(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical, from April 1 through May 2, 2026. It brings the story behind the creation of the Declaration of Independence to the stage with witty satire, compelling drama, and a thrilling score. With music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone, 1776 follows John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and their fellow delegates as they navigate fiery debates, political tensions, and personal conflicts in their struggle to unite thirteen colonies.
Directed by Paper Mill Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee, 1776 will star Will Blum (Beetlejuice) as John Adams, John Treacy Egan (Clue and Sister Act at Paper Mill, Just in Time) as Benjamin Franklin, Edward Watts (Scandalous) as John Dickinson, James Moye (Come From Away and Bull Durham this season at Paper Mill, Tootsie) as John Hancock, Elena Shaddow (Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music at Paper Mill, The Bridges of Madison County) as Abigail Adams, Michael Burrell (Austen's Pride First National Tour) as Thomas Jefferson, Jonathan Young (Les Misérables National Tour) as Edward Rutledge,Bryant Martin (Desperate Measures) as Richard Henry Lee, Liz Leclerc (Anything Goes at Pittsburgh CLO, Paper Mill's Summer Conservatory alum) as Martha Jefferson, and Praise Oranika (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at Idaho Shakespeare Festival) as the Courier.
The cast will also feature Joey Birchler as Lewis Morris, Jonathan Chisolm as Samuel Chase, Peyton Crim as Col. Thomas McKean, Aaron De Jesus as Robert Livingston, Sam Faustine as Dr. Lyman Hall,Philip Hoffman as Stephen Hopkins, Alec Ludacka as James Wilson, Kruz Maldonado as Leather Apron/Painter, Tuck Milligan as Andrew McNair, Stanton Morales as George Read, Jay Russell as Caesar Rodney, Bryan James Seastrom as Dr. Josiah Bartlett, Paul Slade Smith as Rev. John Witherspoon, Graham Stevens as Joseph Hewes, Price Waldman as Charles Thomson, and Branch Woodman as Roger Sherman. Understudies are Noah LaPook and Claire Leyden.
The creative team for 1776 also includes Nancy Renee Braun (musical staging), Jillian Zack (music direction), Kevin Rupnik (scenic design), Leon Dobkowski (costume design), Amith Chandrashaker (lighting design), Matt Kraus (sound design), Kelly James Tighe (scenic coordination & additional design), Ashley Rae Callahan (hair & wig design), and Rick Sordelet (fight choreography). Casting is by The TRC Company. Gary Mickelson is the Production Stage Manager.
Tickets to 1776 and other shows in the 2025 – 2026 season can be purchased at www.PaperMill.org, by calling (973) 376-4343, or at the Millburn box office. The theater is located at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, New Jersey.
This production of 1776 is licensed by Music Theatre International.
1776 is generously supported at the Signature level by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, with additional funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The GenWealth Group serves as the Opening Night Sponsor for the 2025–2026 season. Paper Mill Playhouse's accessibility programs receive generous support from The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Fund for the New Jersey Blind, and the Michael J. Kosloski Foundation. Major funding for Autism-friendly programs is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the Karma Foundation and Orange Orphan Society. The Hearst Foundations serve as Paper Mill's Education & Outreach Partner.
AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at 1:30pm and Sunday, April 26 at 1:30pm.
OPEN-CAPTIONED & ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Saturday, April 28 at 1:30pm and Sunday, April 26 at 7:00pm.
STUDENT MATINEES are scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 11:00am, Wednesday, April 29 at 11:00am, and Thursday, April 30 at 11:00am.
WILL BLUM (John Adams) Broadway: Beetlejuice, Torch Song, School of Rock, The Book of Mormon, and Grease. Off-Broadway: Kowalski. National Tours: Stephen Sondheim's Company, Cinderella, Elf: The Musical, Hair, Grease, and Seussical. Regional: The Comedy of Errors (The Old Globe), Amadeus (Cleveland Playhouse), Sunday in the Park with George (CCAE, Craig Noel Nominee), Harmony (Alliance, Ahmanson Theatre), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Paper Mill Playhouse, Philadelphia Theatre Company), Jesus Christ Superstar (Pittsburgh CLO). As a director: the Off-Broadway premiere of Pedro Antonio Garcia's The Witness Room(AMT), Nick Blaemire's new musical Soon (East Village Basement). BFA - The Boston Conservatory. IG: @willblum
MICHAEL BURRELL (Thomas Jefferson). Paper Mill debut! Tour: Austen's Pride (first national, Stages St. Louis), An American in Paris(Théâtre du Châtelet, Broadway Asia). Regional: The Rocky Horror Show (Bucks County Playhouse), Joseph... (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Sunset Boulevard (ACT of Connecticut), The Full Monty(Transcendence Theatre Co.), Beauty and the Beast (Olney Theatre Center), Shrek: The Musical (Craft Productions); Beauty and the Beast(TUTS); Hair (Geva Theatre Center); Meet Me in St. Louis (Muny), Amazing Grace (Washington, DC). TV: "The Gilded Age" (HBO). BFA, Texas State University. www.michaelburrell.com, @michaelpburrell
JOHN TREACY EGAN (Benjamin Franklin) is excited to return to Paper Mill with this production. He has appeared here in Lend Me a Tenor, A Comedy of Tenors, Oliver!, The Producers, Sister Act, and Clue. Broadway: Just in Time, My Fair Lady, Casa Valentina, Nice Work..., Sister Act, The Little Mermaid, The Producers, Jekyll & Hyde, Bye Bye Birdie. Television: "Your Friends and Neighbors," "And Just Like That," "Gotham," "Younger," "The Good Wife," "The Knick," "Boardwalk Empire," "Nurse Jackie," "30 Rock." officialjohntreacyegan.com
LIZ LECLERC (Martha Jefferson) is thrilled to return home to Paper Mill Playhouse for 1776! Select credits: Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt), Titanic (Kate McGowan), Lerner and Loewe's Camelot(Nimue, u/s Guinevere), Disney's Frozen (Queen Iduna, u/s Anna), The Sound of Music. Recording: MTI's Licensing Reference Recording for Disney's Frozen: The Musical (studio cast). Carnegie Mellon University (BFA Acting/Music Theater) and LAMDA. Liz is a proud alumna of Paper Mill's Summer Conservatory. www.lizleclerc.com
BRYANT MARTIN (Richard Henry Lee). Paper Mill debut! Off-Broadway: Desperate Measures. Regional: Sunset Boulevard and Oklahoma! (John W. Engeman Theater), Something Rotten! (Maine State Music Theatre), Ragtime (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), The Last Ship (Pioneer Theatre Company), The Phantom of the Opera(Pittsburgh CLO), Beauty and the Beast (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), The Bridges of Madison County (American Theater Group), A Christmas Carol (Westport Country Playhouse).
JAMES MOYE (John Hancock) returns to Paper Mill after appearing this season in Come From Away and Bull Durham. Previously at Paper Mill, he played the title role in Elf. He recently appeared in the world premiere of Dolly: A True Original Musical in Nashville. His ten Broadway credits include Dear Evan Hansen, Aladdin, Tootsie, Million Dollar Quartet, and On the Twentieth Century. On-camera credits include Fair Game with Sean Penn, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "The Blacklist," "Royal Pains," "The Mysteries of Laura," "The TODAY Show," and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" He is a graduate of James Madison University, where he received the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award. JamesMoye.com, Instagram: @JimMoye74
PRAISE ORANIKA (Courier). Regional: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Murder on the Orient Express, Ain't Misbehavin, Ghost, Rent. BM, Baldwin Wallace University '25. Paper Mill debut! Instagram: @praiseoranika
ELENA SHADDOW (Abigail Adams) has appeared on Broadway in The Visit (Ottilie), La Cage aux Folles (Anne), The Bridges of Madison County, The Woman in White, Fiddler on the Roof, Nine, Sweet Smell of Success, and Les Misérables. National Tours: Anna in The King and I, Clara in The Light in the Piazza. Paper Mill roles include Mary in Mary Poppins, Mother in A Christmas Story, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Lili in Carnival! TV/Film: "FBI: International," "NCIS: New Orleans," "Conviction," "Person of Interest," The Intern, Time After Time, NBC's The Sound of Music Live! Elena is an adjunct professor at NYU, Addie and Liam's mom, and married to Michael Harrington. elenashaddow.net, Instagram: @elenashaddowofficial
EDWARD WATTS (John Dickinson) is thrilled to return to Paper Mill, where he portrayed King Triton in The Little Mermaid (2012) and Adam in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Broadway/NYC/tour credits include Scandalous; It's a Bird... It's a Plane...It's Superman; The Fantasticks; The Most Happy Fella; Show Boat; The Book of Mormon; and Les Misérables. Regional highlights: The Grinch in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (The Old Globe), Harold Hill in The Music Man, Father in Ragtime (Goodspeed), Joe Bradley in Roman Holiday(Guthrie), Capt. von Trapp in The Sound of Music (KC Opera), Orin in Little Shop of Horrors (Ogunquit Playhouse). More at EdwardWatts.net.
JONATHAN YOUNG (Edward Rutledge) is thrilled to make his Paper Mill debut! National Tours: Les Misérables (Jean Prouvaire, u/s Enjolras), Pretty Woman (Alfredo, u/s Edward Lewis). Regional credits include Titanic (Barrett) at Starring Buffalo, Austen's Pride (Wickham) at ACT of Connecticut, and An American in Paris (Henri) at Westchester Broadway Theatre. TV: "The Gilded Age." @_jonathanyoung
MARK S. HOEBEE (Director, Producing Artistic Director) joined the artistic team at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2000. Under his leadership, Paper Mill was presented with the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2016 and launched such noteworthy projects as the world premieres of Newsies, in partnership with Disney Theatrical Productions; The Great Gatsby; Honeymoon in Vegas; Bandstand; A Bronx Tale; The Wanderer; Ever After; The Honeymooners; My Very Own British Invasion; Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, with the Really Useful Group; and The Sting starring Harry Connick, Jr.; as well as the American premieres of the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables, working alongside Cameron Mackintosh; Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's The Hunchback of Notre Dame; and the national tour of The Bodyguard starring Deborah Cox. On Broadway, Mark directed the Actors Fund benefit of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Jennifer Hudson. He directed national tours of Victor/Victoria starring Toni Tennille, Dreamgirls, Company, and An Evening of Lerner and Loewe starring Diahann Carroll. Select directing credits at Paper Mill include Fiddler on the Roof; The Sound of Music; West Side Story; Beauty and the Beast; Annie; Mary Poppins; Dreamgirls; Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella; Songs for a New World; Hello, Dolly! starring Tovah Feldshuh; Harold and Maude: The Musical with Estelle Parsons; The Will Rogers Follies starring John Davidson; Meet Me in St. Louis; The King and I; Miss Saigon; Disney's High School Musical; Peter Pan; Smokey Joe's Cafe; Damn Yankees; and The Full Monty starring Elaine Stritch.
NANCY RENEE BRAUN (Musical Staging) is thrilled to return to Paper Mill Playhouse, where she made her professional stage debut in Oliver! at age 9! Broadway: All Out: Comedy About Ambition; Gutenberg! The Musical!; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; The Outsiders; Beetlejuice; Gypsy; Elf. Film/TV: "Only Murders in the Building," "The Gilded Age," "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," "Spinning Gold," "Westworld," "Maniac," "Blue Bloods," "Succession." Favorite additional credits: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee(George Street Playhouse), The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Kowalski (Off-Broadway). Northwestern University. Instagram: @nancyreneebraun
JILLIAN ZACK (Music Direction) is thrilled to be back at Paper Mill Playhouse for her fourth show! Most recently was music director for Joy: A New True Musical starring Betsy Wolfe. Broadway: Funny Girl (key 2 sub), A Beautiful Noise (key 2 sub), To Kill a Mockingbird (organ/conductor sub). Vocal coach both privately and in partnership with Magaziner Vocal Studio. Concert work: Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, 54 Below. Graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (BM) and The Juilliard School (MM). Proud member of Maestra, Local 802, and Broadway Baby Mamas.
KEVIN RUPNIK (Scenic Design) has designed sets and costumes for productions on and off Broadway and across the country in Miami, Los Angeles, Alaska, and more. His work includes scenery and costume designs for operas in New York, Santa Fe, St. Louis, and Leeds, UK. His extensive art direction credits on the big and small screen include Kiss of the Spider Woman, "Royal Pains," American Son, "The Get Down," "The Good Wife," The Sound of Music Live!, and Hustlers, among others; he received Emmy nominations for his work on "Masters of Sex," "All My Children," and "As the World Turns."
LEON DOBKOWSKI (Costume Design). Paper Mill Playhouse: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Mary Poppins, Annie, Beauty and the Beast, Pete 'n' Keely, Fiddler on the Roof. Off-Broadway: Rock & Roll Man (New World Stages). Additional design credits include the Muny (St. Louis Theatre Circle Award, Seussical, The Wiz), Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, Irish Repertory Theatre, Weston Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, Gulfshore Playhouse, Drury Lane Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh CLO, Music Theater of Wichita, Engeman Theater, Feld Entertainment's Disney Live, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Epic Theatre Ensemble, Penguin Repertory, TheatreWorks Hartford (CT Critics Choice Award nomination, The Legend of Georgia McBride). MFA, Yale School of Drama. www.LeonDobkowski.com, @MrLeonD
AMITH CHANDRASHAKER (Lighting Design). Broadway: Prayer for the French Republic (Tony nomination), Purpose, Merrily We Roll Along. Off-Broadway: The Public, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop. Regional: Second Stage, Manhattan Theatre Club, Steppenwolf. Opera: Glimmerglass Festival, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera. Dance: Lyon Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet of New Zealand, National Dance Company of Wales. Recipient of Drama Desk and Henry Hewes awards; union trustee for United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE; and professor at the University of Maryland.
MATT KRAUS (Sound Design). Paper Mill Playhouse: The Little Mermaid, Mystic Pizza, Murder on the Orient Express, A Jolly Holiday, Cinderella, Chasing Rainbows, Beauty and the Beast, Holiday Inn (to name a few). Broadway: Liza's at the Palace..., Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony. Off-Broadway: Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (New Victory), CaucasianChalk Circle, 50 Shades!, Stage Struck and Spotlight Bar onboard Princess Cruises. Regional: Guthrie Theater, St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Walnut Street. Matt won an Emmy Award for his work on Disney's Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall, which is streaming on Disney+.
KELLY JAMES TIGHE (Scenic Coordination & Additional Design). National tours/Off-Broadway credits include The Cher Show, Martin Luther on Trial, The Most Reluctant Convert, The Fantasticks, The GreatDivorce, Movin' Out, Cats, Shear Madness, Shadowlands, Almost Heaven. Paper Mill designs include Jersey Boys, A Jolly Holiday, Songs for a New World, Pete 'n' Keely, Beehive, Beauty and the Beast, and more. Kelly's work has been seen at the 5th Avenue Theatre, TUTS, Ogunquit Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, Center Repertory Co., Slow Burn Theatre, Woodloch Pines Resort, and others. Awards and recognitions: Drama-Logue, SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Dean Goodman Critic's Choice, SF Bay Shellie Award. Online at KJTdesign.com.
ASHLEY RAE CALLAHAN (Hair & Wig Design) is an Emmy-nominated hairstylist. Her design work includes Ain't Too Proud and Annie (national tours); Jersey Boys (Paper Mill Playhouse); Frozen, Bring It On, Les Misérables, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd (Muny); Evita(A.R.T., Shakespeare Theatre Co., NY City Center); and Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (New World Stages, Maltz Jupiter). Broadway associate design work includes Boop; New York, New York; Beetlejuice; Ain't Too Proud; Summer; Beautiful; Holiday Inn; Allegiance; Sideshow; and Honeymoon in Vegas. TV/Film: A Complete Unknown, "The Crowded Room," "The Gilded Age," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Stranger Things," Jesus Christ Superstar Live.
RICK SORDELET (Fight Choreography), along with Christian Kelly-Sordelet, created Sordelet Inc., a Native-owned action movement company with 40+ years' experience. They have done dozens of shows at Paper Mill and have over 80 Broadway productions to their credit, including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and Stranger Things: The First Shadow, plus well over 50 first-class productions worldwide as well as numerous films, operas, live events, and television productions. They have taught at the Yale School of Drama, NYU, Rutgers, CUNY Harlem, Montclair State, and William Esper Studio, among others. Rick is a board member for Red Bull Theater. They also run Sordelet INK, with author David Blixt, an e-publishing company for the emerging writer. www.sordeletinc.com, www.SordeletInk.com, Instagram: @Sordeletinc
THE TRC COMPANY (Casting). Led by partners Claire Burke, Kevin Metzger-Timson, Xavier Rubiano, and Peter Van Dam. Recent Paper Mill: Frozen, The Little Mermaid, White Christmas, Jersey Boys, Gun & Powder, After Midnight, Disney's Hercules, Rent. Broadway: Beaches, Mamma Mia!, Dead Outlaw, Boop! The Musical, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, Left on Tenth,The Outsiders, Six, Aladdin. National Tours: The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Water for Elephants, The Wiz, Back to the Future, Les Misérables. The TRC Company is proud to continue the casting legacy of Tara Rubin Casting and Johnson-Liff Associates.
GARY MICKELSON (Production Stage Manager). 1776 marks Gary's fourteenth Paper Mill Playhouse show. His favorites include The Other Josh Cohen, Elf, and both shows in the "Tenor-verse." Broadway: How to Dance in Ohio, Come From Away, Dr. Zhivago, First Date, Memphis, Gypsy, Company, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, A Christmas Carol, The Lion in Winter, Triumph of Love, Victor/Victoria . . . plus lots of subbing work. National Tours: The Producers, Hairspray, Grease!. Off Broadway: Joy, Whorl Inside a Loop. Regional:The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation (world premiere). He has captained four championship Broadway Bowling League teams and managed a Championship Broadway Show League Softball team.
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Executive Director). A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on to Broadway and launched national tours, including The Great Gatsby, Disney's Newsies, Bandstand, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Les Misérables (25th Anniversary production). The theater is also the home to an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation's premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all.
Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
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