CCM’s Season-Opening Coram Boy Begins Previews 10/26

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) launches its 2011-12 Mainstage Series with a powerful tale of a bygone era, Helen Edmundson's Coram Boy. This fascinating intertwining of drama and music runs from Oct. 26 (preview) through Oct. 30 in Patricia Corbett Theater on the University of Cincinnati campus.

Coram Boy is based on a children's novel of the same name written in 2000, but its scope is more reminiscent of Charles Dickens' storytelling: it is an insightful, sweeping, heart-piercing view of the 18th century. This epic thriller centers upon the Coram Foundling Hospital, an orphanage created at the dawn of entitlements in the Age of Enlightenment. The hardships of the children of the time, the deceit of the men who attempt to take advantage of the system, and the love and compassion of a society all combine to create the epic adventure that is Coram Boy. The play also utilizes excerpts from Handel's Messiah, features 16 children from the Cincinnati Children's Choir and requires every actor onstage to sing.

Director Richard E. Hess is excited to tackle the many challenges that come with Coram Boy. "I love big sprawling stories, and this title is perfect for a conservatory. It is impossible to stage, full of challenges and should not be approached by the faint of heart theatrically- and we're doing it anyway," says Hess. "There's music, dancing, births and deaths, rich and poor, orphans and families, all in juxtaposition." However, this friction is exactly what makes this play interesting. "It is a bit of a mash-up in styles. When you read it, it feels like a Dickens thriller. And yet, it's set in 1750, not 1880. Then we add Handel's music, a hero, a heroine, a villain, trials and tribulations, danger, violence, and redemption, and you have the perfect recipe for a melodrama. Coram Boy is unlike anything else."

Although this vast play was nominated for six Tony Awards, for many in the Greater Cincinnati area, this is the first encounter with Coram Boy. Hess finds this exhilarating. "We love seeing stories we already know and we love sequels because the familiar is comfortable. However, isn't it exciting to sit down with an audience and hear about a time, a place and a story you've never encountered?"

Tickets & Parking Information

Tickets to Coram Boy are $27 matinee/$29 for adults, $17 matinee/ $19 for students, and $11 for all audiences for the preview performance on October 26. Parking is available in the CCM Garage (at the base of Corry Boulevard off of Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. For complete ticket and parking information, visit ccm.uc.edu or call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.

Coram Boy Cast List:

Bennett Bradley Mrs. Lynch Senior from Morehead, Kentucky

Bailie Breault Isobel Ashbrook Sophomore from Salt Lake City, Utah

William Brown Meshak Gardiner Sophomore from Asheville, NC

Cameron Jamarr Davis Doctor Smith Senior from St. Louis, Missouri

Mack Harden George Frederick Handel Senior from Denver, Colorado

Claron Hayden Otis Gardiner Senior from Owensboro, Kentucky

Brynn Langford Mrs. Hendry Junior from The Woodlands, Texas

Graydon Long Sir William Ashbrook Senior from Perrysburg, Ohio

John Patrick Maddock Thomas Ledbury Sophomore from Arlington, Texas

Molly Massa Mrs. Milcote Junior from Baltimore, Maryland

Clifford Nunley III Mr. Claymore Junior from Houston, Texas

Ty Olwin Alexander Ashbrook Junior from Boulder, Colorado

Callie Schuttera Melissa Milcote Junior from Maineville, Ohio

Hope Shangle Lady Ashbrook Senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan

Shaun S. Sutton Toby Freshman from Overland Park, Kansas

Sarah Vargo Miss Price Sophomore from Mansfield, Ohio

John Garrett Walters Aaron Dangerfield Sophomore from Frankfort, Kentucky

University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

MAINSTAGE DRAMA SERIES

CORAM BOY

By Helen Edmundson

Music by Adrian Sutton

Adapted from the novel by Jamila Gavin

Richard E. Hess, director

Performance Dates:

Oct. 26-30

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m. (preview)
Thursday, Oct. 27, 8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 29, 2 & 8 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 30, 2 p.m.

Location:

Patricia Corbett Theater, College-Conservatory of Music

University of Cincinnati

Tickets:

$11-all audiences, Oct. 26 preview only

$17 matinee, $19 evening-students

$27 matinee, $29 evening-general public

$11 student rush tickets available for Sat. matinee beginning at 1 p.m. on Oct. 29

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy's

All event dates and programs are subject to change. For a calendar of events or

to view CCM's 2011-2012 Mainstage Performance brochure visit our website at ccm.uc.edu.