Butte College Drama Production "CARRIE, the Broadway Musical "

A Night You’ll Never Forget - CARRIE, the Broadway Musical Comes to Butte College With Equal Parts Heart and Horror October 25 - November 3, 2019 Oroville, CA -- High school has never been worse, especially for the cast of CARRIE the musical. High school sweethearts, jocks, nerds, and bad boys alike struggle to survive just long enough to see their Senior Prom and finally move on to the next stage of their lives, ignorant to the pain they are putting the titular character, Carrie White, through, and unaware of the brutal fate they will meet on that fateful prom night as a consequence for their actions. Come and join Butte College students, faculty, and community members as they bring the electrifying horror musical “CARRIE” to the stage, demanding with their performance a deeper understanding and the message - “once you see, you can’t unsee.” CARRIE opens Friday, October 25th at 7:30 pm, with performances continuing Saturday, October 26h at 7:30 pm, Sunday, October 27th at 2 pm, Friday, November 1st at 7:30 pm, Saturday, November 2nd at 7:30 pm, and closing on Sunday, November 3rd at 2 pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for seniors/students, plus EventBrite fees. Tickets are available at the door or via: http://www.ButteDrama.com. For more information, call 530-895-2994 or email Jesse Merz, director, at merzje@butte.edu. Performances take place at the Butte College Black Box Theatre, Main Campus, ARTS Building, 3536 Butte Campus Drive, Oroville, CA 95965. CARRIE has some strong language and gore and is recommended for ages 14 and up. CARRIE the musical has seen many adaptations over the years, some which have sunk, and many which have soared. Originally premiering on Broadway in 1988 with a script by the 1976 film’s writer, Lawrence D. Cohen, the show was met with a conflicted response. The show garnered many negative reviews, yet every performance in its run, opening on May 12, 1988, was sold out, and each show received a standing ovation from its audience. Closing on Broadway after just 21 total performances (including 16 previews), the musical saw a new life in 2012 in its Off-Broadway Revival heralded by director Stafford Arima and featuring a newly revised book and score from the original composers Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford and writer Lawrence D. Cohen. This production saw a limited engagement of 80 total performances (including 34 previews and 46 performances). This revival was met with a much warmer reception, including nominations for several awards and winning one, leading to an official cast album. The show went on to see two more notable productions in 2015, one just off the West End in London, and one in California’s own Los Angeles, receiving even more award nominations in the form of five Ovation Award nominations. Now the musical has evolved into a cult classic college musical with a story that is, at its heart, deeply vulnerable, memorable, electrifying. The story follows the frontlining leads - Carrie White, a girl undergoing social trauma and exploring her own maturity, as well as her latent telekinetic abilities; Sue Snell, the show’s narrator in parallel to Carrie, whose character arc is a mirror to Carrie’s as she learns to grow outside of her societal mold and bring a human connection to the story in an effort to combat the horror around her; Tommy Ross, her star-athlete boyfriend who finds himself questioning his future and helping Sue to bring some light into the darkness of Carrie’s life; Chris Hargensen, resident popular girl with a mean streak, who makes it her mission to make Carrie’s life miserable, with help from her truant boyfriend Billy Nolan, in a truly gruesome revenge plot; and finally, Margaret White, Carrie’s mother, who is truly one of the beating hearts of the show as she provides a stunning story of violence and victimization, trying at any cost to protect Carrie - even if it means hurting her herself. Forming the backbone of the show is its ensemble - Frieda, Norma, Helen, Freddy, George, Stokes, Miss Gardner, Mr. Stephens, and more, providing a horrific tableau of high school at its absolute worst, all leading up to a climactic Prom night that will never be forgotten by the public eye which bears witness to it. CARRIE the musical is adapted from Steven King’s novel with a book by Lawrence D. Cohen, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and music by Michael Gore. Butte College’s production features a set designed by Robert Pickering, lighting designed by Michael Johnson, costumes by Lynne Schuepbach, sound designed by Davin Schreindl, the stage manager is Dusty Chess, choreography by Melinda Buzan, musical direction by Christine Buckstead, and is directed by Butte’s Theatre Arts Instructor, Jesse Merz. The cast includes: Sarah Merrill (Carrie White), Julia Hoistad (Margaret White), Alyssa Price (Sue Snell), Derek Anderson (Tommy Ross), Sierra Root (Chris Hargensen), Kevin Spindler (Billy Nolan), Hana Michelle (Miss Gardner), Benjamin Boyer (Mr. Stephens), Yamileth Lomeli (Norma, u/s Chris), Cara Agnew (Frieda, u/s Carrie), Devyn Cusick (Helen), Ryan Shallenberger (George, u/s Tommy), Kenna Harris (Stokes, u/s Sue), Eric Blankenship (Freddy, u/s Billy), Angel Hagen (Reverend Bliss), Andrea Thoms (Interrogator), Jada Diaz (Interrogator, u/s Margaret), Faith Stokes (Swing), Salomon Martinez (Swing), Sammi Cason (Ensemble), Rebekkah Conklin (Ensemble), Camrin Considine (Ensemble), Sofia DeLaGarza (Ensemble), Grace Diep (Ensemble), Keasha Fuller (Ensemble, u/s Miss Gardner), Kierstan Sandro (Ensemble), Dalton Vasquez (Ensemble), and Riata Curl and Sophie Stocks (Assistant Stage Managers). From BROADWAY WORLD regarding CARRIE: “We find ourselves asking questions: Why do people treat one another this way? How could someone kill that many people? What drove this individual to violence? Why didn’t anyone step up to help before it was too late? Carrie forces us to confront these questions and more as we see young Carrie White, object of ridicule at school and abuse at home, reach her breaking point with devastating consequences.” https://www.broadwayworld.com/central-pa/article/BWW-Review-CARRIE-THE-MUSICAL-at-Open-Stage-Of-Harrisburg-20180930 From CAROLINA CURTAIN CALL regarding CARRIE: “Considered one of the most legendary musical flops ever produced on the Great White Way, ‘Carrie’ was vastly re-worked in 2012 by its authors who replaced nearly half the songs and the result is much grander than expected. The lyrics by Dean Pitchford and music by Michael Gore are admirable indeed. And Lawrence D. Cohen’s book, who wrote the original “Carrie” screenplay, has delicately truncated his script with all of the crucial and most memorable scenes intact.” http://carolinacurtaincall.com/2016/06/08/review-carrie/ From Butte College Director of Theatre, Jesse Merz: “When our students first suggested we do the musical, “Carrie”, I thought they were crazy! No way did I want to do a horror musical that ends in mayhem after what our community has been through. But they told me it was an anti-bullying story and I was skeptical. Then they asked me to listen to the music -- then I was hooked! Just wait until you experience the passion and love for art-making and the vibrancy of life in our production of Carrie. I dare you to let them scare you with some killer musical theatre!”