Gracie and the Atom
April 27, 2010 - May 30, 2010
By McKinley
Directed By Allen Nause

WORLD PREMIERE

A new musical from the popular local singer-songwriter and member of Dirty Martini.  When Gracie loses her father, she is sent off to Catholic school, where Sister Lidwina preaches physics and Sister Francis dissects the Gospels. As she searches for the mother she never knew, her classmates help her with the details of purgatory, Ouija boards, and superhero saints. But nothing in this new territory of protons and prayer can fully prepare Gracie for the new life ahead of her.

Gracie and the Atom received its first workshop production at Artists Rep during the 2008 Fertile Ground New Works Festival and is now making its World Premiere.

Cast

Gracie  Beth Sobo
Angela Brooke Markham
Lauren  Marissa Neitling
Gabriella  Melissa Murray
Christa  Kylie Johnson
Sister Ludwina    Emily Beleele
Sister Francis         Mary Baird

 

 

 

 

Production

Set Designer  Jeff Seats 
Lighting Designer  Jeff Forbes
Sound Designer Rodolfo Ortega 
Costume Designer Darin Puffal
Props Designer  Mina Kinukawa
Stage Manager Toni McDowell-Laney *
Production Assistant     Laura Timm-Kreitzer

 

 

 

 

 

*Member of Actor’s Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

+ Equity Membership Candidate

^ Member Artists Rep Resident Acting Company

SYNOPSIS
Gracie, a high school sophomore and non-Catholic, is sent to an all-girls Catholic boarding school when her father suddently dies.  Having never known her mother, Gracie is alone and confused.  She finds friendship in her classmates, who also help get her up to speed on a lifetime of missing catechism and religious tradition.  In class she struggles to reconcile what she is learning from Sister Francis in Religion class and Sister Lidwina in Physics. While one teaches Archimedes, the other talks of Jesus walking on water.  As she tries to make sense of her new surroundings, she also longs for the loss of her father, and wonders about the identity of her mother.

Recommended for high school and adult audiences.

PLAYWRIGHT
McKinley is a writer, musician and mechanical engineer.  She is a member of the local band, Dirty Martini and is the host of the Discovery Channel show, "Under New York".  Gracie and the Atom is her first musical.

Read The Oregonian's article about "Under New York."

PRODUCTION HISTORY
Gracie and the Atom was workshopped by Artists Rep during the 2009 Fertile Ground New Works Festival.  The script and music are now being refined in preparation for the musical's World Premiere in April 2010. Samples of the music can be heard at http://www.gracieandtheatom.com/. 

PRODUCTION SPONSORS 

Darci Swindells

 Tektronix logo

Columbia Sportswear

  PRESENTING SEASON SPONSOR:
US Bank


The Reviews...
"(The musical) has an intriguing core idea, a lovely pop score, and oodles of intelligence and wit."- The Oregonian.


Purchase tickets now for any 2009/10 show. Click below to purchase online or call the Box Office at 503-241-1278.