San Diego REPertory Theatre Announces Cast for 'The Music of Pete Seeger'

San Diego REPertory Theatre (San Diego REP) announces casting of "A Hammer, a Bell and a Song to Sing: the Music of Pete Seeger." Three actors portray the legendary activist and songwriter in the workshop production written and directed by Todd Salovey, associate artistic director, San Diego REPertory Theatre. Previews for "A Hammer, a Bell and a Song to Sing: the Music of Pete Seeger" begin Jan. 7, 2012. Opening night is Sat., Jan 14 and the production runs through Jan. 29, 2012 on the Lyceum Stage.

 

Vaughn Armstrong ("Older Pete"): Armstrong's career has spanned decades of stage, television, and film.  At The Old Globe in San Diego he was Brutus in "Julius Caesar," Bolingbroke in "Richard II," Macduff in "Macbeth," and many more. He has appeared often at L.A's Music Center and regional theatres across the country. Armstrong has been in more than one hundred television shows, including "Mad Men," "Desperate Housewives," "West Wing," and "NYPD Blue." He is best known for his many roles in "Star Trek," the last being Admiral Forrest in "Star Trek: Enterprise." He is one of very few actors to have performed in all four of the new "Star Trek" series, as more than 12 different characters in all. Armstrong is the founder of the Enterprise Blues Band, father of two boys, and a Vietnam veteran.

 

As "Older Pete," Armstrong portrays Seeger in his 80s. While no longer front and center, Seeger is still vibrant and believes in the power of music and song to save an increasingly dangerous world. Armstrong also plays the role of "Francis Walter," the chair of the House Un-American Activities Committee.

 

Dave Crossland ("Young Pete"): Crossland is a first-class vocalist and is highly respected among his songwriting peers. Crossland is most at home traveling between coasts, hitting stages large and small. He has performed in support of major artists such as Shawn Colvin, John Waite, and Kenny Loggins; and shared the stage with Lindsey Buckingham, Rosanne Cash, America and others. Crossland recorded and toured with John Stewart, legendary writer and key member of the Kingston Trio, in the early 2000s. Crossland now works with the Los Angeles-based John Stewart Band as a side project dedicated to keeping his mentor's music in the American consciousness.

 

As "Young Pete," Crossland portrays Seeger in his mid-40s, as a banjo and guitar player and song-leader, who advocates political and social change through music. He has the ability to walk into a room and get everyone singing in harmony.

 

Jim Mooney ("Musician Pete"): Mooney is a veteran of many San Diego REP productions including, "The Great American Trailer Park Musical," "Storyville," "The Three Penny Opera," and "The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea." He also recently performed in Cygnet Theatre's "Little Shop of Horrors" and Lambs Players' "MiXtape."

 

As "Musician Pete," Mooney portrays Seeger in his 60s, as a storyteller and collector of folk songs from around the world. His musical instrument choices have expanded, playing six and 12 string guitar, banjo and recorder. Seeger thinks globally, sings locally. Mooney also portrays "Frank Tavenner," the chief counsel for the House Un-American Activities Committee.

 

From the 1950s to today, Seeger's unforgettable music has been a part of a lifelong quest for reverence, understanding and hope. And, as we enter the sure-to-be-contentious political season of 2012, who better to listen to than one of the founding fathers of American protest music? Seeger's legendary songs paint an inviting portrait of a more inclusive America and call out his vision for a freer world.

 

Seeger's first big hit was in the 1950s with The Weavers singing "Irene Goodnight." Also during the 1950's, Seeger heroically stood up against the House Un-American Activities Committee and was blacklisted for not naming names. He gained worldwide fame in the 1960s as his music became a soulful call for change and justice.

 

Seeger once said, "If this world survives, I believe that modern industrialized people will learn to sing again." This production is a chance to hear a trio of first class musicians sing and play some of Seeger's best loved songs: "Where Have all the Flowers Gone?," "Turn, Turn, Turn," "We Shall Overcome," "Little Boxes," "Guantanamera," and "If I Had a Hammer." But Seeger didn't just sing about freedom, justice and love for his fellow men; he marched alongside Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Bob Dylan and DR. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Today, Seeger is more than 90 years old and still stands up and invites his fellow Americans to sing together in and for harmony. San Diego REP's fully-staged workshop production will celebrate his unforgettable music and his lifelong quest for reverence, understanding, and hope.

 

"A Hammer, a Bell and a Song to Sing: the Music of Pete Seeger" is written and directed by Todd Salovey, who is in his twentieth season as the REP's associate artistic director and his nineteenth as artistic director of the REP's annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Festival. Salovey has directed many acclaimed REP shows including "Doubt," "The Blessing of a Broken Heart," which he also adapted, "Brooklyn Boy," and the world premiere of Yehuda Hyman's "The Mad Dancers" among others.  He is on the acting faculty at the University of California, San Diego, where he has directed "Six Characters in Search of an Author," and "Stage Door." 

 

When asked how he chose to write a play based on Seeger's music and life, Salovey explained:

 

"I started playing YouTube videos of Pete Seeger and the Weavers for my kids.  Each time I watched Seeger sing, I felt incredibly moved. I began to ask myself, 'What's going on here?' I realized Pete Seeger's music was the music of my upbringing - that so much of how I think about the world, about how people can come together to create better lives for themselves and their communities came from Pete Seeger. I got excited about the idea of creating a show where the audience has an opportunity to rediscover that they love singing, and reconnect to the idea that every one of us can make a difference."

 

San Diego REP's box office is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. on non-performance days and noon until curtain on performance days. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate. Four hours of free parking at Horton Plaza is available for patrons who validate at the Lyceum Theatre. For more information, please visit www.sdrep.org.

 

 

San Diego REPertory Theatre (San Diego REP) produces intimate, exotic, provocative theatre. We promote a more inclusive community through vivid works that nourish progressive political and social values and celebrate the multiple voices of our region. San Diego REPertory Theatre feeds the curious soul. To learn more about San Diego REPertory Theatre, visit www.sdrep.org. Join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sandiegorep) and follow us on Twitter (@SanDiegoREP).