Into the Valley Below - presented by StageCoach Theatre

STAGECOACH THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

Into the

Valley Below

The story of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and What Happened on May 31, 1889

MARCH 23-24 & 30-31, 2023 ASHBURN, VIRGINIA

The story of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and What Happened on May 31, 1889

WRITTEN BY

LILIANA ROSSI & CORINNE FOX DIRECTED BY

LILIANA ROSSI & EVAN GORMAN PRODUCED BY

TORIE DUNLAP

STAGECOACH THEATRE COMPANY ASHBURN, VIRGINIA MARCH 23, 24, 30, & 31, 2023

Producer’s Note: “Into the Valley Below” takes us to back in time to a small town in Pennsylvania you have probably never heard of: Johnstown. It is a story with themes that still ring true today; how negligence of the few can create irreparable damage to the masses, but also how individual acts of kindness and bravery can protect and empower the vulnerable.

“Into the Valley Below” marks the first play that I have produced, and I am thrilled and honored to have been a part of the process.

This production is also the first student-written and student-directed show we have put on at StageCoach. The passion and dedication of our student cast and crew has impressed me from our very first rehearsal. Our team is composed of students from all ends of Loudoun County; from elementary schoolers to high school seniors; from newbies who never stepped on a stage prior to auditions to lifelong actors with professional performing credits to their name. Directors Lily and Evan poured their hearts and souls into every aspect of this show. You will see that our creative team is not afraid of pushing the envelope, taking chances, and dreaming big. They have challenged and inspired me as a producer in ways I could not have imagined, and I can only hope that they have learned at least half as much from me as I have from them.

We at StageCoach are so proud to support this student-led work.

The art our creative team, cast, and crew have developed represents the voices of a new generation of artists who are eager to make their mark on the world. And they are a force to be reckoned with. I have complete confidence that “Into the Valley Below” will inspire, entertain, and pull at the heartstrings of each and every one of you in the audience. Thank you for joining us in celebration of the creativity and talent of our students. Now, please allow yourself to be transported back to a very rainy Friday on May 31, 1889, to a little town called Johnstown.

–Torie Dunlap, Producer

Author’s Note: The story of the Johnstown Flood of 1889 is one I will never forget.

The ghosts and echoes of the men, women, and children altered that day continue to cry out for justice. For remembrance.

Some say that the “time you truly die” is when someone speaks your name for the last time. This has stuck with me, and it is why the names of these people are so important to me. I refuse to let them die and fade into obscurity.

Every character in this story was either a real person or based on a real person. The names given to each character were their actual names; the names that their loved ones called them, what they scrawled atop schoolwork as children, the names that are forever etched on their tombstones. Their memories live on through me, through this show, and through you. So say their names. Say them out loud. Remember their names and who they were.

It haunts me to know that so many of the flood’s victims were never identified or even found. Often coroners had only an arm or leg to identify. This play is for those we know died, and for those unknown and lost to time.

Remember the Johnstown Flood of 1889.

–Liliana Rossi, Author and Director

Illustration by Richard K. Fox, 1889

SCENES (There will be a 15 minute intermission between acts.)

Location: Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Approx. 60 miles east of Pittsburg.

ACT ONE November 26, 1880 1. “Introduction/At the Dam” 2. “Ruff and Morrell Didn’t See Eye to Eye” May 31, 1889 3. “May 31, 1889” 4. “Need Some Help?”

5. “Mr. Quinn is Always So Worried About That Dam” 6. “Quinns” 7. “Day Express” May 30-31, 1889 8. “Up the Mountain” May 31, 1889 9. “Do You Recognize That Man?” 10. “...---... (SOS)” 11. “Back Up at the Club” 12. “The Destruction of the Day Express”

ACT TWO May 31, 1889 1. “This Is My Last Message” 2. “Climb onto the Roof ” 3. “Girl, Run! Now!” 4. “A Night of Ghosts” 5. “Throw That Baby!”

June, 1889 6. “June 1, 1889” 7. “The Beginning of the Rest of Their Lives” Then, Now, Later 8. “Legends, Stories, and Legacies”

CAST Tragedy / Messenger

Izzy Jewell

Memory / Frank Deckert

Heidi Dodd, Natalie Brown (Standby)

John Fulton / Col. Unger

Naman Ghadiali

Benjamin Ruff / John Hess

Mason Saunders

Giovanni the Laborer

Landon Ulrich (3/23, 3/24), Isaac Rossi (3/30, 3/31)

Laborers

Charles Fisher (3/24, 3/31), Evan Gorman (3/23, 3/30), Kylie Lewandowski (3/30, 3/31), Kaylee Roderiguez, Mia Salinas (3/23, 3/24), Chris Shuffelton, Sebastian Trujillo, Liam Tully

Daniel Morrell / Dynamite Bill

Carrigan Kennedy

Mary Ruff / Jennie Paulson

Sophia Castillo

Susan Morrell / Bess Bryan

Madi Saunders

James Quinn

Chris Shuffleton

Gertrude Quinn

Tess Will (3/23, 3/30) Lily Cook (3/24, 3/31)

Libby Hipp

Emma Nicholson

Abbie Geis

Claire “Cai” Reeps

Damian Quinn

Charles Fisher (3/24, 3/31) Evan Gorman (3/23, 3/30)

Victor Heiser

Liam Tully

George Heiser

Sebastian Trujillo

Mathilde Heiser

Lily Simanski

John Parke / Maxwell McCachren

Mila Krsmanovic

Townie 1

Lily Cook (3/23, 3/30) Tess Will (3/24, 3/31)

Townie 2

Kaylee Roderiguez

Mr. Bidwell

Landon Ulrich (3/23, 3/24) Isaac Rossi (3/30, 3/31)

Hettie Ogle

Rahmah Hagmagid

Telegraph Operator

Mia Salinas (3/23, 3/24) Kylie Lewandowski (3/30, 3/31)

Marie Quinn

Karlyn Medina

Flood

Sophia Castillo, Heidi Dodd*, Charles Fisher (3/24, 3/31), Evan Gorman (3/23, 3/30), Rahmah Hagmagid, Izzy Jewell*, Carrigan Kennedy, Emma Nicholson, Claire “Cai” Reeps, Madi Saunders, Lily Simanski, Sebastian Trujillo

*Tragedy and Memory are part of the Flood Stage Manager until Intermission

CREW Stage Manager

Tony Marshak

Lighting Technicians

Sarah Chung, Zoe Korff, Aimee Wakefield

Sound Technician

Daniel Prothe

Props Master

Emma Simanski

Run Crew Chief

Rahima Hagmagid

Tailors

Kati Anderson, Susan Lynch, Becky Will

Carpenter

Ben Rossi

Photographers

Ashlee Round, Keegan Sheph

Livestream Manager

Terry Smith

Program Design

Ben Rossi

Special thanks to: April Bridgeman, Jerri Wiseman, Terry Smith, Corinne Fox, Paul Simonton, Jeannie DeLisi & Sterling Playmakers, and Stagecoach Foundation, and our families for making this show possible.

Artist Unknown

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