THE MEDIA THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST OF 'HEATHERS, THE MUSICAL: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION"

The Media Theatre has "Heathers, The Musical: High School Edition" on stage this summer, every weekend in July.

With a cast of teens directed by Artistic Director Jesse Cline, the show is on Fridays at 7pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm; and Sundays at 3pm July 6-29. GET TICKETS

"Heathers, The Musical: High School Edition" is the darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously handsome new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet… but J.D. has another plan for that bullet. 

The High School Edition of this musical has edited out much profanity, sexual material and innuendos, and the song “Blue” has been replaced by the new song “You’re Welcome”.

The cast list is:

VERONICA SAWYER......CASSIDY ELSE/ CATHERINE HEBERT

JD .....................................LEO KONCOS 

HEATHER CHANDLER......NATALIE DODDS/ GRACE DEL PIZZO

HEATHER MCNAMARA......HANNA MURPHY/ LAUREN CAHOONE

HEATHER DUKE.................ANNA POTSON/ KAITLYN HANRAHAN

MARTHA DUNNSTOCK........ELLA BELLACE/ JOSIE INTHAM

RAM SWEENEY..........JOSH ATKINSON/ NORMAN WEST AS UNDERSTUDY

                            Norman West performs this role on Friday 7/6,  Friday 7/13, Saturday 7/14. 

KURT KELLY.........JACKSON SWEENEY/ NORMAN WEST AS UNDERSTUDY

KURT'S DAD/ COACH RIPPER......CHRIS KOVAKS

BIG BUD DEAN.............................EVAN BRAMLAGE

MS. FLEMING.............................ILENA MITA/ KAITLYN GROSE

VERONICA'S MOM....................SHANNON CLARK/ ALAINA GUO

POLICE WOMEN/ ENSEMBLE............MAYA HSWE,  LAUREN SADDIC 

RAM'S DAD/ VERONICA'S DAD/ PRINCIPAL GOWAN........ROGER RICKER

The following roles are not double cast, but are always in every production:

GEEKS......NORMAN WEST, EVAN BRAMLAGE

PREPPY GIRLS......EMMA BURKE, GWEN GOETZ, MIA GALLAGHER

HIPSTER DORKS.....AMELIA CUSANNO, PAIGE MATTSON, EMILY LLEWELLYN

NEW WAVER........ ...ROYA WOLCOTT

STONER CHICKS......ELLIE SCHREIBER, SARAH BLONAROWYZ

YOUNG REPUBLICANETTES.....MAYA MALOSKEY, NORAH MARTIN

**When not playing role listed with double cast roles, actors appear in the Ensemble**

***Everyone is always in every production***

THE MEDIA THEATRE'S 'VOCALIST' CONTEST ANNOUNCES CONTESTANTS AGES 14-24

You don’t have to go to NYC to find talented young up-and-coming performers. The Media Theatre’s summer contest “The Vocalist” allows local young singers to shine on stage Wednesday nights at 7pm (July 11, 18, and 25). 

The singers are in the age range of 14-24, so the annual competition is very entertaining for audiences, much like the popular national singing contests on television. Produced by Media Music Theatre Co., the weekly showcases provide ample opportunity for the contestants, allowing them a chance to perform for large audiences while honing their skills on Delaware County’s only professional music theater stage.

The contestants have been culled from recent auditions. A winner is eventually announced at the end of the three week competition.

“Audiences will actually get to see each contestant grow,” said Media Music Theatre Co. Artistic Director Jesse Cline. “We also look at this as an educational experience. So, rather than singing one song and leaving the competition, each vocalist has the opportunity to learn a bit more about what it takes to perform in front of an audience on a professional stage.”

Cline, as the one constant judge, is a part of an important process in the competition. He will have an extra category on his ballot that will not appear on the guest judges’ tally sheets. His added category is Individualism, which reflects his connection to the singers each week and his rapport with them following their performances.

Cline said. “There may be a week in which a young singer falters a bit, but I will know what they are capable of and who they are. The Individualism category speaks to the fact that each contestant is unique. Their interests and what is best for them should come first. Each has their own story to tell in their own way.”

The guest judges will mark their ballots in three categories:  Song Choice, Vocal Ability, and Stage Presence. Cline will have those three, plus his extra category. All categories will utilize a 1-10 ranking system, with 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest.

Online voting will take place again this year. As with the judges’ scoring, the online voting will also be accumulated. 

“We value our first-time Media Theatre performers as well as those returning,” Cline said. “To have so many aspiring young vocalists from Delaware County and the Philadelphia region interested in our programs here is a big stamp of approval.”

The top five receive cash prizes. "Vocalist" is sponsored by Iron Workers Bank. For tickets call The Media Theatre at 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org

The 2018 "Vocalist" Contestants are:

Alicia Bartosik, 16, Garnet Valley; Joseph Colasante, 15, Brookhaven; Julia deGruchy, 23, Philadelphia; Shaelyn Rayne Fabik, 18, Drexel Hill; Brooke Falls, 18, Glenolden; Lauren Faulkner, 17, Glenolden; Gigi Furlan, 17, Media; Paul Mariani III, 18, Malvern; Ben Mergott, 17, Swarthmore; Danny Murphy, 19, Havertown; Nicole Salerno, 18, Downingtown; Breanne Sensenig, 21, Mountville; Zagara Sims, 14, Coatesville; Matt Tierney, Delco, 17; John Viggiano, 18, Downingtown; Paul Vink, 16, West Chester; Julia Zane, 16, Glenolden

MEDIA THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2018 'VOCALIST JUNIOR' CONTESTANTS

You don’t have to go to NYC to find talented young up-and-coming performers. The Media Theatre’s summer contest “Vocalist Junior” allows local young singers to shine on stage each Sunday night at 7pm July 8 through August 5.

The singers are in the age range of 7-13, so the annual competition is very entertaining for audiences, much like the popular national singing contests on television. Produced by Media Music Theatre Co., the weekly showcases provide ample opportunity for the contestants, allowing them a chance to perform for large audiences while honing their skills on Delaware County’s only professional music theater stage.

Previous contestant Brynne Washbourne

The contestants have been culled from recent auditions. Even though a winner is eventually announced at the end of the five week competition, no one is eliminated until after week four, when the Top 15 are announced. The Top 15 will then perform during the Finals. 

“Audiences will actually get to see each contestants grow,” said Media Music Theatre Co. Artistic Director Jesse Cline. “We also look at this as an educational experience. So, rather than singing one song and leaving the competition, each vocalist has the opportunity to learn a bit more about what it takes to perform in front of an audience on a professional stage.”

Cline, as the one constant judge, is a part of an important process in the competition. He will have an extra category on his ballot that will not appear on the guest judges’ tally sheets. His added category is Individualism, which reflects his connection to the singers each week and his rapport with them following their performances.

Cline said. “There may be a week in which a young singer falters a bit, but I will know what they are capable of and who they are. The Individualism category speaks to the fact that each contestant is unique. Their interests and what is best for them should come first. Each has their own story to tell in their own way.”

The guest judges will mark their ballots in three categories:  Song Choice, Vocal Ability, and Stage Presence. Cline will have those three, plus his extra category. All categories will utilize a 1-10 ranking system, with 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest.

Online voting will take place again this year. As with the judges’ scoring, the online voting will also be accumulated. 

“We value our first-time Media Theatre performers as well as those returning,” Cline said. “To have so many aspiring young vocalists from Delaware County and the Philadelphia region interested in our programs here is a big stamp of approval.”

The top five receive cash prizes. "Vocalist Junior" is sponsored by Iron Workers Bank. For tickets call The Media Theatre at 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org


The 2017 “Vocalist Junior” contestants are Zaina Alam, 11, of Wallingford; Savi Bell, 11, Lafayette Hill; Avery Staley-Bischoff, 12, Wallingford; Charlie Carroccio, 7, Newtown Square; Cassidy Else, 13, Drexel Hill; Katie Foca, 12, Wallingford; Alex Hamel, 11, Phoenixville; Julia Irizarry, 13, Magnolia, DE; Josie Intham, 12, Media; Krista Jackson, 10, Crum Lynne; Margaux Leicht, 9, Devon; Anne Mesiriak, 12, Pottstown; Ryan Ming, 8, Garnett Valley; Zoe Nesbitt, 8, Drexel Hill; John Paul Ragazonne, 12, Havertown; Caleb Rosenfeld, 9, Wynnewood; Kai Sherman, 12, Wynnewood; Charlotte Taylor, 9, Delco; Amaia Truong, 8, Wayne; Madison Van Horn, 11, Media; Mary Kate Vink, 12, West Chester. 

THE MEDIA THEATRE PRESENTS THEATRE EXILE'S 'TOMMY AND ME' BY RAY DIDINGER AUGUST 8-26

The Media Theatre presents Theatre Exile’s “Tommy and Me” by Ray Didinger. 
The show, directed by Joe Canuso, is on stage August 8-26.

“Tommy and Me” was hailed as “unabashedly sentimental and sincere” by theatre critic Mark Cofta during its premiere at Theatre Exile. The play is an autobiographical account of a seminal time in Didinger’s life as he assists his life-long hero, Tommy McDonald, reach the goal of being accepted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Didinger said, “I heard from many people who did not get to see the play they hoped they would have another chance. Now they do! What is really gratifying, though, is hearing people say they saw the play and want to see it again. And that they are bringing a friend, their Dad, or someone along with them. Even non-sports fans have been touched by the show. It’s a story that makes people feel good and that’s a beautiful thing.”

“Tommy and Me” had its first public reading in May 2015 by Theatre Exile of Philadelphia. The World Premiere was also produced by Theatre Exile under Deborah Block, Producing Artistic Director in 2016. The Media Theatre’s presentation, August 8-26, will be the first time it has appeared in Delaware County.

The play’s writer, Ray Didinger, was a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Bulletin and Philadelphia Daily News for three decades. He was named Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year five times. He was the first print journalist inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. He won six Emmy Awards as a writer and producer at NFL Films. His documentary on the 1960 Eagles championship season won a Telly Award in 2011. He was the 1995 recipient of the Dick McCann Award for long and distinguished reporting on pro football. He is a 2017 inductee to the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. Ray is a graduate of Temple University and a member of the School of Communications Hall of Fame. He has authored 11 books. He is a talk show host on WIP radio and a football analyst on the Comcast Sports Network.  

The show is all about Tommy McDonald, who was born in Roy, New Mexico. He was a wide receiver who was a third-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957. An All-America choice at Oklahoma, he won the Maxwell Award in 1956 as college football’s player of the year. A six-time Pro Bowl selection (1959-1963 and 1966), McDonald played seven seasons with the Eagles (1957-1963), one with the Dallas Cowboys (1964), two with the Los Angeles Rams (1965-1966), and one each with the Atlanta Falcons (1967) and the Cleveland Browns (1968).  Now 82, McDonald currently lives in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

The director of the show is Joe Canuso, the Founding Artistic Director of Theatre Exile who has directed many of their shows including Ideation, Lost Girls, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Annapurna, A Behanding in Spokane, That Pretty Pretty, Mr. Marmalade, Red Light Winter, The Gin Game, Burkie, and Belmont Avenue Social Club, as well as the world premieres of RIZZO, Last Call, Amputation Nation, Cryptome, Big Blonde, Live at the Apollo Diner, The Frankenharry Plays, and Tommy and Me by Ray Didinger. He was nominated by the Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play three times and was named Best Director in 2009 by The Philadelphia Weekly for Blackbird. He was nominated as Best Director for a Phindie Award for The North Plan in 2013 and won in 2015 for Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? He was part of Exile’s Barrymore Award winning ensemble for Glengarry Glen Ross in 2007. And he has performed internationally in London, Prague and throughout Italy.

Bruce Graham was the script consultant for the show. Graham began his career as a playwright at the Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays (PFT) in 1984 with Burkie. Graham became playwright-in-residence at PFT and later served two years as Artistic Director. He has received grants from the Pew Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and was a past winner of the Princess Grace Foundation Statuette. He won the Rosenthal Prize for Coyote On A Fence. He has won consecutive Barrymore Awards for Best New Play (Something Intangible and Any Given Monday) and Chicago’s Jefferson Award for The Outgoing Tide. He is the first American playwright to be invited two years in a row to the Galway Arts Festival, which produced The Outgoing Tide and Stella and Lou. Graham is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  He teaches playwriting and film courses at Drexel University. In the past he has taught graduate level playwriting at University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, and Rutgers. He has conducted playwriting workshops in high schools and colleges across the country.

The cast features Simon Kiley as Young Ray, Matt Pfeiffer as Ray, Frank Nardi Jr. as Young Tommy, and Tom Teti as Tommy.

The artistic team includes Set Designer and Lighting Designer Thom Weaver, Costumer Designer Katherine Fritz, Sound Designer and Original Music Michael Kiley,  Props Master Flora Vassar, Video/Projection Designer Michael Long, and Script Consultant Bruce Graham.

Tickets are $30-40 and are available at mediatheatre.org or by calling The Media Theatre at 610-891-0100. “Tommy and Me” is scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, as well as a Saturday matinee at 2pm, and Sunday matinees at 1pm and 5pm each week August 8-26.

There are special guests hosting a talk-back with the audience at each performance:

Aug. 8 — Dick Vermeil, former Eagles head coach, also head coach of Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams.

Friday, Aug. 10 — Chris Stigall, WPHT talk show host.

Aug. 11 (2 pm) — Gene Collier, author and playwright of The Chief, the play about Steelers owner Art Rooney.

Aug. 11 (7:30) — Jack McCaffrey, Delaware County Daily Times sports columnist, will host.

Aug. 12 (1 pm) — Bill Bergey, former Eagles linebacker.

Sunday, Aug. 12 (5 pm) — Dave Spadaro, Eagles Insider.

Aug. 15 — Phil Martelli, St. Joseph’s University basketball coach.

Aug. 17 — Glen Macnow, 94 WIP Sports Radio Host

Aug. 18 (2 pm)  — Bill Marimow, editor, Philadelphia Inquirer.

Aug. 18 (7:30)  — Phil Heron, editor, Delaware County Daily Times.  Seth Joyner, the former Eagles linebacker, now Eagles Post-Game analyst, will co-host.

Aug. 19 (1 pm) Mark Dianno and Mark Wolpert of the Maxwell Football Club. Tommy was the 1957 Maxwell Club Award winner.  

Aug. 19 (5pm) Chris McDonald, Tommy McDonald’s son.

Aug. 22 — Mike Mayock, NFL Network analyst.

Aug. 24 — Ron Jaworski, former Eagles quarterback and TV Analyst

Aug. 25 (2 pm) Terry Taylor, former Associated Press sports editor. Vai Sikahema, Channel 10 news anchor and former Eagle, will cohost.

Saturday, Aug. 25 (7:30) — Paul Domowitch, columnist and Pro Football Hall of Fame voter.

Sunday, Aug. 26 (1pm) — David Boardman, dean, Klein School of Communications, Temple University.


Sunday, Aug. 26 (5 pm) — Joe DeCamera and Jon Ritchie, WIP sports radio midday hosts.

Sponsored by
Media Real Estate (Title Sponsor)
Fellini Cafe and Ariano's of Media
Bruce & Giuliana Zallie and Zallie ShopRite Supermarkets
NovaCare Rehabilitation
SportsRadio 94 WIP
Spasso Restaurant
M & T Bank

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