Theatre Tulsa Announces All-Female Cast for 1776

Theatre Tulsa's next production of its 100th season, and the first in the new year, will be the beloved American musical "1776."

"1776," with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, tells the story of America's Founding Fathers during the summer of 1776 as they debate and draft the Declaration of Independence.

For TT's production, the company specifically sought a diverse range of women to play all roles. "In our production, I've guided my cast of women and non-binary actors not to play men, but the people of power who shaped our nation at its birth," said Liz Bealko, the show's director and choreographer. "Having these founding fathers portrayed by women strips the characters of their gender and gives the audience the opportunity to experience these characters in a totally new way, as if we are meeting them for the first time, while still telling the story of the American Revolution.

"Working on a show with an all female and non-binary cast has been incredible. The amount of talent in the room is inspiring, and the support this cast has for each other is something a director wishes for in every production," she added. "I look forward to the audience seeing our take on this classic American tale and enjoying the incredible talent these actors have to offer."

The cast stars Teresa Nowlin as John Hancock, Marle Hylton as Josiah Bartlett, Kristen Simpson as John Adams , Kim Li Carlson as Stephen Hopkins, Karmen GoldenBough as Rodger Sherman, Elizabeth Mills as Lewis Morris, Alex Johnson as Robert Livingston, Kate Parker as Johnathan Whitherspoon / Abigail Adams, and Nan Kemp as Benjamin Franklin.

The cast also features Karlena Riggs as John Dickinson, Allison Johnston as James Wilson, Ashlee Osborn as Caesar Rodney, Sarah Morice Brubaker as Thomas McKean, Hayden Abel as George Read, Veronica Smith as Samuel Chase, Tasha McCabe as Richard Henry Lee, Amanda Nichols as Thomas Jefferson, Felicia Andrews as Joseph Hewes, MaKayla Baxter as Edward Rutledge, Lydia Gray as Lyman Hall/Martha Jefferson, Natalia Rossi as Charles Thomson, Laura Skoch as Andrew McNair, Emma Morris as Washington/leather apron/painter, and Kathryn Brooks as Courier, with Emily Peterson and Autumn Villanueva as swings.

The show is directed and choreographed by Bealko, and music directed by Holly Harper. Live musicians are provided by Tulsa Peoples Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Ray.

Performances will be January 13 through 29 in the Williams Theatre of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Showtimes on January 13-14, January 20-21, and January 27-28 are at 8 p.m.; The January 15, 22, and 29 matinees will be at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at tulsapac.com or by calling 918-596-7111.

For questions or more information about Theatre Tulsa and its upcoming shows and programs, visit theatretulsa.org, call 918-587-8402 or email info@theatretulsa.org

About Theatre Tulsa

Theatre Tulsa is the Tulsa area's leading non-profit civic theatre, providing professional-level productions and artistic experience to local audiences and performers.

For 100 consecutive seasons, Theatre Tulsa has been a part of the culture of Tulsa. Theatre Tulsa has entertained the community through the Depression, World War II and the disaster of two fires.

Theatre Tulsa has been responsible for bringing hundreds of productions to Tulsans. It premiered the first-ever community theatre productions of "Our Town" (1939), "All My Sons" (1947), the musical "Brownstone" (1985), "Miracle on 34th Street: A Musical Adaptation" (1993 - an original musical written for Theatre Tulsa), "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (2003) and the first American production of "Pitmen Painters" (2011).

Theatre Tulsa received the city's first Tulsa Award for Theatre Excellence (TATE) for its production of "Up the Down Staircase" in 2009. The company recently received additional TATE awards for Outstanding Play in 2013 for its production of "Boeing-Boeing" and a collaborative youth production of "Hamlet," its 2014 production of "Clybourne Park," its 2015 production of "The 39 Steps" and its 2016 productions of "Don't Dress for Dinner" and "Glengarry Glen Ross," and its 2019 production of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."

Theatre Tulsa received a Governor's Arts Award from the Oklahoma Arts Council in 2016, and was awarded the national Twink Lynch Organizational Achievement Award by the American Association of Community Theatres in 2015. The theatre company was named "Theatre of the Year" by the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association in 2011, and received its OCTAVision award in 2013. Visit www.theatretulsa.org for more information.

Theatre Tulsa is the longest continuously-operating civic theatre west of the Mississippi River, and the seventh oldest in the United States.

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