Spring Theatre's CHILDREN OF EDEN Opens In April

This week, Spring Theatre began rehearsals for Children of Eden, preparing it to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages on April 1-3 at The Southeastern Center for Contemporary art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem.

a??Children of Eden is a breathtaking musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (creator of Wicked) and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis, with Act I telling the story of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel, while Act II centers on Noah and the Flood. The show will be directed by Erinn Dearth and Dan Beckmann, with music direction by Kristina Railsback, lighting Design by Evie Nootenboom, stage management by Dickson Lane, fight choreography by Chase Whitehurst, and costume design by Brianna Witherspoon.

The show will kick off the 2022 Season of Perspective at Spring Theatre, and Artistic Director Dan Beckmann says the show is the perfect one to do it. "Children of Eden is brilliant in the way it uses familiar subject matter to frame a story about parenthood and the impact our actions have on the futures of our children and beyond. I think viewers will be surprised at the lessons tucked within this literally ages-old tale."

"But it's not just a morality play," Beckmann continues. "The music is some of the richest in musical theatre, and if you've never had the opportunity to experience this piece live, you will not want to miss it. Goosebumps galore."

The cast features some of the strongest singers & actors in the Triad. Act One of the show features Morrisia Ravenell as Eve and Christopher Davis as Adam, and a tap dancing snake lead by Kelsey Thacker. Young Cain (Fritz Anderson) and Young Abel (Bryson Payton) grow up into adult versions of themselves portrayed by Braxton Allen & Kyle Brady. In Act Two, audiences will enjoy Spring Theatre veteran Oliver Helsabeck as Noah with Margaret Wages making her Spring Theatre debut as Mama Noah. Noah's family is played by Nick Kelley, Tara Flury, Ethan Rapier, Charity Hampton & I'zaah Gray-Jones who portrays Japheth opposite the lovely Chloe Law as Yonah.

The heartbeat of the show truly comes from the ensemble, the Storytellers, who are played by Kristina Railsback (who also doubles as the show's music director), Joshua Sarfert, Kennedy Heck, Mahalia Wages Hargrave, Ceilidh Woosley, Ben Partridge, CJ Meseke, Ava Ginsburg, Olivia Trauth, Paisley Holland, Olivia Callaway, Samuel Gomez, Elinor Labore, Lillian Workman, Kennethia Mason & Avery Taylor.

Though he has directed and designed many shows for the company, Beckmann will also be making his onstage debut with Spring Theatre as Father.

Founded in 2011 by Erinn Dearth, Spring Theatre was built to cultivate people of courage and communities of joy through youth-inspired theatrical experiences. Spring Theatre helps established and aspiring theatre artists reach their full artistic potential through mentoring, main stage productions, theatre camps, workshops, and master classes. As a result, Spring Theatre's youth are confident community members who are prepared for leadership roles including, but not limited to: performing, writing, directing, and staging their own productions. The family of Spring Theatre fuels the creative spirit of the entire Triad and beyond.

You can catch Spring Theatre's Children of Eden at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) on Friday, April 1st at 7pm, Saturday, April 2nd at 2pm and 7pm, and Sunday, April 3rd at 2pm. Tickets are $15 and are on sale now. The ticket link can be accessed on www.SpringTheatre.org.

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