Nick DeGruccio, Jose-Luis Lopez Board IN THE HEIGHTS Creative Team at TUTS

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is excited to introduce the creative team behind its production of In The Heights.

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Making his debut at Theatre Under The Stars, Nick DeGruccio will direct upcoming TUTS production of In The Heights. DeGruccio most recently directed the Los Angeles premiere of First Date, and has a lauded history of direction on the West Coast. His credits include Next to Normal, Man of La Mancha, The Last 5 Years, Putting It Together and Rent. He's received 10 LA Ovation nominations for Direction and won three LA Ovation awards - two for Direction of a Musical (2008, 2004) and for Direction of a Play (2002), the 2014 Desert Theatre League Award for Direction and the 2009 Backstage Garland award for Direction for an Outstanding Season among many others. No stranger to acting, his many performance credits include City of Angels, Dracula, The Pajama Game, "Frasier" and "Everybody Loves Raymond".

"I have had the pleasure of working with Nick several times. He is one of the smartest, theatrically savvy, and gifted directors that I know, and it is an honor to share his fine work with the TUTS audience. His productions have been justifiably celebrated and rewarded for many years. He brings a kind of special joy to the process that will serve this already joyous musical in a very special way. I know that he and his creative team will deliver a production that is full of life, energy, and theatrical vitality," said Sheldon Epps, Artistic Advisor for Theatre Under The Stars.

In The Heights will be choreographed by Jose-Luis Lopez whose performance credits include, most recently, On Your Feet! and the Broadway and touring productions of In The Heights. Lopez will be recreating the original highly praised choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler who also recently won the Tony Award for Hamilton: An American Musical. The scenic and costume design for this production will also be based on that of the original Broadway production.

In The Heights, the first Tony-Award-winning show by Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, will kick off the Theatre Under The Stars 2016-17 season on September 13, 2016.

The 2016/17 season is generously sponsored by Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. For all shows, air transportation is provided by United Airlines, the official airline of TUTS.

For more information on In The Heights or any of the shows in the 2016/17 Season, visit TUTS.com