1776
1990 · Jacksonville Theatre Guild
1776 — book by Peter Stone, music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards — is the Tony Award-winning musical that dramatizes the weeks leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the sweltering summer of 1776, John Adams of Massachusetts pushes a divided, reluctant Continental Congress toward a vote for independence, joining forces with the wry Benjamin Franklin and the young Thomas Jefferson while the clock, the British, and the delegates' own quarrels work against them. By turns funny, stirring, and quietly devastating, it turns a roomful of arguing politicians into the founding of a nation.
Ken Bradbury directed the Jacksonville Theatre Guild's 1990 production and also stepped onstage in it himself, playing Benjamin Franklin. It was a true family-and-community effort: Keith Bradbury played John Adams, and the Bradbury name turns up again among the set builders and costumers. The original program for this production is preserved courtesy of the Ken Bradbury Foundation.
Cast
- President John Hancock — Bill Nicol
- Dr. Josiah Bartlett (New Hampshire) — Greg Bergschneider
- John Adams (Massachusetts) — Keith Bradbury
- Stephen Hopkins (Rhode Island) — Jim Burke
- Roger Sherman (Connecticut) — Todd Smith
- Lewis Morris (New York) — Joe Jackson
- Robert Livingston (New York) — Devan Robinette
- Reverend Jon Witherspoon (New Jersey) — Michael Gross
- Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania) — Ken Bradbury
- John Dickinson (Pennsylvania) — John Carpenter
- James Wilson (Pennsylvania) — Erin Murphy
- Caesar Rodney (Delaware) — Henry Aldridge
- Colonel Thomas McKean (Delaware) — David McFadden
- George Read (Delaware) — Ron Flynn
- Samuel Chase (Maryland) — Mark Burnette
- Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) — Craig Dunham
- Thomas Jefferson (Virginia) — Marc Blakeman
- Joseph Hewes (North Carolina) — Prentice Southwell
- Edward Rutledge (South Carolina) — Greg Floyd
- Dr. Lyman Hall (Georgia) — Don Rigor
- Charles Thomson, Secretary — Vernon Vincent
- Andrew McNair, Custodian — Jacob Gent
- Abigail Adams — Stephanie Smith-Jarratt
- Martha Jefferson — Pam Coleman
- Courier / Painter — Doug Cormeny
- Leather Apron — Ron Long
Production Staff
- Director — Ken Bradbury
- Musical Director — Phil Gregory
- Orchestra — Elizabeth Bernanek (violin), Lee Anne Dunham (piccolo, flute), Dennis Marcotte (flute, clarinet), Cassandra Lackey (clarinet), Michael Withrow (trumpet, flugelhorn, horn & piccolo), David Zink (trombone & tuba), Kurt Heller (percussion), Shane Denney (percussion), Steve Schnake (bass) & Marcia Forman (piano)
- Production Coordinator — Sylvia Burke
- Stage Managers — Tonna & Ron Long
- Vocal Consultant — Julie Walker Hood
- Set Construction and Design — Rob Shaffer
- Set Builders — Greg Floyd, Greg Bergschneider, Chuck West, Joe Jackson, Jim Burke, Doug Bradbury, Sandy Bergschneider, Peg Ratliff, Keith Bradbury & Craig Dunham
- Props — Peg Ratliff & Pam Coleman
- Costumes — Sandy Bergschneider, Debbie Middleton, Patty Clinton, Kathy Denney, Nancy Bradbury, Liz Aldridge, Sabrina Todd & Tonna Long
- Publicity — Ken Bradbury & Jay Jamison
- Program — Helen Ronat
- House — Liz Aldridge
- Lobby Board — Edie Davis
- Lighting Design — Ken Bradbury & Greg Floyd
- Lighting Technicians — Daniel "Doc" Holloway, Jim Butterweck & Jeff Westerfield
- Tickets — Judy Driver & Mary Sager Mullgardt
- Marquee — Sylvia Burke
See the full production record at JTG Memories.