Ficca To Lead Cast in Totem Pole's TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE 6/29-7/11

Totem Pole Artistic Director, Ray Ficca, last appeared on stage at the Playhouse as sportswriter, Mitch Albom, in Tuesdays With Morrie, a touching and poignant story about a career-driven young man who reconnects with a former college professor suffering with ALS. In the next Playhouse offering, Ficca will assume a more familiar role in the vaudevillian-type comedy The Complete History of America (abridged) playing from June 29 - July 11, 2010.

Playhouse audiences have come to love Ficca for his character roles and his exceptional ability at physical comedy. "When I was a kid, I couldn't take my eyes off of Dick Van Dyke's performances. I used to watch reruns of his show and hope that he would trip over the ottoman and seamlessly leap back up in the opening credits of his show," say Ficca. This love for comedy has led to Ficca's greatest successes on the stage, but getting cast in comedic roles was not always easy. When first starting out, most casting directors saw him as the leading man, whereas he saw himself as the sidekick or the second banana. It took Ficca a long time to convince people that he could play the "funny guy".

Joined by two friends from the Washington, DC area, JJ Kaczynski and Ricardo Frederick Evans, Ficca will again find solid footing on stage with pratfalls and slapstick in The Complete History of America (abridged). The show promises to cover the entire history of America, from Columbus to Clinton and beyond in under two hours. "It'll be quite a workout and I can't wait to get to it," says Ficca. "JJ and Ricardo are two of the funniest actors I've worked with-it's gonna be a blast."

The Complete History of America (abridged) is sponsored by Franklin County Visitors' Bureau.
The post show discussion where the audience is invited to join the cast and crew after the show is scheduled for Thursday, June 17th. This is the audience's chance to discover even more of the magic of Totem Pole Playhouse. Light refreshments are served.

45 Seconds from Broadway by Neil Simon directed by John Putch, continues through June 27th, sponsored by Walker, Connor & Spang, LLC and Orrstown Bank.
The Complete History of America (abridged) by Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, June 29 - July 11, sponsored by Franklin County Visitors Bureau.
The Coward and the Glory by Keith Bridges, July 13 - 25, sponsored by F & M Trust.
Unnecessary Farce by Paul Slade Smith, July 27 - August 8, sponsored by The Orchards.
Ruthless! The Musical. Book & Lyrics by Joel Paley. Music by Marvin Laird. August 10 -22, sponsored by Patriot Federal Credit Union.

For more information on The Complete History of America or any events at the theatre, call 888-805-7056 or visit us online at www.TotemPolePlayhouse.org.