The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol Presents BROADBEND, ARKANSAS

This month, The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol opens the first production of its sixth season, Broadbend, Arkansas, consisting of two acts. ACT 1 ("Just One Q") Book and Lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, with music by Ted Shen, and ACT 2 ("Ruby") Book and Lyrics by Harrison David Rivers, with music and additional lyrics by Ted Shen. The production will be staged at The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol (806 San Marino Drive, The Villages, FL.).

This beautiful jazz-infused two-person musical reveals a short insightful history of a family whose stories parallel our current social issues. Benny is a Black orderly at a white nursing home in 1961 raising his twin daughters alone. He befriends his boss Julynne as they bond over missing scrabble tiles and plucking chin hairs. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, Benny joins the Freedom Riders in the Deep South. Twenty-seven years later, his daughter Ruby is living through similar racial injustice while struggling to understand an incident of police brutality against her 15-year-old son. This exquisite and stunning musical spans three decades and three generations. In Broadbend, Arkansas, Benny and Ruby ask us to contemplate the cycles of violence in this country, and how we will find hope and create change against the backdrop of systemic racism.

Portraying Benjamin "Benny" Tate, is Miami native Raleigh Mosely. Raleigh recently made the Orlando Theater Best of 2020 for Leading Actor, Musical list, curated by Orlando Sentinal's Theatre Critic, Matthew J. Palm. Palm said, "In "Violet," Raleigh Mosely II gave his soldier character a beautifully defiant nobility. And with gorgeous vocal tone and exhilarating phrasing, Mosely flat-out owned the show's strongest musical number, "Let It Sing." Currently a member of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Mosely earned his BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL., where he currently resides.

Raleigh has been performing on various stages for the better part of 30 years, and has graced the stage in the productions of Soul Man, In The Heights, A Motown Chirstmas, and Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul. For this upcoming holiday season he can be seen performing a new show called Joyful, Joyful at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Florida.

Assuming the role of Ruby, is Patrece Bloomfield. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, but now based in Orlando, Florida, Patrece has performed since the age of ten. When she is not working on a production, you can find her casting spells as Celestina Warbeck, the singing Sorceress in Diagon Alley at Universal Studios in Orlando. Other accomplishments include co-starring on HBO's The Outsider, her portrayal of Delores Van Cartier in Sister Act, and her favorite role to date, portraying the legendary Billie Holiday in Lady Day. She is most looking forward to connecting with the audience with the authenticity of the storyline in the production of Broadbend, Arkansas. Once she has wrapped up her debut at The Studio Theatre, you can find Patrece on the Winter Park Playhouse stage performing the show: Christmas My Way

The Theatre Management and Creative Teams are composed of Director Toma Tavares Langston, Music Director Bert Rodriguez, Producer Jason Goedken, Artistic Director Whitney Morse, Set Designer Kenneth Constant, Costume Designer Trenell Mooring, Lighting Director/Designer David Krupla, Assistant Lighting Designer/Master Electrician Lindsey Young, Props Designer/Master/Production Stage Manager Grace Zottig, Sound/AV Designer Nick Erickson, Production Manager Danielle Paccione, Assistant Production Manager Leslie Munson, Technical Director Clayton Becker, Literary Manager Rachel Whittington, Company Manager Ryan Loeckel, Dramaturgy Jessica Elaine, Stage Manager Madison Youngblood, Assistant Stage Manager Stephanie Horn, House Manager Doug Montgomery, Assistant House Manager Sierra Baggins, and Master Carpenter Alison Scharvella. Our Musicians are comprised of Bert Rodriguez on Piano, Ryan Loeckel on Violin, Jazmine Whipple on Bass and Adolphus Antonio Barnes on Cello.

For more information visit www.TheSharonStudio.com.

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