Parker Drown To Star In FOOTLOOSE At Other Voices

Other Voices' upcoming production of the wildly popular musical Footloose, the company's first production at the Performing Arts Factory in Frederick, MD, has something to sing about with the casting of Helen Hayes Award-winner Parker Drown. The Ellicott City native and winner of the 2010 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Resident Musical for his portrayal of Angel in The Keegan Theatre's production of Rent, will star as the city-boy trying to adapt to his new life in a small country town, Ren McCormack.

Drown is a graduate of Syracuse University Drama and an alumnus of The National Theatre Institute. Recent credits include Hairspray (Fender, Link u/s), Oklahoma! (Slim, Will Parker u/s), High School Musical (Ryan), The Producers, and All Shook Up. Following Footloose, he will be appearing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Olney Theatre Center and Speech and Debate at Rep Stage.

"We're thrilled to have Parker as a part of Footloose," says the show's director, Susan Thornton. "We worked together on a production of Oklahoma! last year and had such a good time. He has brought an amazing amount of energy to the show. He's so professional and such a sweetheart."

Based on the Paramount Pictures film of the same name, Footloose, one of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory bursts onto the live stage with exhilarating results. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. What he isn't prepared for are the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, determined to exercise the control over the town's youth that he cannot command in his own home. When the reverend's rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren's reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. The heartfelt story that emerges is of a father longing for the son he lost and of a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. To the rockin' rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score (the soundtrack album reached number one on the Billboard charts and has sold over 15 million copies) and augmented with dynamic new songs for the stage musical, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people, guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.

Footloose has music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and a book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. Other Voices' production is directed be veteran director and performer Susan Thornton, with choreography by Donna B. Grim, and musical direction by Tina M. Bruley. The show will run December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, at the Performing Arts Factory at 244 South Jefferson Street. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. each evening.

For additional information, visit www.danceunlimitedfrederick.com, or for tickets, call (301) 662-3722.

Other Voices Productions, a theatre and dance repertory company under the direction of Donna B. Grim, operates out of the Performing Arts Factory in Frederick, MD, which houses four dance studios and a 100 seat theater. Since 1995, Other Voices has produced an annual production of Alice, a theatrical dance production of the popular tale of Alice in Wonderland, at the Weinberg Center for the Arts.

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