The Moonlight Amphitheatre Presents 1776 IN CONCERT

A cast of leading regional musical theatre artists from throughout Southern California will join a live orchestra on the stage of the Moonlight Amphitheatre for one-night-only on Sat., July 7 at 8:00 p.m. for a concert version of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone's iconic Broadway musical 1776. Moonlight Stage Productions' chiefs Steven Glaudini, Producing Artistic Director, and Colleen Kollar Smith, Managing Director, will take prominent roles in the concert: Glaudini will reprise his award-winning portrayal of John Adams, while Kollar Smith will provide direction and musical staging. Ovation Award winner, John Glaudini, who serves as the Musical Director for FROZEN: LIVE AT THE HYPERION at Disneyland will musical direct and conduct.

A benefit concert for the Moonlight Cultural Foundation, sponsored by Stanley D. Cohen and Ralph Johnson, the cast will feature Randall Hickman (as Benjamin Franklin), Jeremy Bernard (as Thomas Jefferson), Lance Arthur Smith (as John Dickinson), Richard Bermudez (as Edward Rutledge), Roger Castellano (as Richard Henry Lee), John Massey (as John Hancock), Bets Malone (as Abigail Adams), Jessica Bernard (as Martha Jefferson), Jake Bradford (as The Courier), Jason Webb (as Charles Thompson), Jim Chovick (as Stephen Hopkins), Ralph Johnson (as Andrew McNair), Jon Lorenz (as Robert Livingston), Kürt Norby (as Roger Sherman), Douglas Davis (as Dr. Lyman Hall), John Campbell (as Caesar Rodney), Joseph Grienenberger (as Rev. John Witherspoon), Ryan Dietrich (as Samuel Chase), Nick Alexander (as George Reed), Ted Lieb (as Lewis Morris), Michael Thomas-Visgar (as Joseph Hewes), Mike Bradford (as Josiah Bartlett), and Josh Bradford (as Leather Apron). Remaining casting will be announced at the performance.

The seminal event in American history blazes to vivid life in this most unconventional of Broadway hits. 1776 puts a human face on the pages of history as we see the men behind the national icons: proud, frightened, uncertain, irritable, charming, often petty and ultimately noble figures, determined to do the right thing for a fledgling nation.

It's the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence...if only our founding fathers can agree to do it! 1776 follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the Second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence.

Tickets range in price $15 - $45 and are on sale now online at moonlightstage.com and by phone at (760) 724-2110. Gates to the amphitheatre will open at 6:30 p.m. for picnicking. Outside food and non-alcoholic beverages may be brought into the amphitheatre. Beer, wine, and an assortment of concessions will be available for sale at the Moonlight Amphitheatre's Luna Café.

Gates open for picnicking 90 minutes before curtain. Non-alcoholic beverages and food may be brought into the Amphitheatre. Parking is free.

Winner of several San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including Best Resident Musical for 2017's In the Heights, Moonlight Stage Productions is the cultural arts program of the City of Vista. Named "San Diego's #1 Outdoor Theatre" by readers of 'San Diego Magazine,' Moonlight Stage Productions provides high caliber Broadway musical theatre each summer in the 1800-person capacity Moonlight Amphitheatre, owned and operated by the City of Vista. Audiences attend from San Diego, Southern Riverside, and Orange Counties making the Moonlight a regional destination for Broadway musical theatre. The Moonlight's season of Broadway musicals is produced in the picturesque Moonlight Amphitheatre, a summertime tradition experienced by more than one million people. Throughout the decades, the Amphitheatre has seen numerous transformations, but nothing as dramatic as the total reconstruction of the stage house in 2008- 2009. With a grand re-opening in June 2009, a state-of-the-art venue was revealed, which included Modern Stage and audience facilities. Since then, the Amphitheatre has extended its entertainment offerings with the addition of concerts and other special events held throughout the year through Moonlight Presents and ClubM. Moonlight Stage Productions is currently in production of its 38th season of MAMMA MIA! (through June 30), DISNEY'S NEWSIES (July 18 - August 4), THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (August 15 - September 1), and CHICAGO (September 12 - 29).

The Moonlight Cultural Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting the programs of the City of Vista's Moonlight Amphitheatre, including Moonlight Stage Productions and Moonlight Presents. Additionally, the Foundation provides extensive theatre educational opportunities to regional youth through the Moonlight Youth Theatre. The Foundation was originally established in 1974 as the Vista Foundation whose sole project at the time was the construction and gifting of an amphitheatre in Brengle Terrace Park as a Bicentennial project for the City of Vista. Since then, the Moonlight Cultural Foundation has been a vital partner with the City of Vista in raising funds for the Moonlight through corporate and private donations and grants. The Foundation was instrumental in the City's reconstruction project of the stage house in 2007-2008 by purchasing all of the sound and lighting equipment used at the amphitheatre. The Foundation is led by a volunteer board of directors and is professionally staffed by Jennifer Bradford (Director of Operations and Outreach), Justin Jorgensen Vierela (Director of Development), and Mike Bradford (Director of Arts Education).

For more information, call (760) 724-2110 or visit moonlightstage.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.