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The Music Man Staged Reading

Title artwork with the words 'The Music Man' in ice-blue block capitals, centered in a red-rimmed bass drum and surrounded by radiant bands

A live broadcast event!

May 7 & 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Online

Only two chances to catch this exploration of the classic musical!

Con man Harold Hill means to make a quick buck and be on his way, but when he brings music to a small, conservative town, it bursts open the imaginations and hearts of everyone in it  — including Harold himself! This staged reading will investigate the surprising central love story between Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, whose worlds are turned upside down when they find connection in the midst of a glorious upheaval.

"The Music Man offers a spirited and moving look at the way the arts can transform a community.” –Marissa Wolf, Director

About this Staged Reading
This virtual reading will be broadcast live, featuring two performers and an accompanist in the classic workshop format, with scripts on music stands. This is your chance to enjoy a selection of songs and scenes between the romantic leads, as well as some of the fabulous ensemble music. You’ll also enjoy insights on the world of the musical from the artistic team!

The Music Man Staged Reading

  • Book, Music & Lyrics by Meredith Willson
  • Based on a Story by Willson & Franklin Lacey
  • Directed by Marissa Wolf
  • Music Director & Accompanist, Eric Little
  • Stage Manager, Janine Vanderhoff
  • Vin Shambry as Harold Hill
  • Leah Yorkston as Marian Paroo

*The Music Man* Staged Reading

The Cast

Vin Shambry
Harold Hill
Leah Yorkston
Marian Paroo
Eric Little
Accompanist

The Creative Team

Book, Music & Lyrics byMeredith Willson
Based on a Story byWillson & Franklin Lacey
Directed byMarissa Wolf
Music DirectorEric Little
DramaturgKamilah Bush
Stage ManagerJanine Vanderhoff
Video EngineerKatie Cronin
Audio Engineer/MixerSammi Kelly
ASL InterpreterPam Cancel
ASL InterpreterEdwin Cancel

Select Bios

Vin Shambry, Harold Hill

Vin is a published writer, acclaimed storyteller, international actor, and director. Vin performed on Broadway as Tom Collins in Rent and John in Miss Saigon, and toured nationally with RentMiss SaigonHonk, and Big River. He is a resident artist at Artists Repertory Theatre, where his previous productions include A Civil War Christmas(I Am Still) the Duchess of Malfi, and Superior Donuts, for which he won a 2011 Portland Drammy Award for Lead Actor. He has performed with Oregon Children’s Theatre, Staged!, Portland Opera, and CoHo Productions. Vin was voted Portland’s Best Actor by Willamette Week’s Reader’s Poll (2016), has won three Portland Drammy Awards (2011), and has an Audelco Award for Best Actor in a Play for Black Man Rising (2006). Vin has a B.F.A. in musical theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City (2005). Vin is an accomplished writer and acclaimed live storyteller, whose work can be heard on The Moth podcast and at Back Fence PDX. He is also working on a collection of short stories about his childhood.

Leah Yorkston, Marian Paroo
(She/Her)

Leah is thrilled to be back at Portland Center Stage where she was last seen onstage in Sweeney Todd. Other credits include Melancholy Play with Third Rail Repertory Theatre, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with Anonymous Theatre Company, Into the Woods, The Sound of Music and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Broadway Rose Theatre Company, White Christmas with Lakewood Theatre Company, and The Rocky Horror Show with Live On Stage. Leah can also be seen in the Emmy-nominated IFC television show Documentary Now! “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” (Season 3) available on Netflix. See more on her YouTube channel. leahyorkston.com

Marissa Wolf, Director
(She/Her)

Marissa is currently in her fourth year as artistic director of Portland Center Stage, where she launched her first programmed season in 2019-2020 with two world premiere productions and work by notable artists including Lauren Yee, Lee Sunday Evans, and May Adrales. Marissa previously served as associate artistic director/new works director at KCRep and artistic director of Crowded Fire Theater in San Francisco. Select directing credits include Fire in Dreamland by Rinne Groff (The Public Theater; world premiere at KCRep); Man in Love by Christina Anderson and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens (Portland Center Stage and KCRep); 77% by Rinne Groff (San Francisco Playhouse); Precious Little by Madeleine George (Shotgun Players); The Lily’s Revenge (Act II) by Taylor Mac (Magic Theatre); and The Late Wedding by Christopher Chen (Crowded Fire Theater). She’s been nominated for Best Director by Broadway World San Francisco and the Bay Area Critics Circle. Marissa held the Bret C. Harte Directing Fellowship at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and has a degree in drama from Vassar College, with additional training from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Eric Little, Music Director & Accompanist
(He/Him)

Eric is a musician and theater artist from Portland. Past shows at Portland Center Stage include Fun Home, The Last Five Years, and Sweeney Todd.

(She/Her)

Kamilah is a dramaturg, playwright, and educator originally from North Carolina. She holds a B.F.A. in Theater Education from UNC-Greensboro. Most recently, she served as the artistic assistant at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ, and formerly spent several seasons at Asolo Repertory Theater in Sarasota, FL, and Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC.

Janine Vanderhoff, Stage Manager
(She/Her)

Janine is thrilled to be in her sixth season at Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Previous credits at The Armory include: Hedwig & The Angry InchMacbethThe Breath of LifeTiny Beautiful ThingsChristmas Memory/Winter SongWild & Reckless, Lauren Weedman Doesn't Live Here AnymoreThe Santaland DiariesThe Oregon TrailLittle Shop of Horrors, JAW, Great Expectations, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Our Town. Other Portland credits include Portland Opera’s Sweeney Todd (followspot caller); DC Copeland's Play (stage manager/production manager); Portland Playhouse's How to End Poverty in 90 Minutes and The Other Place (stage manager). Touring stage management credits include: The Graduate (starring Morgan Fairchild), CatsThe Vagina MonologuesJekyll & Hyde and Show Boat. While in New York, Janine had the opportunity to work on The Lion King on Broadway, as well as with many Off-Broadway and regional companies. Production management credits include: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for “Democalypse 2012 Republican National Convention” (Tampa, FL); Straz Center (Tampa, FL); The Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA). Proud NYU graduate and AEA member.

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