New National Tour of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Directed by Jack O'Brien, to Launch This Fall; Initial Dates Announced!

A brand new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien, will tour North America beginning September 2015. This lavish new production will launch at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, under the auspices of the Center Theatre Group, and will then tour North America for multiple seasons, playing multi-week and week-long engagements. Announced cities for the 2015-16 Touring season are below. Casting and additional cities will be announced at a later time. For more information, please visit www.TheSoundOfMusicOnTour.com, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. This new production is directed by Jack O'Brien (credits include: Hairspray, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Coast of Utopia), and choreographed by Danny Mefford (Broadway's Fun Home, The Bridges of Madison County and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). The design and production team is comprised of Douglas Schmidt, Set Design (Tony Award nominee: 42nd Street, Into the Woods); Jane Greenwood, Costume Design (2014 recipient of Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Natasha Katz, Lighting Design (Four-time Tony Award winner: Once, Aida, The Coast of Utopia, The Glass Menagerie) and Ken Travis, Sound Design (Aladdin, Newsies, Memphis).

Announced Cities, Dates and Venues for the 2015-16 Touring Season

Boise, ID Sept 14 - 16, 2015 Morrison Center - Tech rehearsals and tour previews

Los Angeles, CA Sept 20 - Oct 31 Ahmanson Theater - Official Tour Launch

Charlotte, NC Nov 24 - 29 Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

Durham, NC Dec 1 - 6 Durham Performing Arts Center

Baltimore, MD Dec 8 - 13 Hippodrome Theatre

Tampa, FL Dec 22 - 27 Straz Center

Miami, FL Dec 29 - Jan 3, 2016 Arsht Center

Orlando, FL Jan 5 - 10 Dr. Phillips Center

Ft. Myers, FL Jan 12 - 17 Barbara B. Mann Hall

Columbus, OH Jan 26 - 31 Ohio Theater

Madison, WI Feb 2 - 7 Overture Center

East Lansing, MI Feb 9 - 14 Wharton Center

Houston, TX Feb 16 - 21 The Hobby Center

Austin, TX Feb 23 - 28 Bass Hall

Atlanta, GA Mar 1 - 6 Fox Theater

Providence, RI Mar 9 - 13 Providence Performing Arts Center

Philadelphia, PA Mar 15 - 20 Kimmel Center

Pittsburgh, PA Mar 22 - 27 Benedum Center

Boston, MA Mar 29 - Apr 10 Boston Opera House

Ottawa, ONT Apr 12 - 17 National Arts Centre

Greenville, SC Apr 20 - 24 Peace Center

St. Louis, MO Apr 26 - May 8 Fox Theater

Detroit, MI May 10 - 22 Fisher Theatre

Denver, CO June 21 - 26 Buell Theatre

Costa Mesa, CA Jul 19 - 31 Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Additional cities to be announced

According to director Jack O'Brien, "THE SOUND OF MUSIC has been in our ears for decades, as it deserves to be. But it might be time to look once more, and more closely, at this remarkable work which, I feel, begins to reveal itself as deeper, richer, and more powerful than ever. It's no longer 'your mother's' familiar SOUND OF MUSIC. We are tearing off the varnish of the past from one of the great glories of our theatergoing experience and making it fresh! This is an opportunity we've all longed to create!"

Producer Beth Williams (Grove Entertainment) said, "It's a great privilege to bring this beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein musical to theaters across North America. We hope that people of all ages will continue to fall in love with it for the first time, or all over again, and that it will truly become one of their 'favorite things.' From our distinguished team led by the creative master Jack O'Brien, audiences can expect a truly magnificent production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC."

In the words of Ted Chapin, President and Executive Director of Rodgers & Hammerstein: An Imagem Company, "THE SOUND OF MUSIC continues to be the world's most beloved musical. When a major national tour was suggested, I not only agreed, but was willing to roll up my sleeves and do whatever I could to fashion a new stage production that would re-engage today's theatergoing public. The show was originally created for Broadway, and seeing it on stage only reinforces the power of the story and the score. And with Jack O'Brien at the directorial helm - well, we simply couldn't do better. Landing somewhere between The Coast of Utopia and Hairspray (shows for which Jack won the Tony), his production will be smart, focused, and surprising. I can't wait."

THE SOUND OF MUSIC enjoyed extraordinary success as the first live television production of a musical in over 50 years when "The Sound of Music Live!" aired on NBC in December, 2013; 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the film version, which continues to be the most successful movie musical in history. The spirited, romantic and beloved musical story of Maria and the Von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with such songs as "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Edelweiss" and the title song. For more information, please visit www.TheSoundOfMusicOnTour.com.