Initial Casting Announced for Showcase Production of New Musical Watcher in the Woods

Producers announced a fully staged showcase production of Watcher in the Woods, with tickets available to the public, taking place from September 11–15 at UrbanStages. Featuring music and orchestrations by Johanna Telander, book and lyrics by Douglas Thompson, music direction by Brian Walters, and direction by Chase Kniffen, Watcher in the Woods is based on the 1976 novel by Florence Engel Randall.

The cast for the showcase production features Sophia Manicone (Parade) as Jan/Karen Aylwood, Natalie Toro (A Tale of Two Cities) as Mrs. Aylwood, Carson Worthy as Mark/Marcus/Charlie, and Rachel Zatcoff (Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish) as Kate/Janet Fleming. Additional casting will be announced soon.

The creative team includes set designer Chase Kniffen, costume designer David Marmon, lighting designer Joe Doran, sound designer Elisabeth Weidner, and hair and wig designer Bryan Gonzalez. Meredith Hoddeson is the casting director.

The supernatural family drama takes place in the summer of 1976. It’s been nearly a year, and Jan is still haunted by the traumatic loss of her father. Her mother has moved Jan and her little sister into a creepy old house, surrounded by dark woods, where forces she cannot see compel Jan to unlock the fifty-year-old mystery of a young girl’s disappearance in the woods.