J. Clayton Winters & More to Star in BRIGHT STAR Regional Premiere at Spokane Valley Summer Theatre

Spokane Valley Summer Theatre will welcome back guest artist J. Clayton Winters for a second year in a row. The Actors' Equity Association (AEA) member will play the lead role of Jimmy Ray Dobbs in the regional premiere of Steve Martin's Bright Star, an American folk tale inspired by a true story. The musical follows Alice Murphy from her barefoot days in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to her life as a well-to-do magazine editor. Bright Star reunites regional favorite co-star Andrea Olsen as Murphy, with Winters. The pair shined on stage and moved audiences to tears last year as Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson in the regional premiere of The Bridges of Madison County.

"Bringing an artist back of Winters' caliber was an easy decision," says SVST Executive Artistic Director Yvonne A.K. Johnson. "Audiences loved him last summer, and he and Olsen bring an incredible nuanced artistry together through their individual performance histories." Winters holds a BFA in acting from the University of Oklahoma, as well as an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also received a Broadway World 'Best Actor in a Musical' nomination for his performance as Billy in Anything Goes (Dallas, TX - 2016). In addition to acting, Winters is a professional choreographer/director. Clayton's years of training and professional experience will once again be a treat for our SVST family of artists and regional audiences.

The cast will be backed by an orchestra that includes a banjo and mandolin playing the Tony-nominated bluegrass score. Don't Miss Winters and the entire cast of Steve Martin's Bright Star on the SVST stage July 14-23 (two weekends only!). Tickets are on sale now at svsummertheatre.com or through the Box Office at (509) 368-7897.

Photo credit: Dylan K. Johnson Studios.

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