Last Tuesday, Trish Melehan, the Scotts Valley Theater Guild’s longest serving board member, was gearing up for her latest production—a staged reading of “1776: The Drama.”
The 21-part play is a revival of a work about the founding of the country.
“I used to do it at the middle school in Scotts Valley—I went as an emissary of Scotts Valley Performing Arts,” Melehan said. “This was before the Theater Guild.”
This is not the Tony Award-winning “1776,” but something Melehan put together herself—a mix of history and quotes from people like John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.
“We’re doing a stage reading of the play,” she explained, tempering expectations, noting there may be some costumes, but adding that it won’t be a full production. “They don’t have to memorize it.”
The Press Banner spoke with Melehan in a telephone interview just hours ahead of the first rehearsal.
“We’re going to try to get through a reading of it and I’m going to give them some pointers,” she said. “They all have the script.”
This tale tells of the development of America through the actions of the Continental Congress, the provisional government that shepherded the Thirteen Colonies into existence as the United States of America.
The reenactment traces the Second Continental Congress’s debates and intrigues, which resulted in the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The City of Scotts Valley’s new police chief, Jayson Rutherford, was cast in the role of John Hancock—the man with the famously gigantic signature.
At one point, Benjamin Franklin pitches the turkey as a symbol for the new nation.
And it concludes with a reading of part of the Declaration of Independence.
The event will be free to the public.
“I hope the people that come and enjoy the show also come out of the show with some greater understanding of our history,” Melehan said. “That’s why I developed it for my students, because I felt it was a great way to teach them about history.”
The show is mostly adults, but there are a few kids involved, too.
There’s Geoff Ward playing Franklin. Alexie Neall, the drama teacher at Scotts Valley Middle School, plays delegate John Dickinson of Pennsylvania. Lana Cellilli is Abigail Adams. Rylan Rossignol sings the national anthem.
“I have someone in the play who’s 94 years old,” Melehan said. “He plays more than one delegate from the New England colonies.”
Revolutionary War Era buffs will likely recognize the famous quotes.
“There’s some good scenes in it with John Adams and Abigail Adams,” said Melehan, noting those passages are derived from actual letters.
And it references other major milestones, as well.
“The Tea Party is mentioned a little bit,” Melehan said.
Even though the play depicts happenings two-and-a-half centuries past, producers are confident attendees will find lessons for our modern, politically-fraught times.
“People that come…will see that things back then were difficult—and they’re difficult now,” Melehan said. “People were polarized back then. And nothing got done. And compromises weren’t made. They were stagnating. But, finally, good came from it all.”
“1776: The Drama” will show for free on Friday, July 3, at 6 p.m. at The Landing, 251B Kings Village Road, in Scotts Valley.
