Cast And Creative Team For MEET JOHN DOE Announced At San Jose Stage Co.

San Jose Stage Company (Randall King, Artistic Director and Cathleen King, Executive Director) has announced the full cast and creative team for The Stage's World Premiere adaptation of Frank Capra's classic MEET JOHN DOE by Robert Riskin. Adapted and directed by Kenneth Kelleher, MEET JOHN DOE will run from November 23 - December 18, 2022 at San Jose Stage Company (490 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA, 95113).

The press opening will take place on Saturday, November 26th at 8:00 p.m. Tickets range from $34 - $74 and can be purchased through the Box Office at (408) 283-7142 or online at www.thestage.org. For more information, visit www.thestage.org.

A reporter's fake news turns a tramp into a national hero and unknowingly makes him a pawn of big business. More relevant today, this story explores the societal / individual's distrust and manipulation of government and other institutions meant to protect the people. MEET JOHN DOE, based on Frank Capra's beloved film, is a story about media, politics and the American Dream.

"The story of MEET JOHN DOE truly resonates with the core of our mission: to expand community, forge creative partnerships, and challenge individuals in order to illuminate the human condition," says Randall King, Artistic Director. "When we set out 40 years ago, we wanted to deliver impactful, meaningful, and relevant stories to our community in order to ignite change. MEET JOHN DOE's themes hold up a mirror to society - giving a vividly stark reflection of our current socio political zeitgeist. Frank Capra's stories touch on the hope that is America - which truly springs from the collective heartbeat of us all. Can truth, goodwill, and civility of community overcome conspiracy and corruption? We are so excited to present this World Premiere adaptation by The Stage's Associate Artist Kenneth Kelleher, a story more relevant now than when it premiered in movie theaters almost a century ago."

"I have always loved the movies of Frank Capra," says Adaptor and Director, Kenneth Kelleher. "They are the filmic equivalent to comfort food. They satisfy a craving for a cozy society. However, Capra is also interested in the soul of America, to mine the mother lode of the American ethos. He searches for truth in all of his movies. He gently ferrets out the essential good and bad of American life, and serves it up for our eager consumption. When I first started to think about adapting MEET JOHN DOE for the stage, it came at a time when the country was in lockdown and the politics of the now are darker than ever. The parable about media obsession - the newsworthy, the political numbness, the manipulation of corporate titans. The yearning for simple human contact really comes off the page - it makes you think. For at the heart of this story, there is a reminder that the basic tenet of any just society is to care for the community as a whole, to look out for the other guy, the little guy, your neighbor. Think about others. I hope that in the telling of this wonderful and strange Christmas parable, that our community, audience and performers alike, can share in the glow and soberness and discovery of Capra's world, and perhaps, ease our doubts.

'Wake up John Doe, you're the hope of the world'. It is a sentiment that is harder and harder to come by."

The cast of MEET JOHN DOE will feature Aldo Billingslea* as "Long John Willoughby / John Doe," Jennifer Le Blanc* as "Ann Mitchell," Norman Gee* as "Richard Connell," Julian López-Morillas* as "The Colonel," Michael Storm* as "D.B. Norton," Keith Pinto* as "Bert Hansen," Garland Thompson, Jr. as Ensemble, Jacqueline Neeley as Ensemble, Nick Mandracchia as Ensemble, and Donna Federico as Ensemble.

In addition to Kenneth Kelleher, the creative team includes Robert Pickering (Scenic Designer), Madeline Berger (Costume Designer), Maurice Vercoutere (Lighting Designer), Marisa Whitmore (Sound Designer), Garland Thompson Jr. (Projections Consultant), and Jenn Trampenau (Props Coordinator).

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.

San Jose Stage Company's MILESTONE 40th Anniversary Season will continue with the World Premiere presented in collaboration with African-American Shakespeare Company of STRANGE COURTESIES (February 1 - 26, 2023; Press Opening: February 4, 2023), the Regional Premiere of GRAND HORIZONS (April 5 - 30, 2023; Press Opening: April 8, 2023), and the Award-Winning Comedy THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (June 7 - July 2, 2023; Press Opening: June 10, 2023).

All programming and scheduling is subject to change. Complete casting and creative teams for the remainder of season will be announced at a later date.

Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased online at www.thestage.org.

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