Parade at El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Theater

Youth Musical Theater Company (YMTC) concludes its 13th season with the award-winning musical, Parade. It will run July 20–29 at El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Theater, 540 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito.

Set in 1913, Parade tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in Georgia. Frank is put on trial for the murder of thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan, a factory worker he employed. Already deemed guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, Frank suffered the added consequences of sensationalist news stories and a janitor's false testimony. His only defenders were a governor with a conscience and, eventually, his Southern wife, who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion.

“Parade is a story about one of the most glaring miscarriages of justice in recent American history,” says Director Jennifer Boesing. “It’s also a cautionary tale, a warning against scapegoating, racism, xenophobia, and sensationalism in the media—all issues that we can see playing out in American politics today.”

The book was written by Alfred Uhry, and the music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Parade premiered on Broadway in 1998 and won Tony Awards for best book and best original score, and six Drama Desk Awards. Brown re-worked the show and the orchestrations in 2007 for a revival at the Donmar Warehouse in London, which is the version YMTC will perform.

The show features a cast of over thirty performing arts students (ages 13 to 21), including six Piedmont students: Ava Bogart as Mary Phagan, Sofia Butler as Sally Slaton, Ben Stormer as Tom Watson, and Sophie Hall, Jacob Kwong, and Lucy Richardson as members of the ensemble. The young cast is led by a team of professional directors, designers, and musicians, including Director Jennifer Boesing and Music Director David Möschler. The production features a 25-piece orchestra playing the updated arrangements from the 2007 Donmar Warehouse, London production.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Friday, 7/20, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 7/21, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 7/22, 2:00 p.m. (includes post-show discussion)
Friday, 7/27, 7:30 p.m. (pay-what-you will at the door)
Saturday, 7/28, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 7/29, 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are available online at www.ymtcbayarea.org or at the door one hour before curtain. Ticket prices are $15–$28, with discounts for students, seniors, military, teachers, and groups.

Parade examines adult themes, depicts acts of violence, and is not recommended for children.