Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical Performs At Miller Outdoor Theater 6/8-10

It will be the definitive jam session of the summer when Theatre Under The Stars' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre presents FREE performances of Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical at Miller Outdoor Theatre June 8 - 10, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. This new musical based on the hit Disney Channel Original Movies Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam features a large, talented cast of local students from the TUTS training academy. With a perfect blend of pop and rock music, Camp Rock: The Musical guarantees to set the stage on fire with songs like "This Is Me," "Can't Back Down," "It's On," "We Rock" plus many more! "We're excited to bring a popular, pop-rock musical that kids of all ages will enjoy and best of all - it's free!" said Rozie Curtis, director of Camp Rock: The Musical. In addition to the free performances of Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical, Radio Disney AM 1590 will be onsite each day at 10:00 a.m. to entertain the crowds with a pre-show "Rockin' Road Show" with fun games and prize giveaways.

For the young musicians attending Camp Rock, their summer was supposed to be all about the music and having the time of their lives. But the new and flashy Camp Star across the lake now threatens Camp Rock's very existence. To keep their doors open, Mitchie Torres steps up, rallies her fellow Camp Rockers, and gets them into top shape for the ultimate rock-n-roll showdown!

Taking on the lead role of Mitchie Torres, a passionate musician who fights for what she believes in is Spring native Melissa Beaird. Last seen at TUTS in the wildly successful The Who's Tommy, Beaird is also the recent winner of the 2011 Tommy Tune Award for Best Featured Actor in Klein High School's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Some of her other previous credits include Janet Van De Graff in The Drowsy Chaperone, Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Mitchie's competition and the diva star of camp, Tess Tyler, will be played by Brooke Humphrey. A resident of Cypress, this will mark Humphrey's seventh TUTS production after previously appearing in the main stage productions of Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors and The Sound of Music. The story of Camp Rock: The Musical wouldn't be complete without the all-boy band, Connect 3; the fictional group that pushed The Jonas Brothers' stardom to new heights. The charismatic lead singer of Connect 3, Shane Gray, will be played by Sean Hardin. A sophomore at George Ranch High School, Hardin recently won the "Sing With the Broadway Stars" contest on YouTube and has an original song, "I'm Alive," available on iTunes. Ian Tonroy, a seventh grader at Doerre Intermediate, stars as Nate Gray, the shy drummer of Connect 3. Tonroy was last seen at TUTS in Disney's My Son Pinocchio, Jr., The Sound of Music (as Kurt von Trapp) and Disney's Dual Language Aladdin. Trey Curtis completes the trio of Connect 3 as the easy-going guitarist, Jason Gray. Audiences may remember Curtis from his performance last summer as Stromboli in the TUTS production of Disney's My Son Pinocchio, Jr.

Also appearing in Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical is Drew Jones as Brown Cesario, the owner of Camp Rock. His across-the-lake camp rival and Camp Star owner, Axel Turner will be played by Xavier Alcala-Herrera. Sandy Valles appears as Mitchie's quirky and talented best friend, Caitlyn Geller. Christian Warner takes on the role of Luke Williams; the camper with big talent and an ego to match. The sweet keyboardist Dana Turner is played by McKenna Marmolejo. Leila Jammal is Peggy Dupree; a loyal Camp Rocker and previous Final Jam winner. Madie Plum is longtime camper and fashionista Ella Pador. Austin Karkowsky is never without his drumsticks as Andy Hosten and Megan McGuff appears as the new girl, Rosie Day. Rounding out the cast is Ryan Williams as hip-hop dancer Barron James and Connor Jones as his best friend Sander Loya.

The ensemble cast is composed of 34 students of the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre including Angelica Alacala-Herrera, Mallory Bechtel, Hannah Berna, Erin Cearlock, Mia Coyle, Maddie Dyer, Rebecca Eckert, Bethany Eggleston, Rylee Gallagher, Gerra Gistand, Raiya Goodman, Preston Granger, Ronson Hawkins, Rebecca Hyde, Sarah Johannesen, Elyssa Kim, Dylan Lambert, Alicia Lore, Miho Maeda, Miles Marmolejo, Abigail Moorhead, Kelly Parsons, Natalie Patton, Elizabeth Peacock, Madeleine Reid, Jessica Riojas, Riley Shaper, Aiden Snasdell, Kerry Sullivan, Lena Torluemke, Jacqueline Touchet, Jaclyn Wertheimer, Fallon Williams and Abby Weeks.

Theatre Under The Stars production of Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical is made possible by the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, Inc. A special thanks for our media support from Radio Disney AM 1590. For more information on the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre or Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical, please visit www.tuts.com/CampRock.

Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars is Houston's acclaimed non-profit musical theatre company under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the building opened. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Kopit and Yeston's Phantom, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll & Hyde, and Irving Berlin's White Christmas as well as critically acclaimed re-inventions of classics Cabaret and Les Miserables. Through its membership in the Independent Presenters Network, TUTS has helped bring Bombay Dreams, 9 to 5, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spamalot, Legally Blonde, Ragtime, Curtains and The Color Purple to Broadway.

As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS Education provides instruction and stage experience for more than 21,000 students annually, allowing students to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes. With a common goal - to expand arts access to children of all abilities - The River Performing and Visual Arts Center (The River) merged with Theatre Under The Stars in 2010, creating a unique, barrier free, arts education model for non-profit musical theatre performing arts organizations. With the merger, TUTS Education now provides extended on-site programming as well as off-site programming for children in schools, hospitals and other community-based sites. Housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston's high school musical theatre programs.

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