Photo Flash: Flat Rock Playhouse's MISS SAIGON Currently in Rehearsal, 7/24-8/24

Flat Rock Playhouse presents the Broadway and international hit musical, Miss Saigon, from July 24 - August 24 at The Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage. As part of its "Season of Laughter and Love" presented by the Cliffs Communities, the Playhouse is pleased to offer one of the most stunning theatrical spectacles of all time.

Check below for photos from the rehearsal!

Winner of several Olivier, Tony, and Drama Desk Awards, Miss Saigon is the story of Chris, an American GI who falls in love with a young Vietnamese girl named Kim during the final days of the Vietnam War. Their brief but powerful love affair is set against the backdrop of the turmoil that eventually led to the fall of Saigon and their tragic separation. As Chris tries to make a new life for himself in America, Kim fights impossible odds and sacrifices everything to be reunited with him. The two finally meet in Bangkok several years later for a reunion that will change both of their lives forever.

Miss Saigon is an epic, daring musical based on Puccini's Madame Butterfly and is filled with emotional power. The soaring score and the rich characters are set against a complex background that includes over fifty scene changes, hundreds of costumes, and stunning lighting, sound and projection designs. For theatergoers who have seen this performance before, the scene that ends with a helicopter landing on the stage is a major focus of this Playhouse summer blockbuster. Every moment of the performance, from the overwhelming whirl of the helicopter to the silent magic that accompanies Chris and Kim's first dance will be an enveloping, thrilling experience for the audience.

Vincent Marini returns to the Playhouse as Guest Director for Miss Saigon. Marini has also directed Les Miserables; For The Glory; A Few Good Men; Guys and Dolls; The Buddy Holly Story; Celtic Christmas; Our Show of Shows; Cotton Patch Gospel; Hank Williams: Lost Highway; The Fantasticks; and The Last 5 Years.

Cast members are Diana Huey, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Eddie Egan, John Ashley Brown, Erin Mosher, Mel Maghuyop, Austin Ku, Justine Moral, Jackie Nguyen, Taylor Collins, Hansel Tan, Eddy Lee, Stephanie Lo, J. Morgan Shaffo, Sara Spadacene, Patrick Clanton, Nate Huntley, Sarah Cammarata, Avery Draper, Gabriela Gomez, Lina Lee, Nicole Sheehan, Sumire Yu, Joe Bach, Nick Morgan, Zane Phillips, Frankie Ramirez, John Rudell, and Grant Zavitkovsky.

Music Director is Michael Sebastian. Scenic Designer is Dennis Maulden. Costume Designer is Ashli Arnold. Lighting Designer is Stephen Terry. Projections Designer is Shawn Duan. Sound Designer is Nick Kourtides. Technical Director is Tony Lawrence.

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE

First Citizens Bank presents Miss Saigon at the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage, July 24 - August 24. Performances will be Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 pm; matinees Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. All tickets are $40 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

Discounts are available for seniors, AAA members, military personnel, students and groups. The Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage is located at 2661 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock, NC.

FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE

In 1937, a group of struggling performers, led by Robroy Farquhar, organized themselves as the Vagabond Players. The Vagabonds worked in a variety of places over the course of three years, and in 1940 found themselves in the Blue Ridge region of Western North Carolina. The local and tourist community welcomed them with open arms when they presented their first summer season of plays in a 150-year-old grist mill they converted into The Old Mill Playhouse at Highland Lake. So successful was that summer, they returned in 1941. After WWII, the Vagabond Players reorganized, came back to the region and opened a playhouse in nearby Lake Summit. The Lake Summit Playhouse thrived during the post war years and soon the Vagabond Players were looking for a larger and permanent home. In 1952, the troupe of performers, and a newly formed board of directors, made an offer to buy an 8-acre lot in the Village of Flat Rock. This new home made the Vagabonds "locals" and a rented big top gave birth to Flat Rock Playhouse. As the beautiful Western Carolina region continued to grow, so did the Playhouse and in 1961, by Act of the North Carolina General Assembly, Flat Rock Playhouse was officially designated The State Theatre of North Carolina. What began as a few weeks of summer performances in 1940 is now a nine-month season of plays including Broadway musicals, comedy, drama, and theatre for young audiences. The Playhouse's dual mission of producing the performing arts and providing education in the performing arts includes a professional series; a summer and fall college apprentice and intern program; performances and cabaret series by the YouTheatre; year-round classes and workshops for students from kindergarten through adults. Flat Rock Playhouse now hosts over 98,000 patrons annually and is a significant contributor to the local economy and the Arts in North Carolina.

Photo Credit: James Johnson

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