Cast Announced for Escanaba In Da Moonlight
Shows will be held at the Richland Center City Auditorium on Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $10 with tickets sold at the door. For questions or more information, please email [email protected] or call 608-538-3848. The Community Players are pleased to announce the cast for “Escanaba In Da Moonlight!”
Playing the role of Albert Soady, the father of the Soady clan, will be Gregg Schmitt. Gregg first began taking roles on stage way back in the 1990’s. Since then he’s played Pap Finn in “Big River,” Dr. Treves in “The Elephant Man,” and George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” along with many other roles. He also starred in the independent film “The Lizard of Death,” which was produced locally.
Playing the role of Rueben Soady, the main character who has yet to bag his first buck, will be Matt Roh. Matt’s first role was as Fenris Ulf in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” at UW-Richland. Most theater goers will recognize him from the Community Player’s recent production of “Elf the Musical” where he played Buddy the Elf.
Playing the role of Rueben’s younger brother, Remnar, will be Alex Miller. Alex has many acting credits with several theaters, including the role of Nick in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” for the Baraboo Theater Guild, Jimmy in “Almost, Maine” with the River Valley Players in Spring Green and Stanley Garner in “Caught in the Net” at UW-Richland. Alex has also done improv and other roles with CAB Theater in Baraboo.
Cameron Cormican will be playing the role of the Jimmer, the whacky family friend who was abducted by aliens. Cameron was first on stage as a child in a production of “The King and I.” Since then he has played Carlson in “Of Mice and Men” and Santa Clause in “Elf the Musical.” Most recently, he played Scrooge in the Viroqua Community Theater’s production of “A Christmas Carol,” where he was joined on stage by Escanaba’s Director, Andrew Sharp.
Playing the part of Ranger Tom will be Duane Rose. Duane first got involved in theater when joined the cast of “The Living Last Supper” some years ago, put on by the Ministerial Association. Since then, he has been a theater regular, playing many roles, such as Matthew in “Anne of Green Gables,” Dunois in “Saint Joan” and Aslan in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
Kassidy Mancilla-Young is currently a senior at the Richland Center High School. In the show, she is Reuben’s Ojibwe wife, Wolf Moon Dance. At the high school, Kassidy played Edith Butternut in “Strange Days at Summer Camp.” With the Community Players, she was Marguerite in “Heidi” and Chadwick in “Elf the Musical.”
“Escanaba In Da Moonlight” is a farcical comedy written by Jeff Daniels, of “Dumb and Dumber” fame. It follows the misadventures of the Soady family at their cabin on the opening night of deer hunting in the UP. Strange lights, unexplained transformations and a visit from the DNR are just a few of things they contend with. As well as a lot of hot air!
