February 18-21, 2016
Feb. 18 - First United Methodist Church - Jefferson City - 7:00 pm
Feb. 19 - First United Methodist Church - Newport - 7:00 pm
Feb. 20 - Walters State Claiborne County Campus - 7:00 pm
Feb. 21 - All Saints Episcopal School - Morristown - 2:00 pm
Encore Theatrical is proud to present a special touring production of Seussical the Musical, Jr. This 60-minute whimsical musical that weaves together Dr. Seuss’s most famous tales will be presented free to the public in four different locations February 18-21.
The works of Dr. Seuss have delighted children and adults alike since they first appeared in 1937. Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated 44 children’s books, which had been translated into more than 15 languages with over 200 million copies sold. The distinctive rhythms of the works along with the illustrations encouraged reading – a particular intent of Seuss. Seuss’s stories taught tolerance, peace, and the value of dignity to generations of kids. Seussical incorporates 20 Seuss classics, including “Horton Hears a Who,” “Horton Hatches the Egg,” “Gertrude McFuzz,” “The Butter Battle Book,” “If I Ran the Circus,” “McElligott's Pool,” “I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew,” and “The Cat in the Hat.”
Seussical, Jr. was created with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. The main story involves Horton the Elephant's efforts to save his friend Jojo and the other inhabitants on Who, even though everyone else in the Jungle of Nool thinks Horton is the "Biggest Blame Fool" for believing in people who live on a small speck of dust. But Horton is a determined, loyal, and faithful friend who fights for what he knows to be true.
The cast features 25 young performers 18 and under. The cast is led by Tyler Thompson as the Cat in the Hat, Steven McCoy as Horton the Elephant, Sawyer Stacy as Jojo, Kelli Sexton as the Sour Kangaroo, Emma Andrews as Mazie, Amelia Mooneyham as Gertrude McFuzz, Matt Byrd as Mr. Mayor, and Jessica Witte as Ms. Mayor. The ensemble includes Brant Adams, Peyton Boling, Sophia Cardone, Emily Chesteen, Devon Drybread, Garrett Frierson, Cheyenne Hewitt, London Keller, Logan McGinnis, Havana Mitrik, Tara Oglesby, Alisa Osborne, Macie Rogers, Jenna Seal, Josh Smith, Hannah Grace Wallen, and Haleigh Raye Winstead. The production is directed by Josh Davis and music directed by Laura Ritter. James Templin is the choreographer and Mary Wallen stage manager.
The cast and production team recently traveled to the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia where they performed for theatrical professionals and received superior adjudications in the process. The cast received the high honor of “Excellence in Acting” at the festival, along with Steven McCoy being recognized for outstanding male performer.
Seussical, Jr. will be traveling around the region with four performances scheduled in Jefferson City, Newport, New Tazewell and Morristown. On Thursday, February 18 at 7pm, the cast will be performing at First United Methodist Church Jefferson City, located at 2011 Branner Avenue in Jefferson City; Friday, February 19 at 7pm at the First United Methodist Church Newport, located at 212 Washington Avenue in Newport; Saturday, February 20 at 7pm at the Walters State Claiborne Campus, located at 1325 Claiborne Street in New Tazewell; Sunday, February 21 at 2pm at All Saints’ Episcopal School, located at 3275 Maple Valley Road in Morristown. The production is free of charge and open to the public, however donations will be gladly accepted at each performance. Tickets are not needed for these performances.