“Mamma Mia!” is taking the stage at the South Arkansas Arts Center this summer, and SAAC is pleased to invite the community to meet the directors at a reception on Saturday, April 30 at 6:00 p.m. in the gallery. Sponsored by Murphy USA, “Mamma Mia!” is a jukebox romantic comedy featuring the beloved songs of ABBA, made famous on Broadway and in a hit movie starring Meryl Streep. Set on a Grecian isle and filled with laughs, love, and all the songs you remember, the production is the perfect way to celebrate summer.

Director Cherrie Sciro is the Coordinator of Theatre and a Professor at Louisiana Tech. Additionally, Sciro is known nationally for her Broadway credits, including Production Coordinator of the Tony Award-winning musicals “Cats,” “Les Misérables,” “Phantom of the Opera,” and “Miss Saigon.” She has also served as a stage manager and production manager for various other shows on Broadway, for the 2001 New Year’s Eve in Times Square in New York City, for the Hard Rock Rockfest in Atlanta, and Road Manager for Patti LuPone and Dixie Carter.

Music director for “Mamma Mia!” D.H. Clark says of Sciro, “She is an incredible director who has vast experience. Her insight into character development and staging is second to none. [Cast members] will find this to be not only fun and fulfilling, but also a huge learning experience.”

This is her second time directing the show, the first being at the Strauss Theater Center in Monroe, with Clark as music director. Sciro remarked, “It takes a dedicated person to turn a group of people into an exceptional ensemble,” and she is up for the challenge.

For over fifty years, Music Director D.H. Clark followed a dual career path in medicine and music. He retired from the practice of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2018, but continues to work as a church musician and active community theatre participant.

Clark’s earliest experience with live theatre was sitting in the nosebleed section in 1966 at the St. James Theater in New York while Ginger Rogers “took him to heaven” in “Hello Dolly.” He has been musical director or assistant for “A Chorus Line,” “Shenandoah,” “How to Succeed…,” and many Cottonland Christmas productions at Strauss Theater Center in Monroe.

Choreographer Hannah Marsh is a native of Junction City and is the owner of Lucy’s Ladies Dance Studio in El Dorado. Marsh studied under Cydni Hutson in Homer, LA, for 15 years and was also a soloist in the Twin City Ballet Company. After graduating high school, she spent a year at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, CA. She then signed a contract with Go2Talent agency and started working as a professional dancer. She is now back home in Arkansas, sharing her knowledge and love for dance with El Dorado, including as the choreographer for the South Arkansas Arts Center production of “Singin’ in the Rain” in 2018.

Assistant Director Hannah Davis is an El Dorado native, an 8th grade English teacher at Barton Junior High School, and SAAC drama instructor (among many other things). She most recently directed the youth theatre production of “The Enchanted Bookshop” and co-directed main stage production of “CLUE On Stage.” She has a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Louisiana Tech University, where she studied under director Sciro.

All four of these talented individuals will be on hand for the “Meet the Directors” reception on Saturday, April 30 at 6 p.m., immediately following a quick rehearsal for the upcoming “Mamma Mia!” flash mob at 5:30. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about auditions, scheduled for May 13-15, and the production, scheduled from July 14-24.

For more information about “Mamma Mia!”,  visit the Audition Page or call the SAAC office at 870-862-5474.

MAMMA MIA!
IMPORTANT DATES

Flash Mob Rehearsal April 30, 5:30pm
Meet the Director’s April 30, 6pm
Auditions Friday, May 13, 6pm Arrive early to register.
Auditions Saturday, May 14, 10:30am Arrive early to register.
Call Backs Sunday, May 15, 2:30pm
Rehearsal Begins May 22
Production Dates July 14-17, 20-24