The story of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and What Happened on May 31, 1889
MARCH 23-24 & 30-31, 2023
ASHBURN, VIRGINIA
The story of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and What Happened on May 31, 1889
WRITTEN
BY
LILIANA ROSSI & CORINNE FOXDIRECTED BY LILIANA ROSSI & EVAN GORMAN
PRODUCED BY TORIE DUNLAP
STAGECOACH THEATRE COMPANY ASHBURN, VIRGINIA
MARCH 23, 24, 30, & 31, 2023
“Into the Valley Below” takes us to back in time to a small town in Pennsylvania you have probably never heard of: Johnstown. It is a story with themes that still ring true today; how negligence of the few can create irreparable damage to the masses, but also how individual acts of kindness and bravery can protect and empower the vulnerable. “Into the Valley Below” marks the first play that I have produced, and I am thrilled and honored to have been a part of the process.
This production is also the first student-written and student-directed show we have put on at StageCoach. The passion and dedication of our student cast and crew has impressed me from our very first rehearsal. Our team is composed of students from all ends of Loudoun County; from elementary schoolers to high school seniors; from newbies who never stepped on a stage prior to auditions to lifelong actors with professional performing credits to their name. Directors Lily and Evan poured their hearts and souls into every aspect of this show. You will see that our creative team is not afraid of pushing the envelope, taking chances, and dreaming big. They have challenged and inspired me as a producer in ways I could not have imagined, and I can only hope that they have learned at least half as much from me as I have from them.
We at StageCoach are so proud to support this student-led work. The art our creative team, cast, and crew have developed represents the voices of a new generation of artists who are eager to make their mark on the world. And they are a force to be reckoned with. I have complete confidence that “Into the Valley Below” will inspire, entertain, and pull at the heartstrings of each and every one of you in the audience. Thank you for joining us in celebration of the creativity and talent of our students. Now, please allow yourself to be transported back to a very rainy Friday on May 31, 1889, to a little town called Johnstown.
–Torie Dunlap, ProducerThe story of the Johnstown Flood of 1889 is one I will never forget. The ghosts and echoes of the men, women, and children altered that day continue to cry out for justice. For remembrance.
Some say that the “time you truly die” is when someone speaks your name for the last time. This has stuck with me, and it is why the names of these people are so important to me. I refuse to let them die and fade into obscurity.
Every character in this story was either a real person or based on a real person. The names given to each character were their actual names; the names that their loved ones called them, what they scrawled atop schoolwork as children, the names that are forever etched on their tombstones. Their memories live on through me, through this show, and through you. So say their names. Say them out loud. Remember their names and who they were.
It haunts me to know that so many of the flood’s victims were never identified or even found. Often coroners had only an arm or leg to identify. This play is for those we know died, and for those unknown and lost to time.
Remember the Johnstown Flood of 1889.
–Liliana Rossi, Author and Director
Illustration by Richard K. Fox, 1889
SCENES (There will be a 15 minute intermission between acts.)
Location: Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Approx. 60 miles east of Pittsburg.
November 26, 1880
1. “Introduction/At the Dam”
2. “Ruff and Morrell Didn’t See Eye to Eye”
May 31, 1889
3. “May 31, 1889”
4. “Need Some Help?”
5. “Mr. Quinn is Always So Worried About That Dam”
6. “Quinns”
7. “Day Express”
May 30-31, 1889
8. “Up the Mountain”
May 31, 1889
9. “Do You Recognize That Man?”
10. “...---... (SOS)”
11. “Back Up at the Club”
12. “The Destruction of the Day Express”
May 31, 1889
1. “This Is My Last Message”
2. “Climb onto the Roof”
3. “Girl, Run! Now!”
4. “A Night of Ghosts”
5. “Throw That Baby!”
June, 1889
6. “June 1, 1889”
7. “The Beginning of the Rest of Their Lives”
Then, Now, Later
8. “Legends, Stories, and Legacies”
Tragedy / Messenger
Memory / Frank Deckert
John Fulton / Col. Unger
Benjamin Ruff / John Hess
Giovanni the Laborer
Laborers
Izzy Jewell
Heidi Dodd, Natalie Brown (Standby)
Naman Ghadiali
Mason Saunders
Landon Ulrich (3/23, 3/24), Isaac Rossi (3/30, 3/31)
Charles Fisher (3/24, 3/31), Evan Gorman (3/23, 3/30), Kylie Lewandowski (3/30, 3/31),
Kaylee Roderiguez, Mia Salinas (3/23, 3/24), Chris Shuffelton, Sebastian Trujillo, Liam Tully
Daniel Morrell / Dynamite Bill Carrigan Kennedy
Mary Ruff / Jennie Paulson
Susan Morrell / Bess Bryan
James Quinn
Gertrude Quinn
Libby Hipp
Abbie Geis
Damian Quinn
Victor Heiser
George Heiser
Mathilde Heiser
John Parke / Maxwell McCachren
Townie 1
Townie 2
Mr. Bidwell
Hettie Ogle
Telegraph Operator
Marie Quinn
Flood
Sophia Castillo
Madi Saunders
Chris Shuffleton
Tess Will (3/23, 3/30)
Lily Cook (3/24, 3/31)
Emma Nicholson
Claire “Cai” Reeps
Charles Fisher (3/24, 3/31)
Evan Gorman (3/23, 3/30)
Liam Tully
Sebastian Trujillo
Lily Simanski
Mila Krsmanovic
Lily Cook (3/23, 3/30)
Tess Will (3/24, 3/31)
Kaylee Roderiguez
Landon Ulrich (3/23, 3/24)
Isaac Rossi (3/30, 3/31)
Rahmah Hagmagid
Mia Salinas (3/23, 3/24)
Kylie Lewandowski (3/30, 3/31)
Karlyn Medina
Sophia Castillo, Heidi Dodd*, Charles Fisher (3/24, 3/31), Evan Gorman (3/23, 3/30),
Rahmah Hagmagid, Izzy Jewell*, Carrigan Kennedy, Emma Nicholson, Claire “Cai” Reeps, Madi Saunders, Lily Simanski, Sebastian Trujillo
*Tragedy and Memory are part of the Flood Stage Manager until IntermissionStage Manager
Tony Marshak
Lighting Technicians Sarah Chung, Zoe Korff, Aimee Wakefield
Sound Technician
Daniel Prothe
Props Master Emma Simanski
Run Crew Chief
Rahima Hagmagid
Tailors Kati Anderson, Susan Lynch, Becky Will
Carpenter Ben Rossi
Photographers
Ashlee Round, Keegan Sheph
Livestream Manager Terry Smith
Program Design Ben Rossi
Special thanks to:
April Bridgeman, Jerri Wiseman, Terry Smith, Corinne Fox, Paul Simonton, Jeannie DeLisi & Sterling Playmakers, and Stagecoach Foundation, and our families for making this show possible.
Owned and Managed by Jerri Wiseman, Terry Smith, and April Bridgeman
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J u n e 1 2 - 2 3 - S c h o o l o f R o c k f o r a g e s 1 0 - 1 9 ( b y a u d i t i o n )
J u n e 1 2 - 1 6 - D o R e M i M u s i c c a m p f o r P r e K - a g e 6
J u n e 2 6 - 3 0 - A c t i n g C a m p " H a p p y B i r t h d a y , C a p t a i n H o o k " f o r a g e s 1 0 - 1 6
- R i s i n g S t a r s T h e a t r e C a m p f o r a g e s 5 - 1 0
- B r o a d w a y B o u n d M u s i c a l T h e a t r e f o r P r e K - a g e 6
J u l y 3 , 5 - 7 - I m p r o v C a m p f o r a g e s 1 0 - 1 5
- D a i l y T h e a t r e W o r k s h o p s f o r a g e s 1 3 + ( c h e c k w e b s i t e f o r d e t a i l s )
- P l a y i n a D a y f o r a g e s 5 - 1 0
J u l y 1 0 - 1 4 - A c t i n g C a m p " T h e F a i r y G o d m o t h e r C l u b " f o r a g e s 1 0 - 1 6
- J u n i o r I m p r o v f o r a g e s 5 - 1 0
J u l y 1 0 - 2 1 - A c t i n g C a m p " T h e D i a r y o f A n n e F r a n k " f o r a g e s 1 4 + ( b y a u d i t i o n o n l y )
J u l y 1 7 - 2 1 - K i t t y C a t C a p e r s M u s i c a l T h e a t r e f o r P r e K - a g e 6
- L i g h t s ! C a m e r a ! A c t i o n ! C a b a r e t C a m p f o r a g e s 7 - 1 0
J u l y 2 4 - 2 8 - G i f t e d A c t o r s f o r a g e s 1 0 - 1 7 ( b y a u d i t i o n o n l y )
- D i s n e y : T h e M o v i e s - T h e M u s i c C a b a r e t C a m p f o r a g e s 7 - 1 0
- A B a r n y a r d M O O s i c a l M u s i c a l T h e a t r e f o r P r e K - a g e 6
J u l y 3 1 - A u g u s t 1 1 - 9 t o 5 t h e M u s i c a l f o r a g e s 1 4 - 1 9 ( b y a u d i t i o n o n l y )
J u l y 3 1 - A u g u s t 4 - P l a y w r i t i n g f o r a g e s 1 0 - 1 8
- J r R i s i n g S t a r t s T h e a t r e C a m p f o r P r e K - a g e 8
8 - I t ' s a J u n g l e O u t T h e r e M u s i c a l T h e a t r e C a m p f o r a g e s
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Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg
Book by Kyle JarrowThe stakes are higher than ever in this dynamic stage musical, as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Chaos erupts. Lives hang in the balance. And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage. The power of optimism really can save the world!
The SpongeBob Musical is based on the beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg and features a book by Kyle Jarrow, with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics are by Jonathan Coulton, with additional music by Tom Kitt. The musical production was conceived by Tina Landau.
Produced by Jerri Wiseman
Directed by Torie Dunlap and Linda Cirba
Assistant Directed by Heidi Dodd
Performances will be held May 13, 20 and 21 at 2:00pm.
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