{"id":220007,"date":"2026-06-16T00:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T00:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/220007\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T00:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T00:46:08","slug":"america250pa-supported-production-of-1776-to-take-the-stage-in-scranton-wyoming-county-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/220007\/","title":{"rendered":"America250PA-supported production of \u20181776\u2019 to take the stage in Scranton \u2013 Wyoming County Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Ray Hopkins as John Adams\" width=\"1536\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WGN-L-1776PIC2-0617.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"381444\" \/>Ray Hopkins as John Adams<\/p>\n<p>Diva Productions at The Olde Brick Theatre, in collaboration with Actors Circle, will present the Tony Award-winning musical \u201c1776\u201d the final two weekends of June at West Scranton Intermediate School, 1401 Fellows St., Scranton.<\/p>\n<p>Performances will be held June 19, 20, 21, and 25, 26, 27, 28; Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>This production brings one of America\u2019s most celebrated historical musicals to audiences in Northeast Pennsylvania as part of the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>This special production has received support through a grant from America250PA, the Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. Notably, this project is the only America250PA grant-supported production in Northeast Pennsylvania selected to help commemorate and celebrate this historic national milestone through the performing arts.<\/p>\n<p>Featuring music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, \u201c1776\u201d brings to life the dramatic debates, sacrifices, personalities, and compromises surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Blending powerful music, humor, and moving storytelling, the production explores the creation of the nation through the eyes of America\u2019s Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others.<\/p>\n<p>The production is directed by Paige Balitski as Artistic Director, with Max Roche serving as Musical Director, Choreography by Mollie Boyd, Stage Manager Andi DeSando, Set Design Nickie Kylie Pimental, and Costumes by Judith Mulder. Community performers and volunteers from throughout the region are participating in the collaborative effort.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis production is more than a theatrical event\u2014it is a regional celebration of American history, civic dialogue, and the arts,\u201d organizers stated. \u201cBeing recognized by America250PA as the only funded project of its kind in Northeast Pennsylvania is an incredible honor and reflects the importance of preserving and sharing our nation\u2019s story through live performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>America250PA was established by the General Assembly and Governor in 2018 to coordinate Pennsylvania\u2019s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States and highlight the Commonwealth\u2019s role in the nation\u2019s past, present, and future. Its Semiquincentennial Grants support community projects, programs, and events that expand participation in the anniversary and help bring the celebration to Pennsylvanians across all 67 counties.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ray Hopkins as John Adams Diva Productions at The Olde Brick Theatre, in collaboration with Actors Circle, will&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220008,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,28,178,180,179,289,2943],"class_list":["post-220007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-things-to-do","tag-wyoming-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}