Taking on John Adams in 1776

Good God! As I mentioned in my first blog post, I have been given the amazing opportunity to portray the role of John Adams in the ECU/Loessin Playhouse production of 1776 (Visit this site for more information on tickets (prices and purchasing), times & dates, and other info). Let me just say, wow. Wow to a lot of things, in fact.

Wow (1) - Wow, what an amazing show. I first saw the movie version of this show back in high school and fell in love. I was a big ole' history nerd back in high school so when that was presented in musical format I was undeniably digging it (and hey, the book is so good that we'll ignore the historical inaccuracies for a while, yeah?).

A look into rehearsals for 1776.  

Pictured: Donald Sutton (John Adams) delivering the opening monologue

Wow (2) - Wow, what an amazing role. I knew this was what I wanted to shoot for as soon as I heard a year ago that the show was going to be put on, and I feel so unbelievably lucky that I was given the opportunity to take it on. Every night that I get to step into Adams's shoes and work towards seeing the world through his eyes is a blessing. Through this process alone I feel I've grown so much as an actor and I can't wait to show an audience exactly what this role means to me in just a few short days.

Wow (3) - WOW, what a marathon to run. The intense focus alone that is demanded by the script is unlike any show or role I've done before, not to mention the fact that Mr. Adams tends to get very passionate very often and keeps his time offstage for this near 3 hour show to a minimum. But what a marathon to run! I love putting my all into this show and feeling like I've really given it my all at the end of the night.

All together, this has been such a wonderful experience thus far and the talented people that have all come together to put it up have created one heck of a show for all who want to enjoy it (and I hope that includes you).

For now I've got to make it to our first dress rehearsal of tech week, but you should click on one of the articles below for a more in-depth look on the process, the show, and more! Whoo!

 

The East Carolinian, Article on Donald Sutton

The Daily Reflector, Article on 1776