SUGARCREEK – Rehearsals are beginning for Ohio Star Theater’s first original production.
Choreography is being developed, costumes fitted, and sets completed for The Road to Damascus: A Musical Journey through the Book of Acts. Artistic Director Tammie McKenzie and her team lovingly created the show to meet the demand for more Bible-based stage experiences after last year’s Sight and Sound production of the musical “Ruth.”
“It was difficult to find work that was being done on a professional level, and it was also difficult at times to secure some of the properties that we were looking at,” said McKenzie. “We had always known that if we wanted to keep doing the kind of entertainment that we were doing that we were eventually going to have to create a writing team and write our own work, so that’s what we ended up doing.”
The Road to Damascus focuses on the transformative story of Paul, formerly known as Saul, from a zealous persecutor of Christians to a devoted follower of Christ. Returning cast member Joseph Sheridan is the stage manager and helped develop the script.
“How we chose to focus it was to really think about what parts of this story really showcase the most dramatic impact on all of these individuals and give the audience a window into what it must have been like to be an early leader in a world-changing time.”
After auditioning well over 2,000 actors, the team has settled on a cast with plenty of other familiar faces, including Logan Harper as the main character.
“Thirteen of the actors are from the 2024 cast of ‘Ruth,’ and an unusual thing this year is we have somebody coming from Australia. She has dual citizenship. We met her at the New York audition, and we hired her. We have local people in the show, people who live in Sugarcreek, and then people as far away as Australia.”
Other returning favorites from past Ohio Star Theater Performances include Olivia Morey, Rachel Gardner, Lindsey Peters, Kyle Miller, Annie Heartney, Matthew Dugan, Micah Wiese, Jesse Oyster, Stephen Bundy, Chandler Talkington Fletcher, Emily Palmerchuck, and Austin Wall. Also, back by popular demand are Humphrey the Camel and friends from Sunset Acre Farms.
“It’s funny the expectation for live animals,” said McKenzie. “We’ll have people call the box office, and the first thing they ask us is, ‘Are there going to be live animals in the play?’ So they really want to see live animals.”
The show features an original music score composed by Steve Parsons accompanied by lyrics written by Ellie Zumbach, another returning cast member.
“It’s something that feels familiar and is soaring and has a lot of moments for the actors to really intimately connect with the audience,” said Sheridan.
“I think the music is going to feel familiar to the audience because it’s built just like music in the church,” McKenzie added. “It’s music that I think any churchgoer would feel very comfortable listening to.”
Others working behind the scenes include costume designer Jasen Smith and Production Manager Bart Cannizzaro.
“Our production manager designed the show, and that was another time-consuming process because he had to figure out how we can get from one scene to another quickly in a scene change,” McKenzie explained. “There are some challenges in the story like one of the scenes is Paul being taken down a wall to get him out of the city.”
The Road to Damascus premieres on May 14th and runs through November 4th. For show times and ticket information, visit ohiostartheater.com.