LEGALLY BLONDE and More to Close Theatre and Dance at Wayne's 2016-17 Season

Theatre and Dance at Wayne concludes its 2016-2017 Season with three productions that showcase the scope of the program's dramatic capabilities.

Fun and flirty Legally Blonde will play April 14-23 at the Bonstelle Theatre, followed by gender-bending dark comedy Cloud 9 April 20-30 at the Studio Theatre, and the cutting By the Way, Meet Vera Stark April 21-May 7 at the Hilberry Theatre. Full cast and crew for all shows are listed below.

Cloud 9 presents Hilberry actors on the Studio stage and draws parallels between colonial and sexual oppression in a satire on the conventional British comedy of manners. The extramarital liaisons of a colonial administrator in 1880 expose the restrictive hypocrisy of gender norms and Victorian social expectations. Years later in 20th century London, his now-grown children struggle to find fulfillment in a culture where sexual freedoms may be greater, but navigating relationships remains difficult.

Legally Blonde follows the story of warm and outgoing UCLA sorority member, Elle Woods. After being dumped by her boyfriend for not being "serious enough," Elle applies to Harvard Law School in an effort to win him back, discovering her own powerful voice in the process. From the sorority house to the courthouse, this uplifting musical will make you laugh just as often as it subverts those hackneyed blonde jokes.

By The Way, Meet Vera Stark offers a blend of triumph and bitter truth, reminding audiences that struggle and success go hand-in-hand. Smart and talented, budding actress Vera Stark is not content to spend the rest of her life as a maid to a white actress, but the institutionalized racism of the 1930s movie scene means that Vera may never get the roles she deserves.

Tickets for all of these productions may be purchased online at wsushows.com, by phone at 313-577-2972, or in person at the Box Office inside the Hilberry, located at 4743 Cass Avenue.

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Casting and production teams for the shows are as follows:

Legally Blonde (in alphabetical order)

Katie Akers (Kate, Chutney, Ensemble), Lauren Alo (Courtney, Whitney, Mom, Ensemble), Alysa Alonte (Delta Nu Sister, Ensemble), Katelyn Bettendorf (Elle Woods), Cameron Blackwell (Aaron, Ensemble), Anna Busse (Pilar), Josue Camarena (Carlos, Ensemble), Jack Cowper (Ensemble), Vanessa Fry (Brooke Wyndham), Madelynn Guerra (Serena), Madison Hamm (Stenographer, Ensemble), Logan Hart (Professor Callahan), Tim Hiemstra (Nikos, Ensemble), Luke Hodgson (Lowell, Ensemble), Kevin Keller (Delta Nu Sister, Ensemble), Nikita Krylov (Ensemble), Cammie McGillis (Margot), Laura Moore (Store Manager, Judge, Ensemble), Maddy Petz (Delta Nu Sister, Ensemble), Steven Pfannes (Pforzheimer, Ensemble), Perry Quarker Jr. (Sundeep Padamadan, Ensemble), Patrick Roache (Warner Huntington III), Jake Rydell (Ensemble), Samantha Sandler (Delta Nu Sister, Ensemble), Madeline Sly (Enid Hoops), Rachel A. Smith (Vivienne Kensington), Rachel N. Smith (Paulette Buonofuonte), Graham Todd (Emmett Forrest), Lauren Valice (D.A. Joyce Riley, Ensemble), Mike Vultaggio (Dad, Winthrop, Ensemble), Allen Wiseman (Kyle B. Boyle, Dewey, Ensemble), Amanda Zawisza (Delta Nu Sister, Ensemble)

The production team includes Michael J. Barnes (Director), Ryan P. Jones (Stage Manager), Racheal Rose (Music Director), Stephanie Baugher (Scenic Designer), Alyssa Gawel (Costume Designer), Mario Raymond (Lighting Designer), Peter Lawrence (Sound Designer), Brian Dambacher (Technical Director), Lucy Mott (Properties Master), Cheryl Turksi (Choreographer), JP Hitesman (Marketing Manager).

Cloud 9 (in alphabetical order)

Wesley Cady (Edward/Victoria), Devri Chism (Ellen/Mrs. Saunders/Betty), Santino Craven (Joshua/Cathy), Kyle Johnson (Clive/Edward), James Kern (Maud/Lin), Michael Manocchio (Betty/Gerry), Michael Philip Thomas (Harry/Martin).

The production team includes Lavinia Hart (Director), Madeline Schnoor (Scenic Design), Brian Dambacher (Technical Director), Jared Morin (Costume Design), Mario Raymond (Lighting Design), Brian Cole (Sound Design), Samantha Welsing (Properties Master), Allison Baker (Stage Manager), and JP Hitesman (Marketing Manager).

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (in alphabetical order)

Antonia LaChè (Lottie/Carmen), Cody Robison (Fredrick Slasvick/Brad Donovan), Mary Sansone (Gloria Mitchell), Nick Stockwell (Maxmillian Von Oster/Peter Rhys-Davies), Breayre Tender (Vera Stark), Tiffany Michelle Thompson (Anna Mae/Afua Assata Ejobo), Brandon A. Wright (Leroy Barksdale/Herb Forrester).

The production team includes Bilicia Charnelle Hines (Director), Katie Link (Scenic Design), Brian Dambacher (Technical Director), Haley Cavanaugh (Costume Design), Natalie Colony (Lighting Design), Dan Morency (Sound Design), Emily Willemse (Properties Master), Jocelyn Levadoux (Stage Manager), JP Hitesman (Marketing Manager).

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