Nicholas Barasch & More to Lead THE VIOLIN Industry Reading

THE VIOLIN, by The Francis Sisters (Kami Nishima and Kara Dudley), will receive a special industry presentation on Wednesday, July 12, 2024, at Open Jar Studios. 

In 1880, the port city of Malmo, Sweden, is a hub of emigration. Extreme classism pushes people to America by the thousands, but Peter Larsen is hopeful he can change his status by building a world-class violin for the beautiful Sara Bonde. His life becomes complicated by his relationship with the heiress, and Peter is forced to choose between his ambition and his honor. An original story based on true events, The Violin pays homage to the power of creativity and love. 

The cast features Nicholas Barasch (She Loves Me), Emily Borromeo (School of Rock), Joanna Carpenter (Sweeny Todd), Jonathan Christopher (Sweeny Todd), Vivienne Cleary, Nick Gaswirth (How To Dance In Ohio), Leah Hocking (Billy Elliot), Caitlin Houlahan(Waitress), Cedric Leiba Jr (Hell's Kitchen), Shoba Narayan (Aladdin), Sofie Nesanelis (Les Miserables), Chris McCarrell (The Lightning Thief), and Aaron Ramey (The Visit). 

The presentation will feature direction by David Ruttura, with music direction by Frank Galgano and Matt Castle, and Casting by JZ Casting. LDK Productions serves as General Manager. Executive Producer is Lisa Dozier Shacket. Denise Savas is the Stage Manager. 

The Francis Sisters (Kami Nishima & Kara Dudley, writers) have been writing musicals since sharing a bedroom as teenagers in the '80s. While their boyfriends were listening to hair metal, they were cutting their teeth on Rogers & Hammerstein, Phantom, and Les Mis, and dreaming about stages beyond their rural hometown. Kara’s love of words and visual art form the basis for her writing. Kami’s first language is music, and certain chord transitions always make her tear up. They hail from a family of musicians and composers, and their influences include everything from Vivaldi, to Queen, to Barbra. Sometimes life's biggest dreams take time to reclaim, and now their debut musical The Violinaspires to become the first completely original musical with book & music written by two sisters to reach Broadway.