A CHORUS LINE, MARY POPPINS & More Set for Theatre in the Park in Kansas City's Summer Season

Chimney sweeps and a beloved nanny. A Chaperone and chorus dancers. Brothers and a colorful coat. All these characters will be part of the wonderful mix of musicals to grace the stage as part of the 2016 summer season of musicals at the Theatre in the Park!

The Theatre in the Park's (TTIP) 46th season will feature two premieres and three modern era American musical theatre classics. The Season opens with the iconic Kander and Ebb musical CABARET, followed by the zany and hilarious THE DROWSEY CHAPERONE, the epic chronicle of a group of dancers musical journey to the stage in A CHORUS LINE, the colorful biblical tale of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, and concluding with everyone's favorite nanny MARY POPPINS, a co-production that will play under the stars at TTIP and on stage at the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center.

"Our 2016 Season will give patrons an opportunity to see a wide variety of musical theatre, some serious, and other a bit lighter and appropriate for everyone," said Tim Bair, TTIP's Producing Artistic Director. "While CABARET and A CHORUS LINE have subject matter that are not appropriate for young kids, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, JOSEPH..., and MARY POPPINS are all delightful shows great for the entire family. This season offers a great number of roles for a wide variety of performers.

"While three of these shows have been on our stage in the past, it is time we introduce them to a new theatre-going audience," Bair said.

Production dates and directors are:

• CABARET (June 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 & 11; directed by Mark Swezey; rated PG-13)
• THE DROWSEY CHAPERONE (June 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24 & 25; directed by David Hastings; rated G)
• A CHORUS LINE (July 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 & 9; directed by Greg Shaw; rated PG-16)
• JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (July 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22 & 23; directed by Guy Gardner; rated G)
• MARY POPPINS (TTIP dates: July 29, 30, 31, Aug. 3, 4, 5 & 6; White Theatre dates: July 9, 14, 16, 21 & 23 at 7:30 p.m. July 10, 17 & 24 at 2 p.m.; Directed by Tim Bair; rated G)

Show time for all 2016 TTIP productions is 8:30 p.m.; the box office opens at 6 p.m. and the gates to the seating bowl open at 6:30 p.m.

Auditions for the 2016 Season will take place on two consecutive Saturdays - March 19 & 26- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at a location to be announced in early spring.

Some new and exciting developments for the 2016 auditions are in the works. Those auditioning will now be able to select their time slot in advance cutting down wait time substantially!

"For years, auditioning for TTIP has been a rather large time investment which could last the better part of an entire day! We're hopeful that this new process will allow people to be in and out of the audition in as little as two hours," Bair said. "We are also NOT requiring the dance audition as we have in the past. Auditionees will be able to choose whether or not to participate in the dance segment of the audition. I'm hopeful that this will attract a good number of people who are not comfortable dancing, and are really just interested in singing roles in one of our shows," said Bair.

Audition numbers will be automatically be assigned when completing the on-line audition form that will be posted at www.theatreinthepark.org/auditions on March 5, 2016. Walk-in auditions will still be permitted on Saturday, March 26 beginning at 3:00 PM. Full details about the audition process can be found at www.theatreinthepark.org/2016-audition-info.

MOVIES IN THE PARK will return for only one buck! Titles will be announced in the spring. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. with movies starting at 8:30-8:45 p.m., depending on sunset.

TTIP is holding the line on prices for the 2016 season with general admission only $8, youth $6, and children three and under may attend for free (but require a ticket for entrance). Tickets may be purchased online at www.theatreinthepark.org beginning early 2016 or at the theatre box office the nights of performance.

The Theatre in the Park is located in Shawnee Mission Park at 7710 Renner Road, in Shawnee, KS, and is a program of the Johnson County Park & Recreation District. TTIP is the largest outdoor community theater in the country, and has been providing quality theatre entertainment in the community for more than four decades.

For more information including entire show synopses for all 2016 TTIP productions, please visit http://www.theatreinthepark.org/2016-season.

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