Theatre of Gadsden mourns loss of Looking for a City cast member
The Theatre of Gadsden has rescheduled a performance of its gospel musical Looking for a City, after canceling its Sunday show following the death of a cast member.
Director Mike Beecham said David Stapp passed out during a performance Saturday and was treated backstage by emergency medical technicians. He then was taken to a local hospital, where he later died. It was a shock, Beecham said, to learn of Stapp s death, and a tragedy for his family, and the group of people he d worked with for weeks preparing for the musical.
Times Staff Report
Theatre of Gadsden’s “Looking for a City” in 2019 played to sold-out audiences drawn by the Southern Gospel music it spotlighted.
A follow-up production last year was a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a cast of more than 60 singers of all ages is prepared for “Looking for a City: The Gospel Journey Continues,” set for July 22-25 at the Ritz Theatre in Alabama City.
It will be the theater group’s first full production in more than a year (“Charlotte’s Web” was staged earlier this month).
“It is so exciting to be opening the Ritz Theatre again after more than a year,” said Director Mike Beecham. “Music and theater are such a vital part of our lives.”
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