Front Porch Theatricals Reveals Cast for 2024 Season

Front Porch Theatricals has announced casting for their 2024 season. From May 17 - 26 the company will present A…My Name is Still Alice, a musical-sketch revue conceived by Joan Micklin Silver and Julianne Boyd. The production will be directed by Nancy McNulty McGeever, music directed by Douglas Levine and choreographed by Ashley Harmon. 

“A…My Name Is Still Alice is the continued story of the trailblazing women of the 1990's, a time when their careers, clothes, bodies, and families were targeted daily by a deeply sexist society,” said Nancy McNulty McGeever, Director. “Our production takes a light-hearted, humorous look back at those times and at the future they thought could be near. From targeted self-deprecating sketches to poignant ballads of tribulation seven women bring the life and times of the 90's everywoman to the knowing audiences of 2024." 

The cast for A…My name is still Alice includes returning Front Porch actors – Kristiann Menotiades (Big Fish) in the role of KT and Becki Toth (Parade, Light in the Piazza, Spitfire Grill, Violet, A New Brain, and A Man of No Importance) in the role of Roo. Also returning are Natalie Hatcher (Falsettos) in the role of Cleo and Michaela Isenberg (Merrily We Roll Along) as an understudy. New to Front Porch: Saige Smith (Laura), Delilah Picart (Nancy) and Alawna Mallory (Understudy).

The 2024 season Will Close in August with the Pittsburgh premiere of Bandstand, a new American musical composed by Richard Oberacker with book and lyrics by Oberacker and Robert Taylor. The production will be directed and choreographed by Joe Jackson with music direction by Deana Muro. Bandstand won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Choreography (Andy Blankenbuehler) and two 2017 Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Orchestrations. The production was also nominated for the 2017 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations and seven 2017 Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Music and Outstanding book of a musical. 

"Front Porch tasked me with assembling a thirteen-piece orchestra packed with Pittsburgh's elite, top-shelf musicians as well as five onstage, uniquely skilled musicians and actors on a show that was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Orchestration, nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music, and won the Drama Desk Award for Best Orchestration,” said Deana Muro, Music Director for Bandstand.  “This is a dream-score that is absolutely exhilarating.  To say I'm over-the-moon to be working on this show wouldn't be accurate; I'm over-the-galaxy.”

Heading the cast of Bandstand in the leading role of Donny Novitski is Dave Toole (The Last Five Years and A Man of No Importance) and in the leading role of Julia is Marnie Quick (Bright Star, Merrily We Roll Along) and new to Front Porch in a principal role is Sharon Schaller as Mrs. Adams. The ensemble includes past Front Porch actors Carolyn Jerz (Grand Hotel) as Paula, Halle Surgil (Merrily We Roll Along), Miles Hanna (Merrily We Roll Along) and Malcolm McGraw (Grand Hotel). Many new actors in the ensemble are Jessica Doremus as Jean Ann, Annie Batista as Jo, Dixie Surewood as Oliver, Charlotte Jensen as Betsy and Cameron Tino and Todd Turner in the ensemble. Bandstand also features on-stage musicians who form the Donny Nova Band: Mike Mackey on Trumpet, Patrick Breiner on Sax and Clarinet, Chris McGraw on bass, Dylan Pal on Trombone and Kamran Mian on drums. Understudies include Logan Johnson (Donny), Sarah Chelli (Julia) and Anna Gergerich (Jean Ann) (Falsettos).

The Pittsburgh affiliated casts were chosen from a pool of 160 talented actors who attended the January season auditions. 

Tickets for the 2024 Season are on sale now! Bandstand includes a discount for Veterans.

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