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Announcing Casting For The World Premiere Musical

Like Father

Created by Jacob Ryan Smith
BY Jacob Ryan Smith & Caroline Pernick
Directed By Tinashe Kajese-Bolden

Featuring Charity Angél Dawson, Hannah Elless, Benjamin H. Moore, Sophie Pollono, Frankie Rodriguez, And Billy Harrigan Tighe

October 8 – NovEMBER 15, 2026
ON THE Hertz STAGE

The Alliance Theatre today announced the cast of the upcoming world premiere musical, LIKE FATHER. Described as a coming-of-age story set against America’s true-crime obsession, LIKE FATHER will run on the Hertz Stage at Alliance Theatre, October 8 – November 15, 2026. Opening night is Friday, October 16, 2026.

“From the moment we began assembling this company, I knew LIKE FATHER needed actors who could hold seemingly impossible things at once—ferocious musicality and emotional vulnerability, razor-sharp humor and real danger,” said Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. “This extraordinary company brings all of that and more. They are fearless storytellers who illuminate a world where the past is constantly pressing against the present, and where we are asked how much of who we become is inherited—and how much we get to choose for ourselves. I cannot wait for Atlanta audiences to experience the surprising, funny, haunting, and ultimately hopeful world we are building together.”

The cast of LIKE FATHER features Charity Angél Dawson (Broadway: & Juliet, Waitress) as Lillian Clark; Hannah Elless (Broadway: Bright Star) as Michelle; Benjamin H. Moore (Broadway: Hell’s Kitchen) as Ben, Sophie Pollono (Off Broadway: A Walk on the Moon) as Chris, Frankie Rodriguez (TV: Chad Powers, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) as Trevor, and Billy Harrigan Tighe (Broadway: The Heart of Rock and Roll; Alliance Theatre: Millions, Fires, Ohio) as John Grady. Understudies for the production include Mila Bolash, Aavyn Lee, and Nevaeh Riddle.

LIKE FATHER is created by Jacob Ryan Smith with Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick. As previously announced, the creative team of LIKE FATHER is led by Alliance Theatre Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (The Preacher’s Wife, Furlough’s Paradise), with Choreography by Dell Howlett, Music Supervision by Alejandro Senior, Adam Beskind as Music Director and Player/Conductor, and Dramaturgy by Amanda Watkins. Designers include Luciana Stecconi as Set Designer, Lex Liang as Costume Designer, Thom Weaver as Lighting Designer, Melanie Chen Cole and Hidenori Nakajo as Sound Co-Designers, Caite Hevner as Projections Designer, and Tony Award-nominee August Eriksmoen (Broadway: Bright Star) as Orchestrator. J&J Music Preparation, Josephine Bearden and Jacob Fjeldheim, will serve as Music Copyist. Casting is by Kevin Metzger-Timson, CSA, Frankie Ramirez, CSA from Tara Rubin Casting and Jody Feldman from Alliance Theatre.

Additional production support includes Associate Director Rachel Sabo-Hedges, Script Assistant Vijay Vikram Patnaik, Assistant Scenic Designer Jack Golden, Assistant Costume Designer April Andrew Carswell, Costume Studio Assistant Sydney Dufka, Associate Lighting Designer Rachael N. Blackwell, Associate Sound Designer Tamir Eplan-Frankel, Keyboard Programmer Taylor J. Williams, Stage Manager Jayson T. Waddell, Assistant Stage Manager Xiaonan Chloe Liu, Production Management Lead Courtney O’Neill, and Stage Management Production Assistant Samantha Honeycutt.

Additional musicians include Greg Matteson as Assistant Music Director, Holt McCarley as Music Assistant, Amanda Wansa Morgan as Music Production Assistant, Patrick Arthur playing Acoustic Guitar/Electric Guitar, Geoff Gill playing Drums, Yinzi Kong playing Viola, Kenneth Lambert playing Violin/Fiddle, and Marc Miller playing Bass.

LIKE FATHER is a coming-of-age musical set against America’s true-crime obsession. After her father’s arrest, seventeen-year-old Chris moves in with her estranged mother, Michelle, and stepfather, Ben. When a hit true-crime podcast exposes their family’s disturbing past to the world,

they are forced to face the truth of what brought them together, or risk being undone by its consequences.

Driven by a bold, innovative folk-pop score, LIKE FATHER explores legacy, identity, and the cost of obsession, inspired by the loved ones left in the wake of infamous serial killers—and by the true-crime podcast industry’s meteoric rise to over 250 million listeners worldwide.

Like Father: The Bloody Good EP, featuring songs from the musical performed by Broadway alums, was released on August 3. It’s available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify.

LIKE FATHER is commercially produced by Westway Studios, Howard Alter and Zachary Hausman, and Madison Thompson, and is co-produced by Jonathan & Rae Corr, Steven N. Lerner, Happy Recap Productions, Caryl & Kendrick Smith, City Cowboy Productions, Kerri Mandelbaum, Fahs Productions, Bonnie & Michael Hausman, Leachman Feigelson Productions, Ella Lao & Amy Lao, Amanda Larney, Tracey & Chip Thompson. Jennifer O’Grady serves as Associate Producer. Alex Lobel serves as Assistant Producer. Ella Lao serves as Content Associate.

Performances of LIKE FATHER run on the Hertz Stage October 8 through November 15, 2026 – learn more.

Alliance Theatre Announces World Premiere Musical, LIKE FATHER

The Coming-of-Age Musical by Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick Premieres in October 2026

Alliance Theatre today announced that it will produce the world premiere musical LIKE FATHER as part of its 2026/27 season. A bold new musical created by Jacob Ryan Smith, with book, music, and lyrics by Smith and Caroline Pernick, and direction by Alliance’s Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (The Preacher’s Wife), LIKE FATHER will run on the Hertz Stage beginning in October.

LIKE FATHER is a coming-of-age musical set against America’s true-crime obsession. After her father’s arrest, seventeen-year-old Chris moves in with her estranged mother, Michelle, and stepfather, Ben. When a hit true-crime podcast exposes their family’s disturbing past to the world, they are forced to face the truth of what brought them together, or risk being undone by its consequences.

Driven by a bold, innovative folk-pop score, LIKE FATHER explores legacy, identity, and the cost of obsession, inspired by the loved ones left in the wake of infamous serial killers—and by the true-crime industry’s meteoric rise to over 250 million listeners worldwide.

The show was a semi-finalist at the Eugene O’Neill New Music Theater Festival and emerged as the winner of the inaugural Open Jar Musical Shark Tank.

Creative Team for the Alliance Theatre Production includes:

• Director: Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (The Preacher’s Wife)
• Book, Music, and Lyrics: Jacob Ryan Smith & Caroline Pernick
• Choreographer: Dell Howlett
• Music Director: Alejandro Senior
• Assistant Director: Rachel Sabo-Hedges
• Associate Music Director: Adam Beskind
• Dramaturg: Amanda Watkins
• Casting: Kevin Metzger-Timson, CSA & Frankie Ramirez, CSA, TRC Company

Casting details and specific performance dates will be announced in the coming months. The musical’s commercial producers are Howard Alter, Zachary Hausman, and Madison Thompson. Co-producers include Caryl & Kendrick Smith, City Cowboy Productions, Fahs Productions, Happy Recap Productions, Jonathan & Rae Corr, Kerri Mandelbaum, and Steven N. Lerner.

“At its core, LIKE FATHER is about learning to live beyond the shadows we inherit—a journey through grief, forgiveness, and the radical act of reclaiming your own name,” said Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. “It’s a surprising, darkly funny, deeply human story that speaks to so many of us reckoning with the weight of our histories and the hope of transformation. New work like this needs room to take risks, and regional theaters are where those stories are given oxygen; I’m thrilled to work alongside artists and producing partners with an unflinching belief in bold, emotionally intelligent storytelling, and proud that the Alliance is a national home where artists are trusted to push boundaries, deepen our empathy, and imagine what’s possible.”

Performances of LIKE FATHER run on the Hertz Stage October 8 through November 15, 2026 – learn more.