Claybourne Elder, Clyde Alves & More Set for Music Theatre Wichita's 2016 Season

Casting is announced today for Music Theatre Wichita's 45th Season, which includes Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!," "Jesus Christ Superstar," and the regional premieres of "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "Mamma Mia!"

Producing Artistic Director Wayne Bryan (now beginning his 29th season) will personally direct "Beauty and the Beast" and "Mamma Mia!" and musical director Thomas W. Douglas returns for all five productions. Other key personnel include directors Larry Raben, Mark Madama, and Joe Locarro, and choreographers Peggy Hickey, Adam Cates, Al Blackstone, Darren Lee, and Brian J. Marcum. Artistic teams also include scenic designers include J Branson, costume designers Tiia E. Torchia and Dixon Reynolds, lighting designers David Neville and David Fox, sound designer David Muehl, and Production Manager Mitch Southerland. The season opens June 15, with the first four shows running 7 performances and season finale "Mamma Mia!" running 11 performances in the 2100-seat Century II Concert Hall, concluding on Sunday evening August 21. For additional information, visit www.mtwichita.org.

Leading artists include:

Clyde Alves ("On the Town") as Jimmy Winter, Anne Horak ("Chicago") as Billie Bendix, James Beaman ("Spamalot" National Tour) as Cookie McGee, Timothy Hughes ("Chaplin") as Duke Mahoney, Karen L. Robu as Duchess Estonia, Cassie Austin as Eileen Evergreen, Jessie Peltier as Jeannie Muldoon, and Kevin Nietzel as Chief Berry in "Nice Work If You Can Get It" -June 15-19

Catherine Charlebois ("Wicked") as Belle, Thaddeus Pearson ("West Side Story" West End) as Beast, Johnny Stellard ("Evita") as Gaston, James Beaman ("Spamalot" National Tour) as Cogsworth, Katie Banks ("Phantom of the Opera") as Mrs. Potts, and Steve Hitchcock as Lumiere in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" - June 29-July 3

Claybourne Elder ("Bonnie and Clyde") as Curly, Anne Horak ("Chicago") as Laurey, Jenni Barber ("Wicked") as Ado Annie, Kevin Munhall ("Allegiance") as Will Parker, Victor J. Wisehart ("An American in Paris") as Jud Fry, Nedra Dixon ("Bubbling Brown Sugar") as Aunt Eller, and Nehal Joshi ("LES MISERABLES") as Ali Hakim in "Oklahoma!" - July 13-17

Thaddeus Pearson ("West Side Story" West End) as Jesus, Josh Tower ("Motown") as Judas, Tony LePage ("Rock of Ages") as Pilate, Aaron Kaburick ("Something Rotten") as Herod, Jared Thomas Roberts as Caiaphas, Jon Paul Roby as Annas, and Tyler Leahy as Simon in "Jesus Christ Superstar" - July 27-31

Kim Huber ("Sunset Boulevard") as Donna, Paula Leggett Chase ("On the Twentieth Century") as Tanya, Karen L. Robu as Rosie, Vincent Corazza ("Rocky") as Sam, Thom Sesma ("The Times They Are A-Changin'") as Harry, Damon Kirsche ("American Showstoppers" in New York) as Bill, and Quinn Herron as Sky.

Season tickets remain on sale until May 20 and range from $260 to $114. Single tickets ($64 - $26) go on sale May 31. Additional information can be found at www.mtwichita.org or by calling 316.265.3107. Music Theatre Wichita offices and Concert Hall are located at Century II Performing Arts Center, 225 W. Douglas, Wichita, KS, 67202.

About Music Theatre Wichita - Founded in 1972, MTWichita is internationally recognized for self-producing five high-quality Broadway-scale productions each summer during an intense 10-week period, while providing unparalleled learning experiences for young up-and coming artists. It has been the site for the world premiere of the revised "Good News!," the U.S. premiere of "Betty Blue Eyes," and the regional premieres of such Disney titles as "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "High School Musical." MTWichita has also created cast albums for "Honk!" and "Good News!" The many MTWichita alumni performing on Broadway this season include Sasha Hutchings, Alex Finke, Ashley Park, Ryan Vasquez, Colin Israel, Kimber Elayne Sprawl, Alex Michael Stoll, Brian Shepard, Eric Sciotto, and many more. Other notable artists who began careers in Wichita include Kelli O'Hara, Kristin Chenoweth, and choreographers Andrew Palermo, Josh Rhodes, Josh Prince, and Dontee Kiehn.

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