Theatre in the Park opens 2023 OUTDOOR Season With FREAKY FRIDAY

When a mom and daughter do swap places, zaniness ensues in the musical, "Freaky Friday" that opens Theatre in the Park's (TIP) 2023 OUTDOOR season on Friday, June 2 through Sunday, June 4, located in Shawnee Mission Park, 7700 Renner Road, Shawnee, KS. Rated G, "Freaky Friday" has four additional performances Wednesday, June 7 through Saturday, June 10.

Curtain time for all OUTDOOR productions is 8:30 p.m.; the box office opens at 7 p.m. and the seating bowl opens at 7:30 p.m. Four out of the five summer musicals are premier productions for TIP.

"Freaky Friday '' is a new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films of the same name. Overworked mom Katherine and her teen-age daughter Ellie trade places experiencing one of the craziest days ever. The result is that both come to appreciate one another's struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.

The creative team of TIP Mark Swezey (director), Pam Williamson (musical director) and Liz Ernst (choreographer) have put together a cast of well-seasoned local performers for "Freaky Friday". The company includes Stasha Case ("The Drowsy Chaperone," "Always, Patsy Cline," "Mamma Mia) as mom Katherine who swaps places with daughter Ellie, portrayed by Maddy Terril (TIP Debut). The cast includes TIP veterans Pam Sollars (Grandma), Emily Vargo (Torrey), Weston Thomas (Adam), Nicky Perry (Mike), Luke Pyron (Fletcher), and Joy Richardson (Danielle). The cast of 31 includes multiple TIP debut performances.

"The cast is very diverse," Swezey said. "For me, that was an important element to casting. I wanted to gather a cast of different ages, abilities and backgrounds to enhance the opportunity of connecting the themes of the production to their own lives."

Swezey believes audiences will also connect with this musical.

" 'Freaky Friday' tells us about the importance of understanding one another by walking a day in another person's shoes," he said. "Empathy involves understanding the emotion of another person, feeling it and responding appropriately. It's also the perfect show for families. We find out in the end that love and caring are always the answer to developing better relationships."

Coinciding with the opening of "Freaky Friday" is the official unveiling of TIP's Temporary Art Installation of Cloud Cover by local visual artist Chris Dahlquist. Inspired by watching several musicals as a child at TIP as well as enjoying her husband's performances, Dahlquist created Cloud Cover, a photographic sculpture using photographs of clouds that are printed on bright acrylic suspended overhead. Dahlquist's piece celebrates the intersection of the coloured stage lights and the open skies intrinsic to the park.

Following "Freaky Friday," TIP presents four additional musical guaranteed to keep families entertained including:

"Meet Me in St. Louis," June 16-24 (G)

"13," June 30-July 8 (PG)

"Irving Berlin's White Christmas," July 14-22 (PG)

"Footloose," July 28-Aug. 5 (PG)

Tickets for the OUTDOOR shows are on sale now. TIP OUTDOOR ticket prices are $10 for adults, $6 for youth (ages 4-10) plus tax, and children three and under are free (ticket required for entrance). Reserved seats and parking are also available.

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