Village Theatre Announces Complete Casting of 'Saint Heaven'

Village Theatre announces the cast of Saint Heaven, the new American musical by Keith Gordon and Martin Casella, on stage September 17 – October 26, 2008 in Issaquah and October 31-November 23, 2008.

Saint Heaven features the incredible Broadway talent Kingsley Leggs as Pastor Joe Bertram. Leggs originated the role of Mister in The Color Purple on Broadway, and his voice can be heard on the Broadway cast recording on Angel Records. Seattle audiences may remember him from The 5th Avenue production of Miss Saigon, which he appeared in on Broadway as well. Legg's regional credits include Ragtime and Forbidden Hollywood, and his television work is vast including Law and Order SVU and One Life to Live.

Seattle favorite and fresh off the National Tour of Menopause The Musical is Cynthia Jones, gospel music extraordinaire. Previously appearing at Seattle area theatres including Seattle Repertory Theatre, Jones' regional performances include work with Chicago's Goodman Theatre, Arizona Theater Company, and more.

New York resident Allan Snyder makes his Village Theatre debut as Thom Rivers in this all new musical production. Previously appearing on Broadway in Les Miserable with a variety of regional credits, Snyder has also recently made his professional directing debut with Forever Plaid at the Hot Summer Nights Theatre in Raleigh, NC.

On the heels of her vibrant performance in Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA is Seattle star Tanesha Ross here to play Eshie Willington. Ross was previously in Village Theatre's production of EVITA and most recently gave a hysterical performance as Nicolette in the Village Originals reading of Chasing Nicolette. Some other credits include HAIR at The 5th Avenue, High School Musical at Seattle Children's Theatre, and Taxi Cabaret  at Café De Paris.

 Returning to Village Theatre to take on the role of Maggie Hartford is Seattle's own, Billie Wildrick. Wildrick has been seen at Village Theatre in Hello, Dolly!, Snapshots, Man of La Mancha, and The Sound of Music. She received Footlight Awards for her role as Eileen in Wonderful Town at The 5th Avenue and for her performance as Mayzie in Seattle Children's Theatre's production of Seussical.

After a long-awaited return, Mark Carr returns to Village Theatre as Garrison Martin. In the last year, Carr has performed at Balagan Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre and has spent time acting in such films as Long Time Gone, Slushai, and Entropy. Additional Seattle credits include INTIMAN, Artswest, Seattle Opera, and Crepe De Paris.

Village Theatre's production of Saint Heaven is directed by Andrea J. Dymond; scenic and lighting design by Tom Sturge; and costume design by Cynthia Savage.

Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining quality productions for the entire family since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended Equity theatres, with over 18,000 subscribers and 170,000 projected total attendance each season. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having launched over 80 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow's audiences through its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 53,000 young people, families, and schools annually.