Iowa Premiere of BIG FISH Cast Announced

Adolescent Anarchy, partnering with Des Moines Young Artists Theatre, is proud to announce casting for their upcoming production of the Iowa Premiere of BIG FISH: THE MUSICAL, showing May 1-10 at the Viking Theatre at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. Big Fish is a musical with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by John August. It is based on Daniel Wallace's 1998 novel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, and the 2003 film Big Fish written by August and directed by Tim Burton.

Big Fish follows the life and relationship of Edward Bloom (Bob Filippone), and his adult son Will (Travis Monroe Neese), who looks for the truth behind his father's tall tales and stories. The action takes place shifting between two separate timelines. In the present, a sixty year old Edward is facing his mortality as his son Will and his wife Josephine (Denise Forney) prepare to become parents themselves. In the storybook past, Edward ages from a teenager who encounters a Witch (Sylvia Visser), a Giant (Addison Williamson), a circus led by Amos Calloway (Rusk Dorsett), and the love of his life Sandra (Sarah Bodle). As the stories begin to meet, Will discovers the secrets that his father never revealed and learns more about the bond between father and son.

The production will be directed by Claire Guderjahn, with music direction by Meredith Toebben and choreography by Glori Dei Filippone. The rest of the cast includes Jacob Forney (Young Will), Anne Hilker (Jenny Hill), and Kameron De Moss (Don Price). The ensemble includes Nick Black, Darca Boom, Iris Christensen, Laura Diaz, Demarius Fisher, Sarah Frett, Bryan Gamboa, Hannah Schnucker, Tatum Lowell, Ellie Miglin, and Barbara Reed.

Adolescent Anarchy was founded in 2012 at The Des Moines Community Playhouse by Kathy Pingel, David A. VanCleave, Tommy Anderson, Sam Bates-Norum, Halen Becker, Connor Bredbeck, Madi Delk, Claire Guderjahn, Elsa Klein, Travis Reinders, and Meredith Toebben. Their mission: give teens complete control in theatre production. The Anarchists, ages 13-17, are responsible for every area of production: selecting a show, directing, designing, marketing, fundraising, and everything in between.

In August 2013, AA presented their sold-out production of The Lord of the Flies, solidifying their place in Des Moines' growing theatre community. The following May, AA presented TrAAilMix!, a festival that included a fully-staged production of [title of show] the musical, a staged reading of the original play Equinox (written by members Connor Bredbeck and Elsa Klein), and the premiere of Rasta Grandpa, a teen improv troupe.

In the summer of 2014, the nine high school students/founders decided to move Adolescent Anarchy to their new home, DM Young Artists Theatre. Their current programming includes continuing Rasta Grandpa, the newly formed a capella group, SYNERGETIC, and the Iowa premiere of BIG FISH THE MUSICAL May 1-10, 2015.

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