1776 Comes to Kansas City at Starlight Theatre This Month

Prepare to party like it’s 1776 with a witty retelling of our founding fathers' stories and how our great nation came to be! This production was developed and premiered by the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University before playing on Broadway with Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre. The national tour of 1776 will make limited engagement stops at major cities across North America including its premiere in Kansas City at Starlight Theatre July 25-30.

“1776 is a perfect example of the creativity and originality that is so abundant in the arts community,” Lindsey Rood-Clifford, Starlight’s President + C.E.O. said. “This show puts a spin on history we are all familiar with, and provides an element of entertainment and ingenuinty these stories have never seen before!”

About This Production

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical 1776 has catapulted to blazing new life in a thrillingly new production, and New York Magazine/Vulture says, “it’s an absolute blast!” Suddenly, the songs, humor, and passion of this musical masterpiece soar as never before. A glorious multiracial cast of female, transgender, and nonbinary actors portrays the fiery founders of this country, putting history in the hands of the humans who were left out the first time around—and the result is an epic show of passion, debate, and roof-raising musical fireworks. Experience “a 1776 worth celebrating!” (Variety) “It pulsates with energy and snaps with attitude.”

About The Cast 

The 1776 company includes Shelby Acosta (she/her) as ‘Sec. Charles Thomson,’ Gisela Adisa (she/her) as ‘John Adams,’ Nancy Anderson (she/her) as ‘Thomas Jefferson,’ Tiffani Barbour (she/her) as ‘Andrew McNair,’ Dawn Cantwell (she/her) as ‘Col. Thomas McKean,’ Julie Cardia (she/her) as ‘Stephen Hopkins,’ Amanda Dayhoff (she/her) as a Standby, Sara Gallo (she/her) as a Standby, Joanna Glushak (she/her) as ‘John Dickinson,’ Anissa Marie Griego (she/her) as ‘Roger Sherman,’

Kassandra Haddock (she/her) as ‘Edward Rutledge,’ Shawna Hamic (she/her) as ‘Richard Henry Lee,’ Lisa Karlin (she/her) as a Standby, Connor Lyon (she/her) as ‘Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall,’ Liz Mikel (she/her) as ‘Benjamin Franklin,’ Nykila Norman (she/her) as a Standby, Oneika Phillips (she/her) as ‘John Hancock,’ Lulu Picart (she/her) as ‘Samuel Chase,’ Kayla Saunders (she/her) as a Standby, Ariella Serur (they/she) as ‘Judge James Wilson,’ Brooke Simpson (she/her) as ‘the Courier,’ Sav Souza (they/them) as ‘Dr. Josiah Bartlett,’ Lillie Eliza Thomas (she/her) as a Standby, Tieisha Thomas (she/her) as ‘Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon,’ Jill Marie Vallery (she/her) as ‘Caesar Rodney,’ Gwynne Wood (she/they) as ‘George Read,’ and Candice Marie Woods (they/them) as ‘Joseph Hewes.’

About The Creative Team

1776 features music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. It is based on a concept by Sherman Edwards. Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus (Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, Pippin) and MTV Music Video Award-winning choreographer Jeffrey L. Page (Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” video, Memphis in Tokyo; Violet starring Sutton Foster at Roundabout Theatre Company) direct the production.

The 1776 design team includes Tony Award-winning Scenic Designer Scott Pask (Waitress, Finding Neverland, Pippin); Tony Award-nominated Costume Designer Emilio Sosa (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess); Lighting Designer Jennifer Schriever (In the Body of the World at A.R.T./New York City Center; Fingersmith at A.R.T.); Tony Award-nominated Sound Designer Jonathan Deans (Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, Finding Neverland at A.R.T./Broadway; Pippin on Broadway) and Drama Desk Award-nominated Projection Designer David Bengali (We Live in Cairo at A.R.T., Associate Designer

of Witness Uganda at A.R.T./Invisible Thread at Second Stage).

The 1776 music team is comprised of Music Supervisor/Music Director Ryan Cantwell (Pippin); Original Music Supervisor David Chase (Finding Neverland); Tony Award-nominated Orchestrator John Clancy (Fun Home; Mean Girls); Vocal Designer AnnMarie Milazzo (Finding Neverland).

Casting is by Stewart/Whitley. The Associate Director is Brisa Arelis Muñoz and the Associate Choreographer is Courtney Paige Ross.

The 1776 tour stage management team is led by Production Stage Manager Genevieve Kersh with Stage Manager Chris Zaccardi and Assistant Stage Manager Sage Lumsden. The company management team is led by Company Manager Jeff Mensch with Safety Assistant Company Manager Ryan Buchholz.

This show proudly uses a non-traditional casting model called conceptual casting (or conscious casting)—when a non-white actor, female actor, or actor with a disability is cast in a role to give the play greater resonance.

This is the second revival of 1776 from Roundabout Theatre Company. The 1997 production ran on Broadway for more than 300 performances. In 1969, 1776 even won the Tony for Best Musical!

 

In addition to the music coming to Starlight’s stage, The American Repertory Theatre commissioned a mural for this production from Artists for Humanity. The mural is entitled “We Are the People” and is currently displayed at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library through July 30.

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