AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY OPENS THIS WEEKEND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - The Cumberland Theatre continues their 34th Main Stage Season with the award-winning dark comedy August: Osage County, which will run August 25th – September 4th.

Written by Tracy Letts, the play won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for drama and has been produced in regional theatres all over the world since its premiere at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.

The play centers around the Weston family, brought together after their patriarch, world-class poet and alcoholic Beverly Weston, disappears. The matriarch, Violet, depressed and addicted to pain pills and “truth-telling,” is joined by her three daughters and their problematic lovers, who harbor their own deep secrets, her sister Mattie Fae and her family, well-trained in the Weston family art of cruelty, and finally, the observer of the chaos, the young Cheyenne housekeeper Johnna, who was hired by Beverly just before his disappearance. Holed up in the large family estate in Osage County, Oklahoma, tensions heat up and boil over in the ruthless August heat. With rich insight and brilliant humor, Letts paints a vivid portrait of a Midwestern family at a turning point.

August: Osage County debuted on Broadway in 2007 and played an open run at the Music Box Theatre. It went on to win both the Drama Desk Award and the Tony Award for Outstanding Play. In 2013, a film version was released featuring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper and Benedict Cumberpatch.

The Cumberland Theatre cast features both local and visiting actors. Playing the role of Violet will be Julie Herber of Frederick, MD. Herber is the Associate Director of the Maryland Ensemble Theatre and was last seen at CT as Dottie in Noises Off. Playing the Weston daughters will be Kimberli Rowley (Barbara), Samantha Kennedy (Ivy) and Shea-Mikal Green (Karen). Rowley is the Co-Artistic Director of the Cumberland Theatre and recently appeared as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Kennedy was last seen as Sarah in the musical Company and Green has appeared at CT in The Importance of Being Earnest, Avenue Q and Boeing, Boeing.

Also returning to CT are Matt Baughman (Bill), Mike Virts (Steve), Nicole Halmos (Mattie Fae), Bill Dennison (Little Charles) and Jim Wicker (Charlie). Baughman has appeared with CT in Noises Off, Dracula and Legally Blonde. Virts is the Artistic Director of Our Town Theatre in Oakland and was last seen on the CT stage in A Streetcar Named Desire. Halmos recently starred as Della in this season’s production of The Cake. Dennison last appeared as Austin in True West and Wicker made his debut in 2017’s production of Yankee Tavern and, since then, has appeared in Noises Off and Dracula.

Making their CT debuts will be Cailin Peluso (Jean) and Alexis Geyer (Johnna). Peluso lives in Bel Air, MD and has trained at the New York Film Academy and Everyman Theatre. Geyer is a visiting actor from Kansas City, Missouri.

The cast is rounded out by Seth Thompson (Sheriff Gilbeau) and Tom Valentine as the patriarch (Beverly Weston). Thompson was recently seen as Lee in True West and the titular role in Macbeth. Valentine is a local theatre veteran who has served as the Artistic Director for Up Front Community Theater, Stage Left Theater, Potomac State College, and The Embassy Theatre.

The show is being directed by Nicole Mattis. The creative team is comprised of Jennifer Clark (costume design), Rhett Wolford (set design), Megan O’Brien (lighting design), Eric Ringler (props design), Shea-Mikal Green (intimacy coordinator) and Darrell Rushton (fight director). The run crew consists of Hayden Kline (stage manager), Elizabeth Mudge (assistant stage director), Seth Thompson (fight captain).

Performances will be Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. There will be a complimentary wine and cheese reception following the opening night performance on Friday, August 26th. Tickets can be purchased at cumberlandtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 301-759-4990.

Please note the show contains violence, adult situations and strong language and may not be suitable for all audiences. Parental discretion is encouraged.

Shakespeare in the Park opens tonight!

Catch The Comedy of Errors with a pop 80s twist this weekend only...

The Cumberland Theatre is presenting the fourth annual Shakespeare in the Park this weekend at the Gilchrist Gallery Garden in Cumberland on July 29th and 30th and at the Grantsville Town Park on July 31st. Performances will begin at 7:30 pm and last approximately one hour. Admission is free and community members are invited to bring blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of outdoor theatre.

This year CT is teaming up with the Embassy Theatre to present The Comedy of Errors - one of Shakespeare's earliest works. Set in the city of Ephesus, the play tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

Directed by Tim Bambara (former Artistic Director of the Embassy), this version of Comedy of Errors is being set in the pop world of the 1980s complete with colorful costumes, music of the era and plenty of pop culture references.

The cast is comprised of both local and visiting actors. Heading the cast as the two Antipholuses are Seth Thompson and Erik Alexis. Thompson was last seen as Lee in True West and the title role in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Alexis has last appeared in Reefer Madness the Musical. Playing the Dromios will be Dante Santos and Jamiel Burkhart - both recently on stage in this month's Rock of Ages.

Other cast members recently seen in Rock of Ages are Kimberli Rowley (Adriana), Morganne Chu (Luciana), Katelyn Shriener (Balthazar), and Jmonet Hill (Officer). Also appearing in the show are Tyler Gilks (Angelo), Robert Smith (Dr. Pinch), Ebony Gennes (Duke of Ephesus), Sean Besecker (Aegeon) and Emily Haworth (Amelia).

The production staff includes Caitlin Weems (assistant director/fight director), Rhett Wolford (set design), Elizabeth Mudge (costume design), Em Uranga (stage manager) and Hayden Kline (sound tech).

The show is being sponsored by Ray and Brenda Morris through the Community Trust Foundation with other funding from the Garrett County Arts Council and Grantsville Arts and Entertainment District.

Are you ready to ROCK this weekend?

Rock of Ages opens this weekend at CT with all your favorite 80s rock-n-roll hits!

The Cumberland Theatre continues their 34th Main Stage Season with the rock musical ROCK OF AGES, which will run July 7th – 24th. The show is being sponsored by David and BettyJo Gehauf.

Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical built around classic rock songs from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of that decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Europe, among other well-known rock bands.

It’s the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra, lace, and liquor flow freely at one of the Sunset Strips last legendary venues, a place where sex machine Stacee Jaxx takes the stage and scantily clad groupies line up to turn their fantasies into reality. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner) Drew longs to take the stage as the next big thing (and longs for small-town girl Sherri, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes). But the rock 'n' roll fairy tale is about to end when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Drew, Sherri and the gang must save the strip – and themselves – before it's too late.

Heading the cast as Drew and Sherri will be Matt Henningsen and Payton Reilly. Both are making their debuts on the CT Stage. Henningsen holds a BA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Cortland. Previous credits include Side Show (Ensemble), A Bronx Tale (Crazy Mario/Doo Wop), and The Littlest Tree (Carl). Reilly was recently seen in the First National Tour of Tootsie: The Comedy Musical as Sandy Lester. Other credits include Kinky Boots (Lauren), Mamma Mia (Lisa), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Pippi) and Cabaret (Lulu).

Local actor Jordan Kline will be featured as Stacee Jaxx. He has appeared on the CT stage in Rent (Roger), Spamalot (Sir Galahad) and Hairspray (Link) as well as directing and choreographing for several other theatre companies in the area.

Matt Henningsen, Payton Reilly, and Jordan Kline

The supporting cast is comprised of both local and visiting actors. Returning to the stage will be Matt Kurzyneic (last seen in Clue) as Lonnie and Shane Lynn (last seen in Company) as Dennis. Also returning are Tim Bambara, Hayden Kline and Katelyn Shreiner. Makeing her CT debut will be Jmonet Hill as Justice. Hill comes to Cumberland after finishing an Off-Broadway run of the play Chasing Andy Warhol. The cast is rounded out by Morganne Chu, Kiersten Gasemy, Jamiel Burkhart, Dante Santos, Emily Snyder, Matt Montes and Kimberli Rowley as Waitress #1.

The show features a six-piece band comprised of Jeff Wine (keyboards), Shawn Zimmerman (guitar), Harley Kuhn (guitar), Montes (guitar), Mark Kolwalski (bass), and Daniel Hicks (drums).

The show's creative team includes Danny Durr (director/choregrapher), Mikayla Dodge (vocal director), Rhett Wolford (scenic and lighting designer), Jennifer Clark (costume designer), Reilly (props designer) and Kurzyneic (props designer). The run crew is comprised of Em Uranga (stage manager), Ebony Gennes (assistant stage manager), Bredon McCabe(sound tech), Trevor McCabe (lighting tech), and Elizabeth Mudge (wardrobe assistant).

The production features a VIP bar as part of the set, for which eight VIP seats per show can be purchased. VIP tickets include bar seat, 80s throwback cocktails, swag bags and more. A ticket upgrade can also be added to any regular ticket purchased through the theatre’s website and includes one free beverage and a swag bag.

The show has a running time of approximately two hours and contains some strong language and some moments of intimacy. Parental discretion is advised. Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8:00 pm and Sunday performances at 2:00 pm. There will be a complimentary wine and cheese reception following the official opening on June 8th. Tickets may be purchased online at cumberlandtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 301.759.4990.