Emily Christine Smith Joins Cast of DANI GIRL at the WaterTower Theatre

Emily Christine Smith, who appeared in the original Greyman Theatre Company production of Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond's musical DANI GIRL, will step into the role of Mother for Greyman's restaging at WaterTower Theatre's Out of the Loop Fringe Festival.

Greyman Artistic Director Matt Tolbert announced Feb. 23: Sarah Winter, who had been previously announced to play the role of Mother, has decided to depart Greyman's staging of the dark, new musical comedy.

"Sarah is a talented actress. We've valued her contributions to the show and we wish her all the best," Tolbert said in a statement.

DANI GIRL marked the Greyman debut for actress Winter, who has also been seen in productions of THE DAZZLE, GYPSY, MACBETH, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, URINETOWN and more, all at Baylor University.

Smith's credits include Summerstock Austin's SWEENEY TODD and Baylor's THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH, GYPSY, and OTMA.

A replacement for Smith, who had been an ensemble cast member in DANI GIRL in the role of Nurse, has yet to be named. The cast also includes Rachel Brown as Dani, Joshua Gonzales as Marty, and Tolbert as Raph.

Kelsey Ervi directs the production that will run March 6 & 10 at the Addison Theatre Centre in Addison, Texas.

According to Greyman, "DANI GIRL follows a young girl's battle with cancer. Dani, a precocious nine-year-old, finds herself face-to-face with the life-threatening disease. Together with her teddy bear, imaginary guardian angel, and socially awkward hospital roommate, she embarks on a magical quest to reclaim her health. As Dani traverses the realms of fantasy and reality, she discovers what it means to really live!"

The Greyman production features musical direction by Guilherme Almeida, set design by Ervi, lighting design by Clay Van Winkle, costume design by Toni Portacci, sound design by Danielle Stack, and fight choreography by David Reed.

Single tickets ($10) are available by phone by calling (972) 450-6232, online at www.WaterTowerTheatre.org, or in person at the WaterTower box office located at 15650 Addison Road, Addison, Texas.

For more information, visit www.GreymanTheatreCo.org.