Tamara Tunie Directs New Musical About Marian Anderson at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Casting Now Underway

A bold and timely new musical is taking shape at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, and casting is actively underway. "Marian: An Original Musical" tells the story of world-renowned contralto Marian Anderson and the landmark 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert that became one of the most powerful acts of defiance and dignity in American history. With first rehearsals scheduled on or about January 26, 2027 and a run extending through March 14, 2027, this production is far enough out that performers, music directors, choreographers, and production staff have a real window to pursue this opportunity. The creative team is assembled, the casting directors are working, and the hiring pipeline is open.

At the helm is director Tamara Tunie, an artist whose career spans decades on both stage and screen. Tunie is perhaps best known to television audiences as Medical Examiner Melinda Warner on "Law and Order: SVU," a role she held for over two decades, but her theater credentials are equally impressive. She has directed and performed on Broadway and in regional theater across the country, and her connection to the musical form gives her an instinctive grasp of this material. The book is co-written by Caleen Sinnette Jennings and Elkin Antoniou G, with Jennings bringing significant academic and theatrical weight to the project. Jennings is a professor emerita at American University and a longtime figure in African American theater, and her dramaturgical sensibility is a strong signal of a production that will take the historical record seriously. Elkin Antoniou G also shares story credit alongside Chelsea Marie Davis, who contributes both music and lyrics. Lyrics are additionally credited to Emily Ruth Hazel, and the music is co-composed with Victoria Theodore, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who has worked with artists including Whitney Houston, Prince, and Stevie Wonder. Theodore's background in gospel, R and B, and live performance suggests the score will carry genuine musical range and emotional depth. A musical director has not yet been named, which means that particular seat is very much still in play.

The producing team is a collaborative mix of institutional and independent theater makers. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival serves as the primary producing house and venue, with Artistic Director Quin Gresham and Executive Director Todd Schmidt lending institutional support. Liquid Theatre Collective, the company co-founded by Elkin Antoniou G and Amy E. Gewirtz, is the originating creative force behind the project, with Co-Founder and Artistic Director Antoniou G and Executive Director Claire Wilkes serving as key producers. Alexa Fleur H is listed as Chief Strategy Officer and Producer of the Creative Process, a designation that speaks to the intentional development structure behind this show. General management is being handled by Catalyst Theatricals, a firm with deep regional and commercial theater experience whose involvement signals a production that is organized, professionally run, and working toward a well-executed opening. Executive Producers Randy Donaldson and Laura Janik Cronin round out the producing credits.

The production will be staged at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's campus in Montgomery, one of the largest and most respected regional theater complexes in the American South. ASF occupies a dedicated 250-acre site within Blount Cultural Park and houses two performance spaces, including the 750-seat Carolyn Blount Theatre, along with full scene, costume, prop, and paint shops on site. For local and regional theater professionals, this is a fully equipped institutional home with a long history of supporting large-scale productions. Montgomery has a modest but committed local theater workforce, and productions at ASF typically draw from across the Southeast and nationally for department heads and design roles. With rehearsals beginning in late January 2027 and performances running through mid-March, the full production window is relatively compact at roughly seven weeks, which is standard for a regional world premiere of this scale.

Casting is being led by Amber Snead, CSA and Chad Eric Murnane, CSA of Murnane Casting, with Joey Casali assisting. Murnane Casting is an active theatrical casting office with credits in regional, off-Broadway, and developmental work, and the presence of two CSA-credentialed casting directors on a regional premiere signals that the producers are taking the talent search seriously and broadly. Performers with classical vocal training, specifically those who can navigate operatic repertoire alongside musical theater styles rooted in blues, gospel, jazz, and big band, should be paying close attention. The score incorporates pieces from Marian Anderson's actual repertoire, meaning the production will require a lead and ensemble with genuine classical range. This is not a standard belt-and-jazz-hands call. Beyond performers, the production will need a full design team including scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers, as well as stage management, wardrobe, and production crew capable of supporting what is clearly a story with significant period design demands. A 1939 Washington, D.C. setting, with the Lincoln Memorial as a central visual element, points to an art department and costume department that will have meaningful work ahead of them.

Productions of this kind, a world premiere musical with a strong social and historical narrative, a well-credentialed director, and institutional backing from one of the South's flagship regional theaters, don't come along every season. The story of Marian Anderson is one that resonates with particular urgency right now, and the creative team assembled here clearly understands both the artistic and cultural stakes. For performers, designers, and production staff who want to be part of something with genuine meaning, this is a project worth pursuing well before the January 2027 first rehearsal. The full listing for "Marian: An Original Musical" is available now on ProductionList.com, where you can find production contacts, casting office information, and updates as the team and schedule continue to develop. Bookmark it, check it often, and move early.

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