Casting Announced for Nashville Rep's 2016-17 Season

With former Tennessee Titan Eddie George, Jenny Littleton of The Doyle and Debbie Show, founding Rep actor Jackie Welch, a collection of audience favorites, and some intriguing new faces added to the mix, Nashville Repertory's five-show season for 2016-17 tackles the many dimensions of love: commitment, dilemma, risk, joy, and disappointment.

As "Walter Lee" in A Raisin in the Sun, former Tennessee Titan Eddie George will perform a role played by Sidney Poitier, Ossie Davis, Danny Glover, Denzel Washington, and Sean 'Puffy' Combs. "I look forward to bringing my own interpretation of who this character is," says George. "The play really goes through the frustrations of being an African American male and who he wants to be during that time in American history, and I'm excited to be a part of that."

A Raisin in the Sun, an American classic by Lorraine Hansberry, takes us into the home of a financially struggling family in the 1950's as they grapple with a huge decision that can change their lives and challenge the strength of their love for one another. Can love see you through risking your family's physical safety or putting everyone's financial future at risk?

Appearing alongside George are founding Rep actor Jackie Welch as "Lena," Tamiko Robinson as "Ruth," and Nashville Rep newcomer Lauren F. Jones as "Beneatha." Rounding out the cast are Brandon Hirsch as "Joseph Asagai," James Rudolph, (who appeared with Eddie George in Nashville Rep's The Whipping Man), as "George Murchison," and Matthew Carlton, (previously "Sweeney Todd" in Nashville Rep's 2014 musical thriller), as "Karl Lindner."

How far can love stretch until it shatters? Based on his own relationship, Jason Robert Brown created a plot in this brilliant musical that takes us forward and backward at the same time. Cathy and Jamie fall in love with each other, but as they work to achieve their professional and artistic goals, can their love withstand the differences in their success?

The Last Five Years opens Nashville Rep's season with two new faces for the theatre's audiences - Galen Crawleyas "Cathy" and Seth Lieber as "Jamie."

Just because it's the funniest farce ever written doesn't mean love - wacky, unrequited, and misinterpreted - doesn't drive the story of Noises Off, which has been characterized by the New York Times as "The most dexterously realized comedy ever about putting on a comedy. A spectacularly funny, peerless backstage farce, this dizzy, well-known romp is festival of delirium." Once the hilarious complications of love overtake the lives and work of these thespians, the chaos that follows onstage and backstage is a perfect display of how love can easily send anyone and everyone for a loop. Will The Players and the play survive the consequences of love?

Reprising her role from Nashville Rep's rousingly successful previous production is Martha Wilkinson as "Dottie."Jenny Littleton, (known to many Nashvillians and audiences across the country as "Debbie" of The Doyle and Debbie Show), will play "Belinda," with Cori Laemmel as "Poppy," Eric D. Pasto-Crosby as "Lloyd," Brian Webb Russell as "Selsdon," Steven Kraski as "Frederick," and Jacob York as "Garry." Added to this powerhouse cast of comedic actors are newcomers Morgan Davis as "Brooke" and Chase Miller as "Tim."

Known and loved as Nashville Rep's holiday tradition, A Christmas Story tells of Ralphie, the boy in a pink bunny costume who reiterates his love and longing for an official Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action range model air rifle while the Old Man's love of his "major award" leads to family intrigue. Derek Whittaker will return as "Ralphie" along withCurtis Reed as his younger brother "Randy." Megan Murphy Chambers again gives the gift of side-splitting humor in the role of "Mother," and this season, her onstage husband, "The Old Man," will be played by her real life husband, Jack E. Chambers. Other members of the cast are Antonio P. Nappo and Mike Rosenbaum, and joining the cast for the first time is Brett Cantrell.

Chip Arnold, (who masterfully led Nashville Rep's cast of Death of a Salesman as "Willy Loman,") will play Henrik Ibsen in Doug Wright's new play, Posterity, born in Nashville Rep's Ingram New Works Project and now in its regional premiere after playing in New York. With Patrick Waller as Gustav Vigeland, the two artists are forced to examine whether their hard-driven search for success has derailed their hopes of loving and being loved. The cast is completed by Daniel Collins as "Anfinn Beck," Ruth Cordell as "Greta Bergstrom," and Bobby Wyckoff as "Sophus Larpent." This production contains brief nudity.

New for the 2016-17 season is Opening Night Drinks. Attendees of Opening Night Drinks will receive free parking in the garage of Nashville City Center, (across the street from TPAC), then ascend to the building's 27th floor to enjoy cocktails and appetizers as Rep staff and other Audience members toast the evening's opening performance.

Tickets for Opening Night Drinks are only $35 per person per show and can be purchased at the same time as show tickets. (During A Christmas Story there will be no Opening Night Drinks.) Opening Night Drinks is sponsored by Waller and space is limited. Buy tickets at nashvillerep.org (Ticketing fees apply.)

Also new this season is the Nashville Rep Student Pass. Any student who purchases a pass for $35 may attend any Rep performance all season long if a ticket is available. Student Pass holders may arrive at the box office beginning 90 minutes prior to a Nashville Rep performance, and present their student ID, which they must have available when obtaining tickets. A Student Pass is not transferable.

2016-17 Standard and Flex Season Tickets are on sale. Subscribers (season ticket holders) can save up to $75 off the full ticket value of single show tickets, and also have the option to purchase tickets to Nashville Rep's A Christmas Story at a discount. (A Christmas Story is not included in the four show season ticket package.)

About Flex Subscriptions

A Flex Subscription provides four Flex Passes, each of which is redeemable for a ticket. Flex Subscribers choose the show or shows for which they want to redeem passes. For example, all four Flex Passes can be used on the same show, or one pair can be used to see the musical The Last Five Years and the other pair to see A Raisin in the Sun. Or, the passes can be used in any other attendance combination. (Passes for A Christmas Story can be purchased separately.)

Both Standard and Flex subscribers can purchase additional show tickets throughout the season at a discount andreceive free admission to Nashville Rep's REPaloud staged readings.

Tickets can be bought three ways: Online at nashvillerep.org, by phone at 615-782-4040, in person at the Box Office at 505 Deaderick St. in downtown Nashville

To post a comment, you must register and login.