‘One Vote!’ premieres Friday in Marietta
Trending
MARIETTA - An original musical about the founding of Marietta and its influence on the new United States opens at 7 p.m. Friday in the Friederich Theatre at the Hermann Fine Arts Center of Marietta College.
Written by singer-songwriters Larry Groce and Todd Burge and directed by Jack Colclough, director of the School of Theatre & Dance at Marshall University, "One Vote!" is the story of the New England settlers who came to the Northwest Territory founded Marietta at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers and how the decisions and events between 1786-1820 influenced the future of the United States.
"One Vote!" will be presented 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday, July 24 and July 25 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday and July 26.
Tickets are $25 for all presentations and are available at www.onevotemusical.com.
The show is presented by the Northwest Territory Museum Society, operators of the Campus Martius and Ohio River museums in Marietta, with Marietta College.
Ephraim Cutler, whose single vote secured Ohio’s admission to the Union as a slave-free state, is at the center "One Vote!"
Other historical figures include Rufus Putnam, a Revolutionary War officer often called the “Father of the Northwest Territory, who will appear alongside fictional characters, including pioneer Abigail Worthy, whose story offers audiences a personal glimpse into frontier life.
The musical explores the experiences of frontier women, acknowledges the Indigenous peoples who already inhabited this region and their struggles and resilience and Black Americans during the settlement of the Northwest Territory.
The original score combines pop, rock, Americana and folk music.
The cast is Ethan Lyvers as Rufus Putnum, Anna Caldwell as Abigail Worthy, Elena Musser as Pretty Shield, Chase Likens as Harman Blennerhassett, Nolan Miller as Kit Putnam, Thaddeus Stambaugh as Ephraim Cutler, Cate Wathen as Leah Cutler, Joshua David Bonyak as Jervis Cutler, Josiah Baker as George Washington, James Hughes as Capt. Pipe, Quintin Steers as Cider Man, Nic Franklin as Main, Dan Porterfield as Jacob Goode, Rachelle Snyder as Margaret Blennerhassett and Sally Parker, Mike Murdock as Manasseh Cutler, Joniya Wiggins as Rose, Bailey Dore as Lucy Woodbridge and Seth Fearnow as Jeremiah Worthy.
Fearnow is from Parkersburg, Caldwell is from Athens and Musser is from Pomeroy.
The production includes professional artists and technical crew members and students from Marietta College, Marshall University and Ohio University. Additional internships and support have been provided through Marietta College's Center for Appalachian Innovation.
Colclough was a professional actor and has directed more than 70 productions and performed with organizations including the Roundabout Theatre Company, Goodspeed Opera House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and other regional theaters.
Groce is the co-founder and longtime host of National Public Radio's Mountain Stage. He is a Grammy Award nominee and has recorded 24 albums.
He is a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Burge, of Parkersburg, a singer-songwriter, playwright, producer and arts administrator, has released more than 15 albums. He has appeared multiple times on Mountain Stage and Songs at the Center.
Burge is the director of the Esbenshade Series and programming consultant for Peoples Bank Theatre.
Michael Tobar, who specializes in jazz, blues, rock and orchestral music, is music director. The band is composed of: Tobar, piano and conductor; Scott Kitchen, drums and percussion; Terry Douds, bass; Metra Peterson, keyboard; John Horne, electric and acoustic guitars; and Rusty Smith, fiddle, mandolin and acoustic guitar.
The production crew includes: Jimi Lawson, stage manager; Simone Coustasse, assistant stage manager; Clayton Sieg and Dallas Lacey, tech/support; Logan Reagan, scenic designer; Shelby Nelson and MaShawn Morton, choreography; Belinda Mullins, sound designer; Randy Pauley, lighting designer; and Riley McLain, light operator.
"One Vote! The Musical" is made possible by support from the Ohio Arts Council, America 250-Ohio, Marietta College, the Center for Appalachian Innovation and private donors.