Porthouse Theatre, the outdoor, professional summer stock theatre located on the grounds of Blossom Music Center, closes its 2012 season with the Rodgers and Hammerstein favorite 鈥淭he Sound of Music.鈥� Evening performances are July 27-28, July 31, Aug. 1-4 and Aug. 7-11 at 8 p.m., as well as 2 p.m. matinee performances on July 29, Aug. 5 and Aug. 11-12. For tickets, call 330-672-3884 or visit;
Many people know this uplifting family tale through the Oscar-winning film starring Julie Andrews, but the original Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical is no less celebrated and timeless. With songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the musical book is written by the writing team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, while Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay. The musical originated with the book 鈥淭he Story of the Trapp Family Singers鈥� by Maria von Trapp. It contains many popular songs, including 鈥淓delweiss,鈥� 鈥淢y Favorite Things,鈥� 鈥淐limb Ev'ry Mountain,鈥� 鈥淒o-Re-Mi,鈥� 鈥淪ixteen Going on Seventeen,鈥� 鈥淭he Lonely Goatherd鈥� and the title song.
The production is directed by Terri Kent, the theatre鈥檚 well-known artistic director whose work at Porthouse Theatre includes this season鈥檚 鈥淒amn Yankees鈥� and previous years with 鈥淐hicago,鈥� 鈥淏ye Bye Birdie,鈥� 鈥淭he Music Man,鈥� 鈥淒ames at Sea,鈥� 鈥淎nnie Get Your Gun鈥� and 鈥淥klahoma!鈥� Most recently, Kent directed 鈥淎 Chorus Line鈥� at 麻豆果冻 and 鈥淨uilters鈥� at Weathervane Theatre in Akron. Kent, who is a full professor, also serves as the coordinator of the musical theatre program for the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State.
Kent teams up with Music Director Jonathan Swoboda, who often serves as a featured keyboard artist for Mannheim Steamroller. Swoboda has served as music director for more than 75 theatres and touring companies. He also served as resident music director at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in California. He is currently on faculty at Kent State鈥檚 School of Theatre and Dance.
MaryAnn Black, Porthouse Theatre鈥檚 assistant artistic director, serves as choreographer.
Production Stage Manager Lizzie Robinson has worked at Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Play House and Shakespeare Theatre Company鈥檚 Academy in Washington, D.C.
The production team is made up of Kent State alumni all coming back to their alma mater. Scenic design is by Nolan O鈥橠ell, who lives in Florida and works at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts; lighting design is by T.C. Kouyeas Jr., who is now a professor at Frostburg State University in Maryland; costume design is by Sarah Russell, who serves as faculty at Ashland University; and sound design is by Brian Chismar, a recent Kent State graduate of the School of Theatre and Dance theatre technology program.
The cast is made up of 26 actors, four of them members of Actors鈥� Equity Association*, not to mention an ensemble of sisters made up in part by the Porthouse Theatre College Academy members.
Kayce Cummings* of Nashville, Tenn., stars as Maria. Audiences will remember Cummings as Annie from 鈥淎nnie Get Your Gun,鈥� Marian in 鈥淭he Music Man,鈥� Maria in 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� and Laurie in 鈥淥klahoma!鈥� Cummings worked for Walt Disney Productions where she played such parts as Belle in 鈥淏eauty and the Beast鈥� and on such shows as 鈥淪aved by the Bell.鈥�
Larry Nehring* of Cleveland, stars as Captain Georg von Trapp. He is an area actor, director, choreographer and sign interpreter. Most recently, he was seen in 鈥淪eafarer鈥� at Dobama Theatre. He has performed all around Cleveland and Akron.
Lisa Kuhnen* of New York, N.Y., plays Elsa. Lisa has been seen in numerous productions at Porthouse Theatre. She appeared in the national tour of 鈥淐ats鈥� and also has performed at Cleveland Play House, Great Lakes Theater, Carousel Theatre and Syracuse Stage.
Eric van Baars* of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, as Max. Van Baars is well-known to Porthouse Theatre audiences having starred as Applegate in 鈥淒amn Yankees,鈥� as 鈥淭he Music Man,鈥� Felix in 鈥淭he Odd Couple,鈥� Herod in 鈥淛esus Christ Superstar,鈥� Will Parker in 鈥淥klahoma!鈥� and so many more. He also has appeared at Radio City Music Hall, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Walnut Street Theatre, St. Louis Repertory Playhouse and Beck Center for the Arts.
Porthouse Theatre features free parking and allows patrons to bring in picnics (including alcohol) to its grounds to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which is located next to the theatre grounds. A covered picnic pavilion is available for reservation at $2 per person or free for subscribers and is based on availability. There also is a concession stand of light snacks and beverages. Many picnic tables are available for everyone鈥檚 enjoyment at no cost.
Porthouse Theatre is located on the grounds of Blossom Music Center at 1145 W. Steels Corners Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Single tickets range from $25 to $33 for adults and seniors and $17 to $20 for students. The box office is located in Kent State鈥檚 Music and Speech Center on the corner of Main Street and Horning Drive in Kent, Ohio. The box office accepts personal checks, Visa, MasterCard and Discover.
Tickets also are available by calling 330-672-3884 or 330-672-2497, Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by visiting purchase online. Special rates for groups of 20 or more are available, as are student rates.
For more information, visit .
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Photo Caption:
Porthouse Theatre鈥檚 final production in its 2012 season is the Rodgers and Hammerstein family favorite 鈥淭he Sound of Music鈥� featuring Kayce Cummings as Maria and Larry Nehring as Captain Georg von Trapp. Also pictured (left to right) are Courtney Nelson (Louisa), Lucy Anders (Liesl), Cameron Nelson (Brigitta), Carly Nelson (Gretl), Cassidy Nelson (Marta), Cameron Howard (Friedrich) and Sam Culver (Kurt).
Photo Note:
Additional digital Images are available by contacting Effie Tsengas at etsengas@kent.edu.
Media Contacts:
Effie Tsengas, etsengas@kent.edu, 330-672-8398
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595
