and Chris Walsh of Hollam.

George Muschamp (Director of 1776 the musical at GCT), beginning with church pageants as a child in his native Philadelphia, has performed leading and supporting roles and directed for scores of major productions with theatres such as the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Tyrone Guthrie Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Inc., California Theatre Center (Sunnyvale), the Gettysburg Theatre Festival, and Gettysburg's Majestic Theater. George has worked with dozens of celebrated directors, as diverse as, Edward Payson Call, Morris Carnovsky, Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Steve Herek, Maxine Kline, James MacArthur, John Madden, Ronald Maxwell, Joseph Papp, George Seaton, Adam Shankman, and Mel Shapiro. Similarly, over the years, a list of George's fellow performers, cast members of shows he has directed, and students he has taught, reads like an award- and star-studded who's who of radio, television, film, and Live Theatre "greats". For three years, George was Artistic Director of the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Hawaii's largest professional theatre organization. He then enjoyed twelve years as principal actor and staff Associate Director of the Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company, which received the 1981 national Margo Jones Award for creative originality and excellence and the 2003 Tony Award as "the nation's leading theatre for young people and families". George has participated as writer, director, producer or featured actor in numerous national radio and television programs, including the PBS-TV series Gardens of the World, co-starring Audrey Hepburn and Michael York; continuing roles on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion; and, a dozen television specials and videos for Universal, CBS, HBO, and Disney. George is featured in Hollywood supporting and cameo roles in scenes with Jeff Daniels and Mira Sorvino (Gods and Generals), Timothy Bottoms, Scott Valentine, and Cynthia Brooks (California Roll) and many others. As actor, George currently tours two shows: An Evening with Thaddeus and Lydia, a dramedy two-hander focusing on Civil War era legislator Thaddeus Stevens and Stevens' long term housekeeper, Lydia HaMilton Smith; and, Attorney for the Damned, a one-man play inspired by the life and times of trial lawyer, Clarence Darrow.

GCT is an intimate 80 seat air conditioned theatre that is fully accessible and has an ADA compliant ramp at the back of the building. Special seating is available for patrons using wheelchairs or requiring other assistance. Please call to inform the box office of any special needs when ordering tickets.

Coming soon from GCT: Summer Musical Theatre Day Camps weekly in July, GYPSY performs weekends September 16-October 2, The Rocky Horror Show LIVE performs weekends October 22-31, Shrek jr. performs weekends November 4-20. Auditions for the all youth cast PreK-12th Grade of the musical Shrek jr. will be held on the first day of class August 17th at 6pm. Register online for Shrek before the audition. Auditions for adults will be held for The Rocky Horror Show LIVE on August 17th at 8pm. Tickets always available online.

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