Theatre By The Sea’s 89th Season continues with Footloose on June 22
WAKEFIELD, RI – In celebration of 89 Years of Theatre By The Sea, owner and producer Bill Hanney is proud to present the exuberant high energy musical, Footloose, which will be presented from June 22 – July 16, 2022.
“Right now seems like the perfect time to be producing the musical Footloose for our audiences,” said Bill Hanney. “After the past two years of living by so many rules, which restricted us from doing the things we love, we can all relate to these kids who just want to cut loose and dance in a town that won’t allow it. This show is so much fun – with fantastic music and dancing. I know audiences need more nights like this right now and it is our pleasure to provide them all summer long.”
Get ready to kick off your Sunday shoes and cut loose as Footloose, one of the most explosive movie musicals of all time, bursts onto the live stage. Revel in this throwback to teen romance, angst, and of course, the desire to dance! Rock out to the rhythm of the Oscar® and Tony®-nominated top 40 score, (the soundtrack album reached number one on the Billboard charts and has sold over 15 million copies!), elevated with dynamic new songs for the stage musical. Packed with a hit score including “Almost Paradise,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “Holding Out for a Hero,” and the iconic title song, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people and guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.
Directed and choreographed by the husband-and-wife team of Bob Richard and Diane Laurenson, who return to TBTS having previously directed and choreographed Chicago, Beauty and the Beast, and West Side Story, with musical direction by Nathan Urdangen, who is making his music directing debut, the cast includes JP Qualters, who will be making his TBTS debut as Ren McCormack, Matthew J. Taylor as Reverend Shaw Moore, returning to TBTS after portraying the role of Billy Flynn in Chicago (2018), and Emma Wilcox, who recently made her TBTS debut as Dyanne in this season’s opening production of Million Dollar Quartet, will be portraying the role of Ariel. Kristen Gehling makes her TBTS debut as Ethel McCormack, with Aimee Doherty returning to TBTS in the role of Vi Moore, after making her debut as Delphinia in Love and Other Fables (2019). James Andrew Walsh, who played George Banks in Mary Poppins returns in the role of Wes Warnicker, with Dawn Taylor making her TBTS debut as his wife Lulu. TBTS Associate Producer Thom Warren, who audiences will remember from Singin’ in the Rain, Newsies, and Beauty and the Beast and Ellen Peterson, who appeared in TBTS productions of Beauty and the Beast, Sister Act, My Fair Lady, and Mary Poppins, will play Coach and Principal Dunbar respectively, and Melanie Souza, who appeared in 9 to 5: The Musical at TBTS, returns in the role of Betty Blast. Other featured performers include Candace Haynes as Rusty, Rebecca Murillo as Urleen, Sami Murphy as Wendy Jo, Ethan James Lynch as Willard Hewitt, and James Oblak as Chuck Cranston. Rounding out the cast are Kyle Braun, Chloe Castellano, Cadence Collins, Jack Gimpel, Ben Horsburgh, Kevin Ivey Morrison, Pablo Pernia, and Blaise Rossmann.
The creative team includes resident scenic designer Kyle Dixon, resident lighting designer Jose Santiago, and resident sound designer, Don Hanna, along with Mikayla Reid (Costume Designer), Owen Smith (Production Stage Manager), and Emily Huber (Assistant Stage Manager). Footloose is being produced for Theatre By The Sea by Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer), Kevin P. Hill (Producing Artistic Director), and Thom Warren (Associate Producer).
Footloose will be presented from June 22 – July 16, with preview performances on June 22 and 23 and opening night scheduled for June 24.
Performances are scheduled for Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm, Thursdays at 2:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 and Sundays at 5:00 pm, with special performance times on Sunday, June 25 at 2:00 & 7:00 pm and a special added matinee performance on Wednesday July 13 at 2:00 pm.
The theatre is located at 364 Cards Pond Road, Wakefield. Tickets for preview performances,
Wednesday, June 22 and Thursday, June 23 are $59, and $61 – $84 for all other performances (additional fees may apply). Discount rates are available for groups of 10 or more by calling (401) 782-3800 x112.
Tickets are on sale at the box office Monday through Saturday from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm and performance days from 11:00 am until curtain, (performance Sundays 12 noon until curtain), online 24-hours-a-day at www.theatrebythesea.com and via telephone during normal box office hours by calling (401) 782-TKTS (8587).
Located on Rhode Island’s South Shore, Theatre By The Sea celebrates 89 years of summer theatre at its best!
Theatre By The Sea has had many incarnations since opening on August 7, 1933. Tommy Brent saved the theatre from demolition in 1967 and ran it successfully until FourQuest Entertainment took over the lease in 1988. Following extensive renovations, FourQuest reopened the theatre in the spring of 1989 and continued producing high quality entertainment at the seaside playhouse until the fall of 2003.
Bill Hanney purchased the property in 2007 and, with producing partners, successfully mounted a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, just six weeks later, reopening the historic theatre on August 8, 2007. Since then, Theatre By The Sea has continued to produce a four-musical subscription season, a late-night cabaret series, a children’s theatre festival, and a children’s summer theatre camp.