The Waynesburg University Players will present “The Drowsy Chaperone” Wednesday, March 21, through Saturday, March 24. The annual spring musical will be held each evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center with a dinner theatre experience offered Saturday, March 24.
Tickets cost $5 for the general public and $3 for Waynesburg University students. To purchase tickets in advance, which is highly recommended, visit waynesburg.ticketleap.com/drowsy.
The dinner theatre will cost $30 for adults, $12.50 for children ages 5 to twelve and $5 for children under the age of 5. Reservations must be made by March 19. Dinner theatre tickets can also be purchased at waynesburg.ticketleap.com/drowsy.
Hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations, the event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Benedum Dining Hall Glass Room with a buffet dinner and a discussion with senior cast and crew members. Coffee and dessert will be held afterwards in the Benedum Fine Arts Gallery featuring a student gallery talk.
“This year’s event gives guests a glimpse into the Fine Arts experience at Waynesburg University,” said Victoria Beppler, associate director of Alumni Relations. “During dinner, senior cast and crew members will share stories from their time in the theatre program, and there will also be an opportunity to hear from art students during dessert.”
According to the show’s synopsis, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record, a cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life as the man in the chair looks on. Throughout the musical within a musical, the story features two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone.
“I saw the original production on Broadway, and it struck me as a great and clever idea for a musical,” said Edward Powers, professor of theatre and director of Waynesburg’s production of “The Drowsy Chaperone.” “I knew then it would be a musical I would do one day.”
In addition to Powers as the director, Dr. Ronda Depriest, professor of music, is the music director and Melanie Catana, assistant professor of music, is the vocal director.
“The Drowsy Chaperone” is the winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score.
The musical has a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and it is produced through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.
“Theatre is an experience like none other,” added Powers. “As actors, we come together to create that live performance; a company, a cast, a group of people that is also unique. Every show, every performance, every night is like no other.”
The cast and crew includes:
MAN IN CHAIR - Ronnie Loebker, senior computer science major from Ripley, Ohio (home school clearing house)
MRS. TOTTENDALE - Joanna Peters, junior human services (education) major from Frederick, Maryland (Covenant Community School)
UNDERLING - Christian Wilson, junior digital design major from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (Jefferson-Morgan High School)
JANET - Denise Branthoover, senior nursing major from Murrysville, Pennsylvania (Franklin Regional High School)
ROBERT - Ed DiOrio, freshman communication (sports broadcasting/information) major from Hunker, Pennsylvania (Hempfield High School)
GEORGE - Jonah Phillip, freshman communication (sports broadcasting/information) major from McMurray, Pennsylvania (Peters Township High School)
FELDZIEG - Matt Colaluca, senior environmental science major from Monaca, Pennsylvania (Central Valley High School)
KITTY - Megan Cook, senior communication (electronic media) major from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania (Montour High School)
DROWSY CHAPERONE - Mandi Pascarella, junior Bible & ministry studies (children & youth) major from Greensburg, Pennsylvania (Hempfield High School)
GANGSTER #1 - Cory Tretinik, freshman communication (electronic media) major from Clarksville, Pennsylvania (Jefferson-Morgan High School)
GANGSTER #2 - Ian Bish, senior nursing major from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (Waynesburg Central High School)
ALDOLPHO - Thomas Faye, sophomore music ministry major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Penn Hills High School)
TRIX - Holly Hendershot, sophomore communication (journalism) major from Manheim, Pennsylvania (home schooled)
SUPERINTENDENT/ENSEMBLE - Michelle Frye, senior advertising major from Carmichaels, Pennsylvania (Carmichaels High School)
ENSEMBLE -
Elizabeth Nicodemus, junior sports management major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (North Hills High School)
Kristina Fisher, junior nursing major from Bridgeville, Pennsylvania (South Fayette High School)
Clare Rainone, freshman art major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Upper Saint Clair High School)
Damian Campbell, freshman forensic science major from Wellsburg, West Virginia (Brooke High School)
Matt Desrosiers, junior criminal justice administration major from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (Waynesburg Central High School)
CHOREOGRAPHER - Tessa Masula, junior English (secondary education) major from Grand Rapids, Michigan (Wellspring Preparatory High School)
STAGE MANAGER - Tre Thomas, sophomore sociology (pre-law) major from Mill Hall, Pennsylvania (Central Mountain High School)
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - Noelle Skoda, freshman communication (electronic media) major from Nottingham, Maryland (Eastern Technical High School)
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - Sami Morad, freshman English (creative writing) major from Glassboro, New Jersey (Washington Township Board of Education)
For specific questions regarding the dinner theatre experience, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 724-852-3256.
For more information about the production, call 724-852-7638.
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is one of only 22 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
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Ashley Wise, Director of University Relations
724-852-7675 or awise@waynesburg.edu
