Little Theatre of Fall River Stages "1776" for America's 250th Anniversary

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The Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone musical will be staged at Durfee High School in Fall River.

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Little Theatre of Fall River, the birthplace of theatre on the South Coast, will present 1776, a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone , opening on August 7 at Durfee High School.

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Little Theatre of Fall River celebrates the 250 the anniversary of our nation with a special presentation of the musical, 1776. A nation was born in debate. A story was born on stage. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States, and there is no better time to revisit the fire, friction, and fierce conviction that shaped it all. 1776 returns to remind us that independence wasn't inevitable-it was argued, written, and fought for line by line, vote by vote. From the heated halls of Philadelphia comes a story of compromise, courage, and the messy brilliance of democracy in its earliest form.

The events of the musical 1776 portray the Second Continental Congress, where Massachusetts' own John Adams served on the Committee of Five, charged with drafting and presenting the Declaration of Independence. As Massachusetts was present at the birth of our nation, every community in the Commonwealth should find ways to celebrate this milestone and our unique role in it.

Little Theatre, with the help of the Greater Fall River community, will be one of the first organizations in the city to announce a celebration for and about the people-shedding light on our past in hopes of creating a brighter future. The 1776 team is ready to begin the task of uniting our community through the shared experience of theatre, reaching out to our neighbors to retell the story of the most important event in our nation's history.

Directed by Paula Arruda, with Musical Direction by Bobby Perry, Choreography/ Musical Staging by Elle Gendreau. Scenic Design by David Allen Jeffrey, Costumes by Aaron Gendreau-Visco and Lighting Design by Gary Bigelow

The cast includes: Aaron Gendreau-Visco as John Adams , Kennth McPherson as Benjamin Franklin , Preston DaPonte as Thomas Jefferson , Bill Dennis as John Hancock , David Mello as John Dickinson, David Faria as Edward Rutledge, Greg Silver as Richard Henry Lee, Jerome Larkin as Charles Thompson , Erin Murphy as Abigail Adams , Lilah Gendreau as Martha Jefferson, Rob Campion as Courier, Dan Rezendes as Robert Livingston , Micheal Nogueira as Roger Sherman, Dannis Robinson as Stephen Hopkins, Ron Caisee as Caesar Rodney, Faust Fiore as Lewis Morris & Painter, Steven Chandler as Joseph Hewes, James Wheeler as James Wilson , Jason Gendreau-Visco as George Read, Andrew John as Dr. Lyman Hall, Ken Raposa as Dr. Josiah Bartlett, Robert Moore as Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, Ken Ettress as Andrew McNair, Conor Murray as Col. Thomas McKean , and Nicholas Faria as Leather Apron.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/rhode-island/article/1776-to-Open-at-Little-Theatre-of-Fall-River-Amid-Americas-250th-Anniversary-20260622)._