Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Announces Local Performers For BROADWAY & BEYOND

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts held auditions on Thursday, October 9 for a Central Florida-based singer between the ages of 9-14 with the goal of finding one girl to perform in Broadway & Beyond at the Walt Disney Theater on November 15. Instead, four fortunate performers will make their debuts with an all-star, professional Broadway cast for the Grand Premiere of Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, presented by Dr. Phillips Charities and Balfour Beatty Construction.

"Hosting our first auditions was a great moment for the Dr. Phillips Center and for our team," said Kathy Ramsberger president of the Dr. Phillips Center. "This show is going to be extraordinary and getting to see the variety and the strength of our local talent brought life to our vision of arts for every life."

Broadway & Beyond at the Walt Disney Theater is under the direction of renowned Broadway producer/director Richard Jay-Alexander and musical director and conductor Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Jay-Alexander hosted the auditions with leaders from the Dr. Phillips Center, initially choosing three young ladies to star in the production.

"We were looking for one girl, I was prepared for two, but never could have imagined finding three extraordinary young girls," said Jay-Alexander, "Thank God I had a TEAM to help me. It was really difficult. So many talented young girls. I went back to my hotel exhausted, but happy."

Jay-Alexander announced his decision the following morning to cast three girls, all the while one other little girl was in his mind. "I couldn't get her out of my head. I woke up at 5:04 AM and kept thinking, how am I going to use three singers? We all called the girls from the center, personally, and hearing their screams was joyous, but I had another idea." After talking with Dr. Phillips Center President Kathy Ramsberger and her team about his new concept for creating a moment with four local girls, Jay-Alexander made one more call and added a fourth singer to his line-up.

The local girls chosen by Jay-Alexander and the Dr. Phillips Center team are Naomi Gomez of Orlando, Sarah Mills of Oviedo, Abigail Marotta of Ocoee, and Kristen Brock of Lakeland. Gomez who sings in church and in her school choir, will have her first theatrical experience with Broadway and Beyond. Mills recently appeared in her school production of Little Women as Jo March and for her audition performed the song Astonishing from that musical. Marotta's experience includes a few commercials and a part in the Lullaby League in the Garden Theater's production of The Wizard of Oz. Brock was the fourth girl chosen. During her audition she was able to sing Defying Gravity for Jay-Alexander on request, after only having sung it with the album before that moment.

"The decisions were tough, but I plan on staying in touch and taking a number of them under my wings and coming back for some talent development workshops," said Jay-Alexander.

The 90-minute show will feature performances from renowned vocalists and stars from the Great White Way, including: Norm Lewis, the current Phantom on Broadway; leading soprano, Deborah Voigt; rising Latin superstar, Ektor Rivera; world-renowned Argentinian dance duo, The Lombard Twins; The Broadway Kids; Sierra Boggess (Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Little Mermaid); NBC The Voice's, Chris Mann; legendary jazz singer, Jane Monheit; popular all-male singing string quartet, Well-Strung; YouTube sensation, Jeremy Green; and a full 26-piece orchestra, made up of members of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

Michael Urie, a Broadway and television star, is the most recent addition to the stellar cast.

Director Richard Jay-Alexander has discovered many young talents including actresses Lacey Chabert and Lea Michele, and Rider Strong. He also gave Broadway debuts to stars such as Ricky Martin, Shanice, Catherine Hickland, and Debbie Gibson. In addition to his Broadway career, Jay-Alexander has worked in concert with Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Johnny Mathis, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norm Lewis, Donna McKechnie, Andrea McArdle, Betty Buckley, Polly Bergen and countless others.

Tickets for this one night only, star-studded celebration are $250.00, $175.00 and $125.00. The ticket includes the Broadway & Beyond at the Walt Disney Theater performance, and after-party on the Seneff Arts Plaza that includes a champagne toast and dessert reception, dancing under the stars to Michael Andrews' live band and other spectacular surprises.

Tickets are also available for the pre-show party and dinner, a black tie event with 1,300 guests. The evening begins with a cocktail reception on the Seneff Arts Plaza followed by a three-course seated dinner in a tented pavilion. A limited number of corporate and individual tables are available for $12,500 and $8,000. Single dinner tickets are available for $750. The black tie dinner event includes the performance of Broadway & Beyond at the Walt Disney Theater and the after-party. To purchase tables please call 407.839.0119.

Single Tickets for the show may be purchased by calling the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office at 844.513.2014, online at drphillipscenter.org or by visiting the Box Office at 155 East Anderson Street, Orlando, FL 32801. Box office hours are Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Online and phone ticket purchases include handling fees.

For more information call 407.839. 0119 or visit www.drphillipscenter.org.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to developing and operating a new state-of-the-art performing arts center in downtown Orlando, Fla. Opening in November 2014, the performing arts center will begin to fulfill its vision of Arts For Every Life®; to be a gathering place for creativity and discovery; a vibrant urban destination where artists, audiences and students will come to experience, explore and learn. The two-block community space features the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater, 300-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Seneff Arts Plaza, School of Arts, the DeVos Family Room, and other event rental spaces. Future expansion plans includes a 1,700-seat acoustic theater, rehearsal room and commercial development spaces. The Dr. Phillips Center is a public-private collaboration with the City of Orlando, Orange County, the State of Florida and generous donors. For more information or to see live footage from the construction webcam, please visit www.drphillipscenter.org.

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