Renaissance Players present regional community premiere of Webber’s Cats July 13-22

Release Date: 7/3/2007. Expired: 7/22/2007

One of Broadway’s most popular shows in history comes to the stage of The Renaissance Center in Dickson when the Renaissance Players present a community production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats July 13-22.

The Renaissance Center’s production of Cats marks the regional premiere for a community production of the musical in Middle Tennessee.

Performances of Cats will be 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, July 13-14, 20-21, and 2 p.m. Sundays, July 15 and 22. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 55 and up and $7 for children under 13. A special Lunch Matinee will be Saturday, July 14, beginning with a buffet lunch at 12 p.m. and the show at 1 p.m. Tickets are $17 and include lunch, drink, dessert and the show.

Debuting at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1982, Cats would run for more than 7,400 performances over 18 years, making it the second-longest running show in the history of Broadway. Only Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera has more performances, opening in 1988 and still running after more than 8,000 shows.

Webber’s musical is based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and tells the story of the Jellicle cats who are gathering in the junkyard on a special night when their leader, Old Deuteronomy, will choose the cat who “has found meaning to the happiness he or she has experienced” and will get to be reborn into the next of his or her nine lives through a journey to the Heavyside Layer.

Cats won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score, which includes the popular song Memory.

The Renaissance Players production of Cats is directed by Hal Partlow, managing director of the center’s Mind Enriching Theatre series, manager of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company and a 25-year theatre veteran who has directed more than 40 shows at The Renaissance Center. Bryan J. Wlas is choreographer and Nathan W. Brown is the musical director.

The cast of 26 includes several newcomers to the Renaissance Players as well as some familiar faces.

INFO ON INDIVIDUAL CAST MEMBERS IS BELOW

“Cats is a wonderful, family friendly show that has proven its timelessness not only through its long run on Broadway, but also through ongoing national and international professional touring productions,” said Partlow. “We are proud that the Renaissance Players have been selected to present the first community production of this history-making show for the Middle Tennessee region.”

For more information on the Renaissance Players production of Cats, showing July 13-22, call (615) 740-5600 or visit www.rcenter.org. To purchase tickets, call (615) 740-5601.

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Cats Cast

B.J. Rowell, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company from Montgomery, Ala., is playing Alonzo and Gus. Rowell, currently appearing the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Chicago, studied theatre at Auburn University and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He has previously appeared in productions of Cats, Oliver!, Caught in the Net, Dial M for Murder, Cabaret, The Crucible and Lend Me a Tenor.

Catherine Rogers, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company originally from Virginia, is currently appearing in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Chicago. She is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and is playing Bombalurina. She has previously appeared in the world premiere of Sheldon Harnick’s Dragons, Mame, The Will Rogers Follies, Cabaret and Jekyll and Hyde.

Randy Jett of Nashville is playing Carbuckety, George and Bill Baily. He has previously appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Annie, Guys and Dolls, The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, The Sound of Music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Annie Get Your Gun. Other credits include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, while he directed The Music Man and The Curious Savage for a Nashville home school co-op.

Faith Kelm of Franklin is playing Cassandra in her third Renaissance Players production, after appearing in Guys and Dolls and The Wizard of Oz. A student at Brentwood Academy and an assistant dance instructor, Kelm has studied at the Ann Carroll School of Dance and performed at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and in New York and will be dancing at Canada Wonderland.

Katherine Jett, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company currently appearing in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Chicago, is playing Demeter in her 13^th Renaissance Players production, including roles in Children of Eden, Annie, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie Get Your Gun and Guys and Dolls. She has appeared in five previous Gaslight productions, including Lend Me a Tenor, Run for Your Wife and Smoke on the Mountain, and 15 productions for the Mind Enriching Theatre series. She has been an apprentice for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival and has choreographed several high school and community productions in the Nashville area.

Emily Steward of Dickson is playing Etcetera in her seventh Renaissance Players production, having appeared in Children of Eden, Dracula, Guys and Dolls, Grease, The Sound of Music and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

T. Altricia Pruitt of Nashville is playing Grizabella in her third Renaissance Players production. An international baccalaureate coordinator at J.T. Moore Middle School, she previously appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and The Miracle Worker. She has appeared in productions in Nashville, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina and at the AmeriCulture Arts Festival in Massachusetts where she played Ouiser in Steel Magnolias.

Mollie Kelly of Nashville is playing Jellylorum in her first appearance at The Renaissance Center. The Belmont University alumnus has appeared in The Music Man with Circle Players, Fiddler on the Roof with Shalom Theatre, La Perichole with the Belmont Opera and The Best of Broadway: A Musical Revue with Bellarmine University.

Emma Jordan of Charlotte is playing Jennyanydots in her eighth Renaissance Players production, having had roles in The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Annie and Children of Eden. The home-schooled ninth grader also has appeared in the Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of HONK! and Pinocchio and the Young Entertainers on Stage series productions of Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids and Disney’s Aladdin Jr.

Alex Syler of Clarksville is playing Macavity in his fourth Renaissance Players production, having previously appeared in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus and Children of Eden. A former member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company, he appeared in Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, I Hate Hamlet, The Dining Room and Sylvia, and Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of Death of a Salesman, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, Romeo and Juliet and others. He is a videographer for AdOne advertising and recently completed a comedic short film called The Package for the On The Lot series on Fox.

Daniel Hendrix of Fairview and Jamie Cunliffe of Slayden are playing Macavity’s Henchmen. A junior at Fairview High School, Hendrix made his Renaissance Center debut in the Young Entertainers on Stage series production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. and previously appeared in a middle school production of The Wizard of Oz and several church productions. Cunliffe has had roles in Renaissance Players productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, Guys and Dolls and Dracula.

Bryan J. Wlas, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company from Woodridge, Ill., is playing Mistoffelees. A graduate of Millikin University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and a Dance minor, he is the resident choreographer for The Renaissance Center and has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Children of Eden. He has appeared in five Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions and four productions for the Mind Enriching Theatre series as well as directing choreography for more than a dozen shows at The Renaissance Center.

Nathan W. Brown, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company from Sterling, Ill., is playing Mungojerrie and Coricopat. A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, he is the resident musical director for The Renaissance Center and has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Annie and Children of Eden. He has appeared in four Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions and three productions for the Mind Enriching theatre series as well as serving as musical director for more than more than a dozen shows at The Renaissance Center.

Ryan Hunt, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company from Evansville, Ind., is playing Munkustrap. A graduate of the University of Evansville with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance, he has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Children of Eden, Dracula, Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Miracle Worker, which he also directed. He has appeared in 13 Gaslight Dinner Theatre shows, including the current production of Chicago, and more than a dozen productions for the Mind Enriching Theatre series. He appeared in New York City in the off-Broadway musical Closer Than Ever and in Kiss Me Kate in Cohoes, N.Y.

David Arnold of Franklin is playing Old Deuteronomy in his eighth Renaissance Players production, having appeared in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Arsenic and Old Lace, Annie Get Your Gun, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Guys and Dolls and Annie, as well as directing The Wizard of Oz. A creative director for a graphic design company, his credits also include roles in Anything Goes, Ragtime, Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore as well as directing You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Stacie Riggs, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company originally from California, is playing Rumpleteazer. She previously appeared in the Renaissance Players production of Children of Eden and can be seen in the current Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Chicago. She has performed in numerous plays and has appeared as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Ruth in Blithe Spirit and Greta in Cabaret. Before moving to Tennessee to pursue a career in country music, Riggs worked at The Walt Disneyland Resort as a parade dancer/performer and in 2002 had a recurring role on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless.

Alvaro Barned, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company from Memphis, is playing Rum Tum Tugger. He can currently be seen in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Chicago and most recently appeared in Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party at Circuit Playhouse, Circuit Inc. Some of Barned’s favorite roles include Oscar in The Wild Party, Martinez in Take Me Out, Alonzo in Cats, Cecco in Peter Pan and Judas in Godspell. While involved in his passion, Barned has worked for Banana Republic, Gap Inc. for several years as an associate as well as a manager.

Mary Katherine Pope of Nashville is making her Renaissance Center debut in the role of Sillabub. A student at East Carolina University, she has appeared in productions of Anything Goes, Fiddler on the Roof, The Hobbit, Peter Pan and Arts for Kids in Danville, Ky. She is working on a degree in musical theatre.

Daniel Bissell, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company originally from Fairview, is playing Skimbleshanks. He has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Mousetrap, Children of Eden and Dracula. He can be seen in the current Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Chicago and has appeared in nine previous Gaslight shows as well as eight productions for the Mind Enriching Theatre series. He is a member of ImprovNashville’s Troupe 93.

Caitlin Teal Little of Clarksville is an intern with the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company who is playing Tantomile. She has appeared in the Renaissance Players productions of Children of Eden, Guys and Dolls and Annie. She appeared in Roxy Regional Theatre productions of Tom Sawyer: The Musical, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, John Brown’s Body, U.S.A., New Found Land and Our Town, and Rossview High School productions of Our Town, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Crucible and Oklahoma.

Kayleigh Gregg, a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company now appearing in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of Chicago, is playing Victoria. She has been in a number of Renaissance Players productions, including Cinderella, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol, Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys and Dolls, Dracula, Annie and Fiddler on the Roof. She has appeared in four productions for the Young Actors Studio and Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr. for the Mind Enriching Theatre series. She has studied ballet at the School of Nashville Ballet and Virginia School of the Arts and is a graduate of the Institute of Therapeutic Massage and Movement, working as a licensed massage therapist.

The Cats chorus consists of Tory Gunn, Connie Oliver and Laura Williams.

Dickson resident Gunn has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, A Christmas Story, The Sound of Music, Cinderella, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie and A Christmas Carol. She has appeared in two Young Entertainers on Stage series productions and four shows for the Young Actors Studio. The home-schooled junior also has appeared in productions with the Whole Heart Drama Team, Houston County Community Theatre and BHSE Drama Troupe.

Burns resident Oliver appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Annie and Children of Eden, as well as the Young Entertainers on Stage series production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. The Dickson County High School student has had roles in several middle school productions.

Dickson resident Williams appeared in the Renaissance Players production of Annie. The former registered nurse also has had roles in productions of Guys and Dolls, Barnum, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Cinderella, Carousel, Scrooge, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and The Music Man.

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