FPAC Announces ’11-’12 Season; The Nutcracker, Annie To Be Performed

The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) has announced its 2011-2012 show season. Holiday favorites, a Tony-award-winning musical and a comic opera will be featured in the slate of productions.

FPAC will present the timeless holiday classic The Nutcracker with live orchestra and guest artists on December 10 and 11 at the Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium, Horace Mann Middle School, 224 Oak Street. Humbug!, an original musical based on Dickens' A Christmas Carol and performed by FPAC in 2008 and 2009, returns to Franklin by popular demand. Humbug! will be staged at the Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium on December 17 and 18.

Annie, which won the Tony award in 1977 for Best Musical, will be performed by FPAC on March 3 and 4 at the Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium. Based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, this musical introduced audiences to children's favorites "Tomorrow," "Maybe," and "It's a Hard Knock Life."
FPAC's Family Concert Series presents the programs Uncle Nick's Happy Fun Hour, Jazz for Kids and Opera for Children on Sundays in January, February and March 2012. Geared toward young children, the Family Concert Series brings families together during the winter months to enjoy music.

The Whatever Theater Festival, which features Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, Shakespeare on The Common and one-act plays, will be presented by FPAC from July 26 through August 4, 2012.

The Franklin Performing Arts Company was founded in 1991 and is dedicated to the promotion of the performing arts, with a focus on and commitment to youth development. A distinctive suburban non-profit arts organization, FPAC presents quality performances while offering opportunities for professional artists, amateurs, families and students of the arts to work together in a collaborative and creative environment.

The local community is invited to assist with FPAC's productions and mission. The Golden Circle Members support FPAC with an annual contribution and receive premier seating to FPAC shows as well as mention in the FPAC playbills. In addition, a Membership Meeting for FPAC show participants, volunteers and friends will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Franklin Country Club. This event provides pertinent information for the upcoming productions and introduces the community to the myriad of volunteer opportunities with FPAC, including set construction, properties, costumes, marketing, and much more.

Since its inception, FPAC has performed many successful concerts, ballets, musicals, comedies and dramas including The Nutcracker, The King and I, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Little Shop of Horrors, West Side Story, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth, Seussical the Musical, Cinderella, Into the Woods, Footloose, Anything Goes, Cabaret, The Secret Garden, Little Women - the Musical, ‘Tis the Season! and many more. Auditions for FPAC productions are always open to the community and family participation is encouraged.

For more information regarding FPAC auditions, shows and volunteer opportunities, call (508) 528-8668 or visit www.FPAConline.com. The Box Office for FPAC is located at The Spotlight Shop, 34 Main Street, Franklin.

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