Cast and Creative Team Announced for Private Jones at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere musical Private Jones, written and directed by Marshall Pailet (Who’s Your Baghdaddy, or how i started the iraq war). Telling the story of a deaf Welsh sniper in World War I, Private Jones will run February 6-March 10 in Signature’s MAX Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. The creative team includes music director Myrna Conn (Come From Away), choreographer Misha Shields (Who’s Your Baghdaddy), and director of artistic sign language Alexandria Wailes (Children of a Lesser God, CODA).

In this musical, after Gomer Jones loses his hearing, he fakes his way into a battalion alongside a group of colorful, misfit trainees. Once the “bastards,” as they call themselves, reach the front, Jones becomes a celebrated sniper, but getting everything he thought he wanted might mean losing himself in the process.

Private Jones features a cast of hearing, Deaf, and hard-of-hearing actors, including Leanne Antonio (The Lion King) as Gwenolyn/Evans, Deimoni Brewington (Signature’s Passing Strange) as Bailey, David Aron Damane (Big River) as Father/Drill Sergeant, Dickie Hearts (Dark Disabled Stories) as Henry, Johnny Link (Netflix’s My Life With the Walter Boys) as Gomer Jones, Jake Loewenthal (Signature’s Ragtime) as Redvers, Vincent Michael (Signature’s Into the Woods) as Edmund, and Erin Weaver (Signature’s Into the Woods) as King. The ensemble of Private Jones is rounded out by Alex De Bard (Signature’s Passing Strange), Amelia Hensley (Spring Awakening), George Psomas (Fiddler on the Roof), and Emily Steinhardt. Ariel Friendly, Nicholas Hohrman, Stephen Russell Murray, and Hank von Kolnitz are swings.

The creative team for Private Jones also includes scenic designers Christopher and Justin Swader, costume designer Phương Nguyễn, lighting designer Jen Schriever, sound designer Eric Norris, video designer Patrick W. Lord, wig designer Anne Nesmith, and puppet designer Nicholas Mahon. Catherine Flye is the dialect coach, Ryan O’Connell is the orchestrator, Mason Frasher is the copyist and keyboard programmer, and First Chair is the interpretation partner.

The production will be performed in spoken English with some American Sign Language and British Sign Language. There will be open captions to the sides of the stage and dynamic captions at every performance. Closed captions will also be available at every performance using the GalaPro app.