Pasadena Playhouse and Deaf West Theatre have announced the cast and creative team for a new production of Thornton Wilder’s classic American drama Our Town.
Directed by Tony nominee Sheryl Kaller (Next Fall, Mothers and Sons), the co-production, performed in both American Sign Language and spoken English, will begin performances September 26 prior to an official opening October 1 at the Pasadena Playhouse. The limited engagement continues through October 22.
As previously reported, multiple Emmy nominee Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle, Lost in Yonkers) will star as the Stage Manager. The cast of deaf and hearing actors will also include Deric Augustine (Queen Sugar) as George Gibbs, Harold Foxx (The Actor Whisperer) as Howie Newsome, Sandra Mae Frank (Wendla in Spring Awakening) as Emily Webb, Russell Harvard (Tribes, Fargo) as Mr. Webb, Emmy nominee Dot Marie Jones (Glee) as Mrs. Soames, Troy Kotsur (Spring Awakening) as Simon Stimson, Annika Marks (The Model Apartment) as Mrs. Webb, Sharon Pierre-Louis (Lincoln Heights) as Emily Webb, Alexandria Wailes (Spring Awakening) as Mrs. Gibbs, and Jud Willford (Wicked) as Mr. Gibbs.
Rounding out the ensemble are Drama Desk Award winner Marie-France Arcilla, David Gautreaux, Leonard Kelly-Young, Ivan Martinez, Amanda McDonough, On Shiu, and Natasha Ofili.
“I wanted to kick off the Playhouse's Centennial Season by revisiting one of the greatest plays ever written, one that was originally produced here at the Playhouse in 1939, just a year after its world premiere,” said Pasadena Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman in a statement. “By partnering with our friends at Deaf West Theatre, together we are creating a thrilling opportunity for our community to experience this timeless classic in a profound new way."
“The play is a touchstone of American theatre,” added Deaf West Theatre Artistic Director DJ Kurs. “It’s thrilling to adapt one of the classic works of the American stage with a director like Sheryl Kaller and a cast of this caliber but also to perform it before an audience that, more than ever, is unified in an understanding and appreciation of the possibilities of a bilingual staging in American Sign Language and English.”
The creative team also includes choreographer David Dorfman, scenic designer David Meyer, costume designer Ann Closs Farley, lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg, co-sound designer Leon Rothenberg, co-sound designer Jonathan Burke, associate director Srda Vasiljević, ASL masters Joshua Castile and Jevon Whetter, and production stage manager Jenny Slattery.
Tickets, priced $25–$92, are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org, by phone at (626) 356-7529 or by visiting the Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena.
Check out the video from the Deaf West Theatre Broadway revival of Spring Awakening below:
