Oklahoma’s world premiere musical, "Pryor Rendering" announces director, actors

Oklahoma City & Tulsa, Oklahoma – New York based award-winning director Stephen Nachamie has been selected as the director for the Oklahoma world Premiere musical, Pryor Rendering. He most recently served as the Associate Director to Scott Ellis for this season’s Tony^© nominated, 2016 Best Musical Revival, She Loves Me.

Nachamie will work with two of Oklahoma’s regional theatres, and the creative team of Shawn Churchman (book) and Frank G. Schiro (music and lyrics), to develop and launch the world premiere of the new musical, Pryor Rendering. Oklahoma audiences remember Churchman and Schiro for last fall’s world premiere of Twice Upon A Birthday, Tulsa Opera’s Traveling Opera.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Oklahoma author, Gary Reed, Pryor Rendering is the story of Charlie Hope, a young boy who was born on the pool table of his grandfather’s bar. It is a haunting and inspiring musical of faith, family, friendship, and the moment you realize you’re not alone. It is a story of coming of age and coming out in 1960s rural Oklahoma.

Pryor Rendering is populated with a cast of warm and eccentric characters. It powerful message of acceptance reminds us all that love is love. The creative team has a Kickstarter campaign to help launch this important new work and introduce LGBTQ teens to theatre and resources in their communities. (www.kickstarter.com – Pryor Rendering).

At home directing both play plays and musicals, as well as new work and classics, Nachamie’s New York credits include: Animals Out Of Paper (Hudson Stage Co.), Buyer And Cellar, (Penguin Rep) and Foreverman (NYMF- New World Stages Award). Regionally he won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Musical with A Chorus Line (Olney Theatre).

Other directing credits include The Whipping Man (Omaha Playhouse), Hello Out There (Goodspeed New Musicals Festival), and the movie, Winning New York, (Screenplay/Lyrics by Christine Toy Johnson and Music by Bobby Cronin). Winning New York won the Audience Choice Award at the NewFilmakersNY Festival.

The world premiere tour of Pryor Rendering is being co-produced by CityRep in Oklahoma City, OK the American Theatre Company in Tulsa, OK, and the producing team of Churchman, Schiro and Sue Marinello from New York.

Oklahoma native and Broadway actress Stacey Logan (Sweet Smell Of Success, Beauty And The Beast, and Hal Prince’s Candide) will play Ida, Charlie’s tormented mother.  CityRep audiences will remember her from Next To Normal and August Osage County. She will be joined on stage by award-winning artists Linda Kay Leonard (Broadway National Tours of Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Menopause The Musical and Hal Prince’s Showboat); Ben Hall (CityRep’s August Osage County, and Biloxi Blues); and Terry Runnels (Broadway’s Zorba and Broadway tours Annie and The Sound Of Music).

Making their CityRep and American Theatre Company debuts are Mark Jammal (New York Musical Theatre Festival Kissless) and Tanner Rose (The Oklahoma City Philharmonic Christmas Show with Beth Leavel & Michele Ragusa) as Charlie Hope. Jammal is a senior in the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre at the University of Oklahoma, and Rose is a recent graduate of the program. Both have worked on the development of the new musical Pryor Rendering since December.

Previews for Pryor Rendering begin Friday, September 30, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at CityRep in Oklahoma City. Opening night in OKC will be Saturday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. Additional performances in OKC include October 1, 2, 8 and 9 at 1:30 p.m. and October 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. Pryor Rendering will open in Tulsa, OK on Friday, October 14 at 8:00 p.m. at the American Theatre Company.

For more information, visit www.PryorRendering.com.

The Gayly – July 5, 2016 @ 8:20 a.m.