Casting by Kristen Long, C. Stefan King, and Glennellen Anderson.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!  We are proud to present to you our official New Orleans Fringe Festival 2014 cast of "The Journey."  Rehearsals will begin taking place next month, and we cannot wait to keep you posted on the process through pictures, videos, and blog posts.  Leading up to the show, we will be introducing you to all of the cast members with a personal post about each one separately.  It will be known as our "Get to know the cast..." feature on the blogsite.

Only one more role has yet to be cast and announced.  We will be making this decision, along with the actor's own special "congrats" post, later this week. 

Congratulations to the performers who will be participating in the show.  And to those of you who are planning to be shining in the audience watching...stay tuned for more exciting details!

Introduction

Official poster and artwork for "THE JOURNEY."
(c) LLF Productions

Dreamers.  Lovers.  Achievers.  Hopefuls.  Losers.

 

Framed by the eclectic sounds of New Orleans,

a mysterious bum takes you inside the lives

of 5 individuals held together by fate.

 

If you look closely, you just might see yourself.

 

We all have a story.  We all have a journey.

We all have a choice.  What's yours?

 

______________________________________

 

"The Journey" is a new indie musical written by Kristen Long and C. Stefan King, along with addition script consultant and co-creator Glennellen Anderson.  It is based on the music of the band Long Lost Friend, and began as an idea crafted together by all three of the creators for the band's performance that was a part of the 2012 Annual Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, AL.

 

 

Long had envisioned a show based on her band's music for several years.  When they came together to do this particular performance, King came to her afterwards and asked, "Have you ever considered turning this into a musical of some sort?"  In fact, yes.  She had.  Coffee shop meetings took place, along with a plethora of drafts for what would finally become the final script.  Over time, the creation of the story came together and it was time the script was read aloud. 

 

In 2013, the first official concert read took place in Gulf Shores.  Anderson, who'd been vocally trained by Long since she was 15, was selected to originate the leading role of Phanny Brown.  Her father, Jerry Anderson, also originated one of the roles and played with the band.  It was a workshop performance, and it was received more than well by the audience.  People who came to see the show were provided not only an opportunity to see the first showcase of the musical, but were also given the chance to voice their opinions and feedback during a "talk-back" session following the performance.  That being said, their compliments and critique were what helped format the next draft.

 

The following year in January, Outré Theatre Company in Miami, FL, produced what would soon be "The Journey's" second concert read.  Sabrina Gore, managing director of the company, directed its debut.  "The Journey has the potential to impact a generation," says Gore.  "Like Hair or RENT in the 90's."  With less than 2 weeks of rehearsal time and a 3-day-weekend run, the show was once again successful.  Not only were audiences passionate about it, but the cast was as well.  This showing featured Florida actors Sharyn Peoples ("Diana" in Slow Burn Theatre Company's production of Next to Normal) and Robert Johnston ("Andrew Jackson" in Outré Theatre Company's production of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson), along with New York equity actor, Edwin Sutton, who brought the storyteller of the show to life.  Glennellen Anderson, who'd worked with Outré Theatre Company alongside Johnston in Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, also returned to portray her role.  More positive feedback and reviews were received after the musical made its premiere in Florida.

 

Over the course of the next several months, more edits were made to the script and the creative team continued to pitch, promote, and share the musical as they continued the search for where "The Journey" would next take place.  The show was eventually submitted to take part in the New Orleans Fringe Festival, a major showcase for all original plays and musicals.  As of this summer, it was selected to be a part of the BYOV (Bring Your Own Venue) listing of shows featured in the festival.

 

A private table read was held in Pensacola, FL, prior to making this exciting announcement.  Several actors who participate in Pensacola Little Theatre were a part of this, including director/actor Stephen C. Lott.   

 

Soon following the read, along with the announcement regarding "The Journey" having been selected to be a featured in Fringe, the creative team held two casting calls.  One took place in Pensacola, while the other took place in New Orleans.  Actors from all over the U.S. also submitted auditions tapes via internet.  Performers from both cities listed above were discovered, and will be taking part in the show's New Orleans Fringe Festival cast.  The cast list will be announced soon.

 

The dates of the Fringe performances are Nov. 22 at 5:00pm and Nov. 23 at 3:00pm, at Café Istanbul located on St. Claude Ave in New Orleans, LA. Tickets will be $8 at the door.  For ticketing information and Fringe wristbands, please visit www.nofringe.org. 

 

To stay updated on further details, please like the official Facebook page for "The Journey" at www.facebook.com/TheJourneyMusical.  Weekly updates will also be made on this blog, and we would love for you to be a part of the journey by following this blogsite, along with the official Instagram account @thejourneymusical. 

 

Stay tuned for more details!  In the meantime, join us as we embark on "the journey..."

(c) Photography by Paden Anderson