Sellersville Theater to Stage STONE SOUP

Sellersville Theater 1894 in Sellersville PA will present Pushcart Players in "Stone Soup and other Stories" on from Tuesday, May 3 through Friday, May 6, 2016 at 10:00 am. Pushcart is the Emmy-nominated educational theater for young audiences, now in its 43rd year of bringing something special to schools and theaters nationwide. The Sellersville Theater, connected to the Sellersville Hotel and Restaurant, is an historic, intimate performing arts venue for live music, comedy shows and family entertainment by local and national acts.

"Stone Soup and Other Stories" is a charming musical compilation of short literary favorites from Africa, India, Eastern Europe and the United States of America. Filled with exuberant music, fantasy, and comic plot lines, each tale introduces the spirit and customs of these unique cultures. In so doing, the production provides a springboard for reading and subsequent literacy-related activities.

"The play gently raises universal value clarification issues," said Ruth Fost, Pushcart's founder and co-author of the play. "Family audiences will be delighted by the show. Then they'll find themselves discussing why certain characters made certain choices, and how outcomes would have differed with different behavior. That being said, the show is still a fun-filled romp through delightful stories."

The cast of "Stone Soup..." includes: Oscar Castillo, Christina Gordon, JD Lynch and Phebe Taylor. Artistic director Paul Whelihan guides the production. Orchestrations are by Tony Award-winner, Larry Hochman. Choreography is by Susie Paplow.

Oscar Castillo, a graduate of Kean University with a BFA in theatre, co-founded The Theatre Project and performs frequently throughout NYC with Peculiar Works Productions. Christina Gordon is a New Jersey native with an M.F.A. in Acting from Rutgers University/ Mason Gross School of the Arts. She's performed in "Good People" (The Public Theatre & Shadowland Theatre), "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "As You Like It" and "Reasons to be Pretty." Television credits include: "HAPPYish," "Person of Interest" and "Guiding Light." She can be seen in the films "I Hate Being Black" (which she co-wrote and produced) and "Damsel."

JD Lynch is a graduate of DeSales University with a degree in theatre/communications. He performs extensively Off Broadway and throughout the country. He has been a beloved matinee idol in New Hope PA (Bucks County Playhouse) and Shawnee, also in PA. He was most recently seen in the role of Samuel in an original play, "Fading Light," at the New York Fringe Festival. Phebe Taylor is a Pushcart Player since 2004, recently seen flying around as Peter in "Peter Pan" at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, Phebe is a company member of the Heartland Actors' Repertory Theatre and a frequent performer at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis.

Paul Whelihan directs, stage-manages and performs off-Broadway (47th Street Theater, 59 East 59 Theatres, NY Fringe Festival, 54 Below) and regionally (Royal Poincianna Playhouse, Broward Center for the Arts, Centenary Stage, The Growing Stage, Luna Stage Company, Forum Theatre Arts Center, Quillo Arts Center, Premier Stages, Dreamcatcher Rep) in musicals, dramas and original works. Whelihan appears in locally produced television, film and web series projects (a featured performer in the web series "Madness of Art.").

Larry Hochman is the Tony and the Drama Desk award-winner for best orchestrations for "The Book of Mormon." He received Tony nominations for "The Scottsboro Boys," "Monty Python's Spamalot," (Hochman also received Drama Desk nominations for both), "Fiddler on the Roof" (2004 revival) and "A Class Act." Larry composed additional music for Disney's "Little Mermaid,' for Stephen Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" and for numerous celebrity concerts.

Since it's founding in 1974, Pushcart Players has traveled over 2 million miles nationally and abroad, from the White House to the little red schoolhouse. Nominated for an Emmy©, the organization is the recipient of numerous state and private awards for excellence and innovation. Pushcart addresses social studies, literature, history, the autism spectrum, special educational needs and values clarification. All performances by professional artists and stage managers (Actors' Equity Association) are supported by study guides and other supplemental materials, and adapt to any location with innovative scenery, lighting and sound systems.

Tickets for the May 3 through May 6 performances of "Stone Soup" are $10 general admission with group rates available. Visit http://www.st94.com/listing to purchase tickets online or call the Sellersville Theater box office at 215.257.5808.

For further information on this or any of Pushcart's programs and services, contact Pushcart Players at 973.857.1115 or visit the website at www.pushcartplayers.org and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pushcartplayers/.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gerry Goodstein

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