BRING IT ON And SPRING AWAKENING Lead The British Theatre Academy's 2018 Summer Season

Tony Award nominated Broadway musical Bring It On The Musical, a universal coming-of-age story that mixes competitive cheerleading, high school politics and teenage romance, is be produced by The British Theatre Academy.

After two years in summer residence at the Ambassdors Theatre in the West End, The BTA are completely taking over Southwark Playhouse for the summer with 2 productions, and others at The Stockwell Playhouse and the world famous open air Minack Theatre.

Bring It On The Musical, written by a crack team including Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights), Tony Award winner Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q) Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Broadway lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity), will be directed and choreographed by Ewan Jones in The Large at Southwark Playhouse from 2 August - 1 September.

The summer season will open in The Small at Southwark Playhouse with an adaptation of the beloved novel Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian, adapted by David Wood the UK's 'National Children's Dramatist' (The Times). Set during the dark and dangerous build-up to the Second World War, Goodnight Mister Tom follows sad young William Beech, who is evacuated to the idyllic English countryside and builds a remarkable and moving friendship with the elderly recluse Tom Oakley. All seems perfect until William is devastatingly summoned by his mother back to London. Goodnight Mister Tom is a tale of two broken souls at very different ends of the age scale that celebrates the value of love and proves that friendship knows no barriers. It will run 25 July - 25 August.

The BTA will also revive the acclaimed Broadway musical Spring Awakening The Musical, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Book and Score and 4 Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, at The Stockwell Playhouse from Tuesday 14 - Sunday 19 August. A rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater, based on the 1891 German play Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind, it tells the growing pains of teenagers discovering their sexuality. It will be directed by Dean Johnson (Godspell).

Closing the season is the record-breaking Broadway musical Chicago set in Prohibition-era Chicago with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. It will be staged at the world famous open air Minack Theatre, a breath-taking open-air auditorium, at Porthcurno near Land's End in Cornwall, from Monday 24 - Friday 28 September.

The British Theatre Academy was set up to give talented young people the opportunity to perform in top venues nationwide for free. Over the past three years the company earned rave reviews for productions of Annie Jr, The Secret Garden, The Adventures of Pinocchio and 13 - The Musical in the West End. In May, the BTA staged a scintillating concert performance of Broadway musical The Color Purple, starring Marisha Wallace (Effie in Dreamgirls) alongside members of the BTA. The British Theatre Academy is a unique performing arts programme that has inspired and nurtured the talent of thousands of young performers over the past 30 years We believe that children should be trained as professionals by professionals. Our team maintains an established link with casting directors, music producers, and talent agents across the world. We are passionate about releasing the individual skill and flair of each student in all aspects of their chosen field. Our experienced creative team provide exceptional training and are dedicated in preparing and inspiring our students at the highest level. Last Summer the BTA brought The Secret Garden and Godspell into the West End where over 500 outstanding cast members wowed the audiences all summer long and performed alongside musical theatre stars Kerry Ellis, Ramin Karimlooo and George Maguire.

Producer Matthew Chandler of the British Theatre Academy said: "It is has been an incredible year for the BTA and to date all our productions and concerts have given 1,500 children the chance to perform on the West End stage. For our last summer season, more than 2,000 young people auditioned for The Adventures of Pinocchio and over 1,000 teenagers for 13 The Musical, and we had 3 teams performing 13 The
Musical. The summer season is a fantastic opportunity for all the youngsters involved. The search for talented young people under 25 will begin in January when auditions will be held."

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