Chattanooga’s Ripple Theater Reopens September With “Circuit Rider’s Wife…The Musical”

After seven years of extensive renovation, on September 9th Brainerd’s Ripple Theater will be re-opening with the award-winning “Circuit Rider’s Wife…The Musical”. 

Ripple Productions & Diversified Arts presents the musical theatre work about old-time religion in the mountains. This is the first time for the show to be in Chattanooga. The writers of the show were invited to produce the production as part of Ripple Theater’s grand reopening.

Show Dates are: Sept 9,10,16,17 at 7:30pm; Sept 11,18  2:30pm matinees. The theater is located at 3264 Brainerd Road near the tunnels. Tickets may be purchased through EventBrite.

This musical theatre work includes original songs plus a 19th Century mountain death song and a sampling of FaSoLa sacred harp music. Dr.Jim W. Burns, composer/lyricist, wrote eclectic and compelling songs.

The sensitive script, written by Doris Dennison Burns, is loosely based on the book, A Circuit Rider’s Wife, by Corra Harris (1869-1935), a prolific writer World War I correspondent and Georgia Woman of Achievement.

Mary, a city girl from the “prayer-cloth-knitting” Edens, falls in love with a country circuit-riding preacher from the “hell-fire and brimstone-preaching” William Thompson. She must learn to balance her needs with the needs of his congregation.  Secrets and discord among some members further strain the young couple’s fragile beginnings of love.

The story is set in the mountains of North Georgia in early 20th Century. The setting is old but the topic is surprisingly contemporary as the folks of the Redwine Circuit show the conflicting sides of man’s nature — the good, the bad and the ugly — often with humorous consequences. You will declare you have met these people before.  

”Circuit Rider’s Wife” premiered in October 2002 at the Public Square Opera House Dinner Theater in the 100 year-old 1902 Stock Exchange building in Adairsville, GA. The Public Square Opera House Dinner Theater produced the developing show five seasons in 2003, 2004, 2005, and the final version of the show in 2007.

“Circuit Rider’s Wife…the Musical” had the distinct honor of being invited to the 35th annual ACTF IV in 2003, produced and presented by John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts and co-sponsored and hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Region IV Festival showcases the best in new musical theater works throughout the Southeast.  All colleges and universities in ten southeastern states and the territories of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands were eligible to apply.  

Circuit Rider’s Wife was one of three developing plays invited to perform a portion of the work for a guest panel in a featured workshop titled, “Presentation and Critique of New Musical Theater Works.”   The panel included Craig Carnelia, lyricist for Sweet Smell of Success; Dick Scanlan, lyricist of Thoroughly Modern Millie; Mark Hollmann, composer and lyricist of Urinetown; and Michael Kerker, vice president of  ASCAP Musical Theater Division.

Talented Cast Members For The Ripple Production:

• ANNA MARIE BRENDEL (Mary Thompson) has been involved in area theatre in Chattanooga in a variety of capacities. Anna Marie’s on-stage credits include Liesl in The Sound of Music, Kate McGowan in Titanic, Florida in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha. 
• JESSSE RADEMACHER (William Thompson) has acted since childhood and in the Chattanooga area over 12 years. Recent credits include Davy Crockett in Ripple’s Brainerd Mission project, The Trail Was A Circle, Jesus in “Godspell,” Scrooge in “A Unity Carol,” Jacob in Dreamer, and Charles Lightoller in Titanic.
• EMMA WITZ (Paisley Conner) graduated in 2020 with a BA in Theatre from Lee University. She performed Rose in Meet Me in ST. Louis, Sally in Talley’s Folly, various roles in The Continuum Tales and Sister Moses in When Mountains Move.  She was a member of the Lee University Singers. Emma played at The Colonnade as Amalia Balash in She Loves Me.  S
• ANDREW EASTERLING (Jimmy Meadows) a senior vocal major at Lee University is a member of Chorale and OperaTheatre. He graduates 2023. He sings lead in Premiere, a collegiate barbershop quartet and sings in the barbershop chorus, The Sound of Tennessee. Andrew has played Bob Wallace in White Christmas, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Miles Tuck in Tuck Everlasting. 
• TAMMY SIMMONS (Sister Meadows) a native of Cleveland, TN starred in theater works since her teenage years playing Liesl in Sound of Music at Lee University. She was active at the Grafenwoehr Performing Arts Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany as Clairee in Steel Magnolias, Violet in 9 to 5 and in Addams Family the Musical, winning Best Featured Actress European TOPPER Awards for her role as Grandma. 
• BEVERLY JORDAN (Glory White) a singer since childhood, also plays piano and organ. She has been a member of the a cappella group, Scenic City Chorus for 35 years, serving on the Music Team and evaluator of show songs. Beverly’s vocal versatility allows her to sing lead to low bass. She was cast in two historical musical productions with Ripple Theater Diversified Arts including The Trail was a Circle original show about the Brainerd Mission Project of Chattanooga, script by Daisy Donna Pratt and music and lyrics by Jim Burns.  
• BRUCE SHAW (Sam White), a self-proclaimed “Usual Theatrical Suspect” had roles as Merlin in a staged reading of Boundaries at Theatre Row Studios, Manhattan; Selig in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Chattanooga Theatre Centre; appearances in Ensemble Theatre’s US premiere of Voices of the New Belarus; four of Peggy Douglas’s premieres as The Misfit in Flannery’s Cafe at Chattanooga State, and Dad in You Got Older.  
• J RICHARD HARDAWAY (Davy Dyer) acted in middle school as Benvolio in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, in college productions of Oliver, Thurber’s Carnival, A Christmas Carol among others and in many independent productions. He acted in Michael Valentine, produced by Sheila Wollford (Award of Excellence by Faith Film Festival).

Show Dates are: Sept 9,10,16,17 at 7:30pm; Sept 11,18  2:30pm matinees. The theater is located at 3264 Brainerd Road near the tunnels. Tickets may be purchased through EventBrite.