CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College Departments of Drama and Music are pleased to present The Fantasticks, the 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones.  The production is a senior thesis directed by Lauren Oswald ‘13. The play will take place in the Tawes Theatre of the Gibson Center for the Arts Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door; reservations, which are suggested, can be made by calling 410-778-7835 or via e-mail drama_tickets@washcoll.edu.  A suggested donation of $1 is requested to help fight hunger in Kent County.

The Fantasticks tells the story of a young couple in love as they deal with the imposing wall that separates them and the feud between their fathers. Oswald notes that, “My favorite kind of theater is that of the simple love story where there is a happy ending.  The Fantasticks begins as such a story and then questions the truth and strength of a happy ending.”    

Originally produced in 1960, the musical, which features such well-known songs as “Try to Remember” and “They Were You,” played for 17,162 performances before closing on January 13, 2002, making it the longest-running production in the history of the stage and one of most frequently produced musicals in the world.  A revival opened at the Snapple Theater Center in New York in 2006, where it continues to run.

The Washington College cast features Val Dunn (Drama/English ’15) as the Mute, Alex Foxwell (Drama/History ’16) as El Gallo, Amanda Peters (Biology ’16) as Luisa, Todd Cooley (English/Music ’15) as Matt, Mike Liberto (Drama ’14) and Matt Ridge (Drama ’15) as the Fathers, Marley Kabin (Drama ’14) as Henry and Samantha Bitzelberge (Drama ’14) as Mortimer.

The Stage Manager is Phaedra Scott (Drama/History’14) and the Assistant Stage Manager is Rachel Dilliplane (Drama’15).  The pianist is Christopher Stokes (English ’13). The set is designed by Amanda Boyer (English/Drama minor ’14), the lights are designed by Lauren Tucker (History ’14), the costumes are co-designed by Nicole Capobianco (Drama/English ’16) and Amanda Varvar (Drama/Music ’15).  Aileen Gray (English ’14) designed the props while Erin Kile (Business Management ’13) serves as the rehearsal crew.

Director Lauren Oswald is a senior double major in Drama and Music and is from Ocean City, Maryland.

The Gibson Center for the Arts is located on the Washington College campus, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown. For more information: http://drama.washcoll.edu/.