The ALL SHOOK UP Diaries: Hurtling Toward Opening Night

Rehearsals are drawing to a close as the bright lights of opening night begin to heat up at Nashville's Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, where the cast and crew of the company's big summer musical, All Shook Up, get ready for their big debut on Thursday. With a cast of Nashville theater veterans - joined by some of the region's brightest up-and-comers - it promises to be a grand theatrical affair. We've been sharing some of the backstage gossip for the past couple of weeks and as our preview coverage concludes, we share a special "by the numbers" look at the show, courtesy of Christen Heilman Runyon. She's also shared some photographs, along with the lovely and talented Karissa Wheeler (who's a 2015 First Night Most Promising Actor)...

It's been an intense week of rehearsals? "How intense," you ask? Well, here's some stats from Barn first-timer, Christen Heilman Runyon.

This week in the rehearsal life of ensemble member Christen Heilman Runyon:

294 Miles on the road

287 Pages of script & music

52 Hours in Rehearsal

28 tablets Ibprophen

16 oz Raw Almonds

12 Apples

7 Leotards

6 Cans of Redbull (cranberry)

4 pair dance shoes

3 dance partners

2 Trips to the gym

1 super talented cast

0 regrets!

About the show: Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre - Nashville's venerable entertainment center, which for 49 years has been the theater home to thousands of actors, directors, technicians and artists - has announced the creative team and cast for this summer's eagerly anticipated production of All Shook Up, slated to run July 23-August 30.

Nine-time First Night Award winner and Chaffin's Barn artistic director Martha Wilkinson will lead the creative team, which also includes 2012 First Night Honoree Pam Atha as choreographer, and well-known Nashville musician Michael Holmes as music director.

DeVon Buchanan, who last summer starred in the Barn's production of Ain't Misbehavin' and who will be choreographing the upcoming Street Theatre Company mounting of Heathers the Musical (with Wilkinson directing), leads the cast as Chad, with Jennifer Richmond (last onstage in Nashville Rep's production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) playing Natalie.

Other principals in the cast include 2014 First Night Honoree Daron Bruce, director of theater at Hume-Fogg Academic High School, as Jim Haller; Charlynn Carter, last onstage at the Barn in Good Ol' Girls, as Sylvia; 2014 First Night Most Promising Actor Nick Fair, opening this week in Shrek the Musical for The Renaissance Players, as Dean; 2015 First Night Most Promising Actor Harley Seger,, who earlier this year starred as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins at Christ Presbyterian Academy, as Lorraine; Jenny Norris Light, currently onstage in The Keeton Theatre's Guys and Dolls, as Miss Sandra; Steven Kraski, who starred in John Chaffin's original mystery Cliffhanger at CBDT, as Dennis; Jenny Noel, who leads the theater department at Franklin's Battle Ground Academy, as the mayor; and Sawyer McCoy Wallace, who can currently be seen in Street Theatre Company's Dogfight, as Sheriff Earl.

The ensemble for All Shook Up includes Brooke Mihalek, Kari Smith (artistic director at Brentwood's Towne Centre Theatre and faculty member at Lipscomb University's Department of Theatre), Elizabeth Walsh (now onstage at Chaffin's Barn in Nobody's Perfect), Christen Heilman Runyon (last seen in Circle Players' The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Curtis LeMoine-Reed (last seen in The Andrews Brothers and A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline at The Gaslight Dinner Theatre in Dickson) Austin Olive (seen earlier this year in Ragtime the Musical, Picnic and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, all for Circle Players) and Alex Pineiro.

ABOUT THE SHOW:

All Shook Up is a 2004 American jukebox musical with Elvis Presley music and with a book by Joe DiPietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's 1602 playTwelfth Night. The musical had a developmental staging at the Goodspeed Musicals May 13-June 6, 2004, with most of the Broadway cast, except for Manley Pope in the lead role of Chad. Christopher Ashley directed, with choreography by Jody Moccia. The musical had a tryout in Chicago from December 19, 2004, through January 24, 2005. After the tryout, changes were made to the finale and to add "a more specific instrumental and vocal voice" for Chad. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on March 2, 2005 and closed on September 25, 2005 after 213 performances and 33 previews. Directed by Christopher Ashley, with choreography by Ken Roberson, the original Broadway cast included Cheyenne Jackson (Chad), Jenn Gambatese (Natalie Haller/"Ed"), and Jonathan Hadary (Jim Haller).

Among the Elvis Presley songs included in the score, in addition to the title tune, are "Jailhouse Rock," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Roustabout," "One Night With You," "Follow That Dream," "Teddy Bear," "Hound Dog" "That's All Right," "Love Me Tender," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Don't Be Cruel," "Can't Help Falling in Love," "A Little Less Conversation," "If I Can Dream," "Fools Fall in Love" and "Burning Love."

ABOUT THE LEADS:

DeVon Buchanan, a native of Nashville, has been doing theatre since the age of 12. He graduated from Nashville School of the Arts and then went on the journey of his career. He has been in such productions like In The Heights at Westchester Broadway Theatre in New York and The Wiz at Arkansas Rep Theatre in Little Rock, Arkansas. Credits also include: Ain't Misbehavin' at Chaffin's Barn and Memphis at Street Theatre Company. He is trilled beyond measure to share the story of Twelfth Night through song and who better to do it than Elvis Presley.

Jennifer Richmond made her Nashville Rep debut earlier this season as Nina in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and her other Nashville credits include Bianca in Othello for Nashville Shakespeare Festival; Carol in Blackbird Theatre Company's Oleanna; Kate/Lucy in Street Theatre Company's Avenue Q; Maybelline in 3Ps Productions' Long Way Down, for which she won the First Night Award as Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play; SexTape for Nashville Playhouse; Kingfisher Days for Tennessee Women's Theatre Project; Becky Shaw and Outside Paradise, both for Actors Bridge Ensemble; Nellie in Floyd Collins and Sally Bowles in Cabaret, for Boiler Room Theatre; and Lufthansa in Boeing-Boeing and Corrie Bratter in Barefoot in the Park, both for Chaffin's Barn.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM:

Martha Wilkinson is the artistic director of Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre and is the winner of nine First Night Awards for outstanding leading and supporting performances in a musical. Her appearances in Nashville Rep performances include Company, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Pump Boys and Dinettes, The 39 Steps, Steel Magnolias, Sweeney Todd (2008 and 2014), The Underpants, Noises Off and Dearly Departed. She was also seen as Little Edie in the REPaloud reading of Grey Gardens, the musical. She was named by both The Tennessean and Nashville Scene as best actress for her performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd in 2008.

Pam Atha (choreographer) is a theatre professional both on and off stage. She has been choreographing and directing dance and musical theatre around town for many years. Recent credits include choreography of Company and Cabaret at Nashville Rep, Ain't Misbehavin' at Chaffin's Barn as well as performing in Good Ol' Girls. Also, she choreographed Alice in Wonderland with Disney Musicals in Schools, choreographed Avenue Q and The King and I at Nashville's Hume Fogg Academic High School, and choreographed Elephant and Piggie and James and the Giant Peach at Nashville Children's Theatre. She is a First Night Honoree, having been recognized as a member of the First Night Class of 2012.

For reservations for All Shook Up, call the CBDT box office at (615) 646-9977. For further information about the rest of the Chaffin's Barn season, go to www.dinnertheatre.com.

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