South Bend Civic Theatre to Present 1776

In this year of the presidential election and the bicentennial celebration of the Hoosier state, the South Bend Civic Theatre is presenting 1776 in the Wilson Theatre. The original, Broadway production of this musical depiction of the birth of our nation won the Tony Award for Best Musical and now this theatrical, historical journey comes to South Bend for three weekends between April 15th and May 1st. A wonderful cast of volunteer actors illuminate the story of the Second Continental Congress for a unique perspective of this iconic event in our nation's history: with men that are emotional, proud, uncertain, charming, and irritable humans wanting the best for their families.

The current state of theatre has the poetic lyrics and hip-hop beats of Lin-Manuel Miranda's sensation, Hamilton, which is a very different musical written in a much different time. To be clear, 1776 is not Hamilton, and Hamilton is not 1776. Manuel's Hamilton is about Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, and is based on the biography written by historian Ron Chernow. It takes place over several decades and follows the life of the title character. The musical 1776 (book by Peter Stone, music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards) focuses on the personal and professional interactions among the gentlemen of the Second Continental Congress during a two-month period spanning May 8th to July 4th, 1776. It is literally about the home stretch of the journey leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

There are eleven performances for 1776 at SBCT, three weekends of Friday through Sunday and one week with Wednesday and Thursday performances (April 20th and 21st), so reserve your tickets today! Contact our box office between 12pm and 6pm during the week for group rates, and don't forget about $10 kids and $10 student rush tickets as well!

CAST

JOHN HANCOCK - Matt Baumgartner
DR. JOSIAH BARTLETT - David Chudzynski
JOHN ADAMS - Ted Manier
STEPHEN HOPKINS - Gary Oesch
ROGER SHERMAN - Michael Ball
LEWIS MORRIS - Tim Slatton
ROBERT LIVINGSTON - Zach Gassman
REV. JOHN WITHERSPOON - J.D. Simper
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - Frank Quirk
JOHN DICKINSON - Steve Chung
JAMES WILSON - Dan Slattery
CAESAR RODNEY - Craig MacNab
COL. THOMAS MCKEAN - Rob Newland
GEORGE READ - Bill Loring
SAMUEL CHASE - Ed Wallin
RICHARD HENRY LEE - Art Kopec
THOMAS JEFFERSON - Tucker Curtis
JOSEPH HEWES - Thomas Olsen
EDWARD RUTLEDGE - Mark Torma
DR. LYMAN HALL - Kevin James
CHARLES THOMSON - Daniel Grey
ANDREW MCNAIR - Patrick Trimboli
ABIGAIL ADAMS - Heidi Ferris
MARTHA JEFFERSON - Elizabeth Buckman
A LEATHER APRON/A PAINTER - Tom Labuzienski
COURIER - Kevin Boucher

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director: Chuck Gessert

Music Director: Heidi Ferris

Choreographer: Carys Kresny

Stage Manager: Megan Chandler

Assistant Stage Manager: Charmaine Torma

Costume Designer: Melissa Fruscione

Lighting Designer: Matt Davidson

Props Designer: Jacee Rohlck

Sound Designer: Ian Harris

Scenic Designer: Ann Davis

What: South Bend Civic Theatre presents 1776, Book by Peter Stone, Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards, directed by Chuck Gessert, musical direction by Heidi Ferris. Sponsored by Barnes and Thornburg, LLP and Foegley Landscaping

When: April 15th - May 1st, Friday and Saturday evenings at7:30pm, Sunday afternoons at 2pm. Wednesday, April 20th and Thursday, April 21st performances will begin at 7:30pm.

Where: Wilson Theatre, 403 N. Main St, South Bend, IN 46601

For details about tickets (range: $10-$25) and availability including group sales, call the SBCT Box Office at 574-234-1112 or visit www.sbct.orghttp://sbct.org/.

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