The casting for the January 20, 2025 production of American Pageant followed the approach taken by Global Works for its “Lawyers on Stage” series. The majority of the cast were courtroom lawyers, some of whom had prior theater experience. They were joined by three bona fide theater professionals: Angie Bolton, Chad Kelderman, and Dr. Raymond Tyman-Jones. The production team was drawn substantially from veteran associates of the Global Works theater company, all experts in their theatrical crafts.
CAST (in order of appearance)
The actor’s name appears on the left, and the roles they played appear on the right
(the latter in the order in which the actor first played a part).
Angie Bolton
Black Narrator, Sally Hemmings, Older Woman, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Billie Holiday, Marion Anderson, Mildred Jeter
Michael King
White Narrator, Benjamin Franklin, President Harry S Truman, Lee Atwater
Mark Tuvim**
Virginia Colonial Governor George Yeardley, First Planter, Northern Financier, Marine Corps Commandant Alexander Vandergrift, James Baker
Dan Hagen
Abraham Piersey, Samuel Adams, Roger Sherman, Second Planter, Senator James Hammond, Justice Henry Billings Brown, Chief of the Army Air Corps Hap Arnold, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, James Dodson
Marten King
Patrick Henry, Charles Coatsworth Pinckney, William Lloyd Garrison, Lincoln Supporter, Alexander Stevens, Justice John Marshall Harlan, White Mob Leader, Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, Clark Clifford, John Adams
*Chad Kelderman
Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Solomon Calhoon, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy, Richard Loving
Marek Spooner-LeDuff
Young Man, “Double V” Letter Writer, Donald Harris
Alexander Hatch
Frederick Douglass, Walter White
Teva Sempel
James Otis, John Brown, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Chief of Naval Operations Ernest King, Senator J.D. Vance
Jacqueline Beatty
Eleanor Roosevelt, Abigail Adams, Standing Woman, Phyllis Schlafly
Shraddha Deodhar-Oak
Personal Secretary, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, Seated Woman
Dr. Raymond Tymas
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
*Appearing by permission of Actors Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers
Production & Design Team
Directed by Michael King
Visual Direction by Theodore Deacon
Musical Direction by Mark Raby
Technical Direction and Archival Recording by Keehn Thompson
Stage Management and Lighting Operations by Jane Davie
Cover Art by John Engerman
**Mark Tuvim passed away shortly after January 20. His superb work in five challenging roles will be fondly remembered, and the next performance of the show will be dedicated to his memory.