JOSEPH Extends at The Olney Thru March 27

Due to the popular success of Helen Hayes Awards Recommended© Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the Olney Theatre Center production has been extended to Sunday, March 27. The performances during the extension week are Wednesday, March 23 through Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m., and matinees on Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27 at 2 p.m.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat plays the Mainstage now through March 27. Tickets start at $26, with discounts available to groups, seniors, military, and students. Call the Box Office at 301.924.3400 or visit olneytheatre.org for tickets and information.

The first full-length musical by legendary theatrical team Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice began as a 20-minute "pop cantata" written by 19-year-old Webber for a British school choir to perform in 1968. He asked his friend Rice to write the lyrics for Joseph..., and eventually the musical was produced on the London stage five years later. The show crossed the pond in 1982 to play on Broadway.

David Hilder directs this production of Joseph, which marries the big-scale impact of the musical with the personal sentiment of the story:

"When I think of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, I think of a show as big as its title - splashy, flashy, big dance numbers, terrific music...it all feels epic, gigantic. And yet when I read the story - both the text of the show and the section of the Old Testament from which it's drawn - what strikes me is much simpler and, fundamentally, more personal. Here is the tale of a young man of great gifts, punished for having them, who stays true to himself, and by doing so, achieves great things. It's a powerful story we all can learn from."

Performing at Olney for the first time is Alan Wiggins, in the title role of Joseph. His national and international touring credits include Theo in Children's Letters to God (Windwood Productions) and Johnny Casino in Grease (Phoenix Entertainment). He's performed regionally at Toby's Dinner Theatre, Pennsylvania Center Stage, Shadow Block Productions, and others. R. Scott Williams plays Jacob (Joseph's father), as well as Potiphar. He appeared at Olney as Whit in Of Mice and Men. Other local credits include The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, Washington Stage Guild, and Wayside Theatre.

Stephawn Stephens, as Joseph's brother Reuben, sings "Those Canaan Days." Stephens recently directed Black Nativity for Theater Alliance, and performed in Crowns at Arena Stage. Mardee Bennett, making his Olney debut as Judah, covers "Benjamin Calypso." His local credits include Show Boat with Signature Theatre, Twelfth Night with Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, La Muneca with Single Carrot Theatre,and Jerry Springer: The Opera with Studio Theatre. Nick Lehan, last seen at Olney in Big River, performs "One More Angel in Heaven" in the role of Levi.

The rest of Joseph's brothers are played by Kurt Boehm, Parker Drown, LC Harden Jr., Vincent Kempski, Ben Lurye, Jeramiah Miller, Andrew Sonntag, and Russell Sunday.

Returning to Olney as the Narrator is Eleasha Gamble, who made her professional debut in that very role at Olney in 1999. Gamble most recently performed as Laurey in Arena Stage's critically-acclaimed Oklahoma. She received her first Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for Civil War at Ford's Theatre. She has worked at many other Washington area theaters, including Signature Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, and Toby's Dinner Theatre.

Rounding out the cast for Joseph... are Mary Lee Adams, Heather Marie Beck, Erin Driscoll, Jamie Eaker, Ashleigh King, TJ Langston, Briana Marcantoni, and Sean Silvia.

In addition to Hilder, the rest of the creative team includes Christopher Youstra (Musical Director), Wendy Seyb (Choreographer), Eugenia Furneaux-Arends (Scenic Designer), Ivania Stack (Costume Designer), Dan Covey (Lighting Designer), GW Rodriguez (Sound Designer), and Renee E. Yancey (Stage Manager).

PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES:
Now - March 27, 2011
Wed. - Sat. at 8:00 pm; matinees on Sat. and Sun. at 2:00 pm; Sun. at 7:30 pm; Tues., March 8 at 7:30 pm; matinee on Wed., March 16 at 2:00 pm
Extension Week: Wed. - Sat. at 8:00 pm; matinees on Sat. and Sun. at 2:00 pm

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES:
§ Audio described performance: Wed., March 9 at 8:00 pm
§ Post-show discussions: Wed., March 9 at 8:00 pm (with cast members)

TICKETS: Starting at $26; discounts available for groups, seniors, military, and students

BOX OFFICE: 301.924.3400; olneytheatre.org

LOCATION: Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Maryland 20832
Located just north of Washington, DC, the theater sits 1¼ mile from the intersection of Olney-Sandy Spring Road (Route 108) and Georgia Avenue (Route 97). Parking is free.

ABOUT OLNEY:
Olney Theatre Center is a 73-year-old nonprofit professional Equity theater in Olney, Maryland. Located in arts-rich Montgomery County, Olney Theatre Center is easily accessible from Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD. Olney Theatre Center's mission is to create professional Theater Productions and other programs that nurture artists, students, technicians, administrators, and audience members; and to develop each individual's creative potential using the skills and imaginative possibilities of theater and the performing arts.

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