Theatre In The Park Opens HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL This Friday

Audiences are in for an extra fun evening with Theatre in the Park's final production of its summer OUTDOOR season, with Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 1 & 2 (one act versions) that opens Friday, Aug. 3 Additional performances continue through Sunday, Aug. 5, and again Wednesday, Aug. 8 through Saturday, Aug. 11. Showtime for all productions is 8:30 p.m. with gates opening at 7 p.m. This production is rated PG.

The first "act" of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is based on the Disney Channel's smash hit movie with Troy, Gabriella and the students of East High. The students must deal with issues of first love, friends and family while balancing their classes and extra curricular activities. The action takes place after winter break when The Jocks, Brainiacs, Thespians and Skater Dudes find their cliques, recount their vacations and look forward to the New Year. Basketball team captain and resident jock, Troy, discovers that the brainy Gabriella, a girl he met singing karaoke on his ski trip, has just enrolled at East High. They cause an upheaval when they decide to audition for the high school musical, led by Ms. Darbus. Although many students resent the threat posed to the "status quo," Troy and Gabriella's alliance might just open the door for others to shine as well.

The second "act" - High School Musical 2 - follows The Wildcats, who are back on the last day of their junior year. The gang can't wait to get the summer started - they're ready for summer jobs, money for college and to have fun. Troy gets them all jobs at Lava Springs Country Club, which happens to be owned by Sharpay's, father. While Sharpay schemes to steal Troy's heart from Gabriella, her brother Ryan hopes to win the Star Dazzle Award. Everything comes to a head at the talent show, where the group has to remember their motto: "All for one, and one for all."

These one-act versions of the musical include such fan-favorite songs as "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "All For One".

Directing this high-energy, fast-moving show is Guy Gardner who also takes on the role of choreographer. Musical direction is by James Levy. Together, they have assembled a large, all-local cast that includes performers from across the metro area and as far away as Chesterfield, MO.

"High School Musical 1 and 2 is going to be a night to remember for audiences of all ages," Gardner said. " Getting to perform both shows not only will be a sense for the eyes and ears, but a challenge for performers as well as they navigate how to take two stories and mold them into one," he said. "I hope audiences are ready to come, have a good time, and head home with a smile on their face."

The TTIP box office opens at 6:30 p.m. and the gates to the seating bowl open at 7 p.m. TTIP OUTDOOR ticket prices are $8 for adults (plus tax), $6 (plus tax) for youth and children three and under may attend for free (but require a ticket for entrance). Reserve seats and parking are also available. Tickets may be purchased online at www.theatreinthepark.org, or at the theatre box office the nights of performance.

TTIP's 2018 Season sponsors are Shawnee Mission Health and First National Bank.

MOVIES IN THE PARK final film of the summer will be on Tuesday, Aug. 7 with Disney's COCO, rated PG, and it's only $1 per person! On movie night, gates open at 7:30 p.m.; films start at 8:30-8:45 p.m., depending on sunset.

TTIP OUTDOOR is located in Shawnee Mission Park at 7710 Renner Road, in Shawnee, KS. TTIP INDOOR performances take place at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf, in Overland Park, KS.

TTIP INDOOR

The end of the summer is NOT the end of theatre for TTIP! TTIP INDOOR returns to the Black Box Theatre of the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center in Overland Park. TTIP INDOOR is also the home for Academy productions and the return of holiday favorite, THE HAPPY ELF, a main stage production.

Before Lin Manuel Miranda' star soared with HAMILTON, he penned and starred in the musical IN THE HEIGHTS. TTIP INDOOR will produce this Miranda masterpiece Oct. 5-21. Rated PG, IN THE HEIGHTS tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood - a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.

Auditions for IN THE HEIGHTS will take place Sunday, Aug. 12, 5-9 p.m. Performers of ALL shapes, sizes, voice types and ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to audition. Those auditioning should prepare 32-bars of music that shows off their voice and be ready to participate in a dance audition afterward. Those auditioning MUST register online for a one-hour time slot at www.theatreinthepark.org/auditions-indoor. Callbacks will be held by invitation only on Tuesday, Aug. 14 in the evening.

Auditions for THE HAPPY ELF will be held in September. Performances for the holiday production are Dec. 7-23.

TTIP ACADEMY

The TTIP Academy had a successful summer with three productions and is now gearing up for its winter show.

The TTIP Winter Academy production, held during the school winter break, is geared to older teens. This is a full production that focuses on the refinement of skills already developed within performers. The Winter Academy is designed to focus on individual performance aspects, and because of that only a maximum of 30 slots are available in the program. This year's production will be ZOMBIE PROM, Dec. 28 & 29; the show is rated PG. Auditions will be held in September.

ZOMBIE PROM centers on pretty high school senior Toffee, who has fallen for the class bad boy - Jonny. Family pressure forces her to end the romance, and he charges off on his motorcycle to the nuclear waste dump. He returns glowing and determined to reclaim Toffee's heart. Jonny still wants to graduate, but most of all he wants to take Toffee to the prom. The principal orders him to drop dead while a scandal reporter seizes on him as the freak du jour. History comes to his rescue while a tuneful selection of original songs in the style of 50s hits keeps the action rocking across the stage.

A program of the Johnson County Park & Recreation District, Theatre in the Park is the largest outdoor community theater in the country, and has been providing quality theatre entertainment in the community for 49 years!

For more information about TTIP and its productions and programs, please visit www.theatreinthepark.org.

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