Frustrated by life under British rule, John Adams pushes the members of the Continental Congress to consider a bold step—voting for American independence and signing the Declaration that would change history. But winning their support is no simple task. As Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and their fellow delegates debate, argue, and negotiate, they must decide how much they are willing to compromise in the name of freedom—and who that freedom will truly serve. Filled with wit and high-stakes tension, 1776 brings to life the daring spirit and difficult choices behind America’s founding.
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1776
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PRODUCTION TEAM
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Director - Cornelia Hayes Reed
Music Director - Dr. Angela Holt Carlson
Stage Manager - Dana Sorenson
Assistant Stage Manager - Ella Erickson
Scenic Designer - Sophie Fischer
Props Designer - Ethan Koerner
Costume Designer - Marissa Leraas
Makeup Designer - Cloee Reding
Lighting Designer - Drew Schmidt
Master Electrician - Tim Giacobbe
Assistant Master Electricians - Kyra Visser and Maliyha de Boom
Sound Designer - Rae Outland
Dramaturg - Raquel Yoder
Vocal Coach - Cindy Moeller
Choreographer - MacKenzie Russell
Light Board Operator - Lorelai Gerard
Spot Operators - Tim Giacobbe and Maliyha de boom
Sound Board Operators - Rae Outland and AJ Zinn
Run Crew - Addyson Geary and Haylie Tripp
Costume Studio Manager - Marissa Leraas
Box Office Manager - MacKenzie Russell
House Manager - Juleah Brinks -
Joyella Brick
Rebecca De Haan
Sophie Fischer
Austin Lavender
Anna Lawrence
Simon Maggert
Ruth Mattson
Sipho Mzyece
Owen Parker
Andrew Reginald
Logan Thooft
Zach Van Zee
Olivia Van Maaren
Elijah Van Iperen
Isaac Zwiers -
Annika Bonestroo
Abby Bram
Ken Dreher
Rolyn Gardner
David Grandel
Caitlyn Grove
Courtney Haahr
Lauren Kalstrup
Charlee Olson
Clara Poe
Malee Rodenburg
MacKenzie Russell
Julieanna Thomas
Mackenna Thurman
Lilia Twaddle
Emily Vos
Anaka Wede -
Mitchell Ackerman
Connor Bohnenkamp
Cassidy Bos
Sam Chase
Callie Nibbe
Ezekiel Pruitt
Melissa Thompson -
Rae Outland
AJ Zinn -
Abby Bram
Anna Lawrence -
Juleah Brinks
Ellary Carson
Logan Darling
Garrett Gerber
Zeke Stansbery -
Andrew Harper
Hunter Johnson
Braxton Moss
Allyson Taylor
CAST
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John Hancock (President) - Lexi Squier
John Adams (Massachusetts) - Emily Espinoza
Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania) - James Cavanary
John Dickinson (Pennsylvania) - Morgan Leigh Huls
James Wilson (Pennsylvania) - Meredith SundbergThomas Jefferson (Virginia) - Theo Miller
Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) - Anna FrangenbergMartha Jefferson / Robert Livingston (New York) - Maggie Kaup
Abigail Adams / Caesar Rodney (Delaware) - Abbie Jo Segerstrom
Thomas McKean (Delaware) - Annabell Christensen
George Read (Delaware) - Hunter JohnsonEdward Rutledge (South Carolina) - George Livingston
Dr. Lyman Hall (Georgia) - Ashley Montes
Leather Apron / Samuel Chase (Maryland) - Ana Uscanga
Stephen Hopkins (Rhode Island) - Rhea Cutler
Courier / Roger Sherman (Connecticut) - Ruthie Zimmerman
Joseph Hewes (North Carolina) - Evan McCoy
Rev. John Witherspoon (New Jersey) - Allison Sjaarda
Dr. Josiah Bartlett (New Hampshire) - Asemah Bakkar
Andrew McNair (Custodian) - Lydia Cavanaugh
Charles Thomson (Secretary) - Benjamin Geary
Orchestra Personnel
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Haley Jensen - piccolo, flute
Tabitha Sundberg - piccolo, flute, clarinet
Taylor Regier - flute
Allison Sjaarda - oboe, English horn
Meredith Sundberg - clarinet, horn
Adrian Matteson - bass clarinet
Angel Skippings - trumpet
Bradley Lentz - trumpet
Brock Hansen - trombone
Sebastian Vander Zwaag - trombone
Hunter Johnson - euphonium
Carmen Lodewyk - violin
Devon Miller - viola
Asemah Bakkar - cello
Evan McCoy - string bass
Benjamin Geary - percussion
Nathan Jensen - percussion
Kate Noteboom - pianoThank you to Teaching Assistants, Allyson Taylor and Adrian Matteson.
Musical Numbers
ACT I
“Sit Down, John” - John Adams & Congress
“Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve” - John Adams
“Till Then” - John & Abigail Adams
“The Lees of Old Virginia” - Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams
“But, Mr. Adams” - John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston
“Yours, Yours, Yours” - John & Abigail Adams
“He Plays the Violin” - Martha Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams
There will be one ten-minute intermission.
ACT II
“Cool, Cool, Considerate Men” - John Dickinson, Dr. Lyman Hall, Edward Rutledge, Robert Livingston
“Momma, Look Sharp” - Courier, Leather Apron, Andrew McNair
“The Egg” - Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
“Molasses to Rum” - Edward Rutledge
“Compliments” - Abigail Adams
“Is Anybody There?” - John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Thomson
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Musicals are meant to entertain: music, dance, striking design, the full spectrum of emotion. And while this production of 1776 is without a doubt entertaining, it also asks for reflection.
The story is rooted in the past, but the people telling it are not. Our cast is intentionally diverse — primarily composed of women and individuals whose identities would have excluded them from the Continental Congress in 1776 — reflecting America as it is now. We are not asking you to forget that it is 2026. Instead, we invite you to view these events through a 2026 lens. In doing so, we create a purposeful tension between what America was, what it is, and what it strives to be.
1776 is full of questions: Who is America for? What is the cost of independence? In that room, a small group makes monumental choices for countless people. Did they make the right ones?
There’s also an undeniable absurdity: men, sweating through a Philadelphia summer, arguing in a cramped room while shaping a nation. We embrace that ridiculousness alongside their humanity — flawed, passionate, stubborn, and often surprisingly funny.
This production lives in the balance between reverence and critique, humor and gravity, past and present. My hope is that you leave not only entertained, but challenged — to think, to question, and to see both history and our present moment with fresh eyes.
