9 TO 5, THE MUSIC MAN & More Set for Flat Rock Playhouse's 2016 Season

The Flat Rock Playhouse announced today the plays, musicals and Music on the Rock concerts slated for the 2016 Season as well as a streamlined subscription package plan.

"We've truly had a banner year at Flat Rock Playhouse in 2015. We're experiencing record numbers and sold out audiences, which has been amazing to witness," says Artistic Director Lisa K. Bryant. "Standing on the back row of a packed house of Gypsy, Driving Miss Daisy, and Always...Patsy Cline has been a truly breathtaking experience and I could not be more proud of the work we have done - onstage and off."

Earlier this year, the Playhouse conducted a survey asking 15,0000 patrons which shows they would most like to see in 2016.

"I'm happy to report that nearly all of the titles that we are producing in 2016 on our Mainstage and Playhouse Downtown - as well as Music on the Rock - are suggestions taken directly from the feedback," says Bryant.

Subscriptions go on sale Tuesday, September 1st. The packages for 2016 will be priced at a heavier discount than previous seasons.

"We've made the decision to streamline the packages offered for 2016," says Flat Rock Playhouse Marketing and Communications Director Dane Whitlock. "We'll continue to offer our traditional Plan A Package, which is tickets to all nine shows in our season, not including the Studio 52 production of James and the Giant Peach, but at twice the savings offered in previous years." Whitlock continues, "We're also offering a new package called the Summer Musicals Plus Package, which is a variation on our Flex Plan of the past. This new plan includes tickets to our two blockbuster summer musicals The Music Man and 9 to 5 as well as eight additional tickets to use however you choose, again at a much steeper discount. We feel these two packages, combined with our Music on the Rock package, are much more enticing options for our patrons."

Current subscribers wishing to renew their 2015 plan are encouraged to call the Flat Rock Playhouse Box Office at 828.693.0731 before October 1st, 2015.

The musicals in 2016 Flat Rock Playhouse season include:

Million Dollar Quartet to run April 28 through May 21. Inspired by the true story, Million Dollar Quartet dramatizes the impromptu jam session featuring Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash and include the hit songs Blue Suede Shoes, Folsom Prison Blues, Great Balls of Fire, Hound Dog, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and many more. Book by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott.

The Music Man to run June 16 through July 9. Meredith Willson's great American masterpiece, The Music Man is the story of the fast talking con artist Harold Hill who plots to swindle the folks of River City Iowa by posing as a band instructor. The long awaited, highly requested musical features such Broadway standards as Til There Was You and 76 Trombones.

Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 to run July 28 through August 20. Based on the hit 1978 movie, 9 to 5 is the story of three secretaries who devise a plan to overthrow their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot of a boss. The lively and inventive score featuring the hit song 9 to 5 is written by Dolly Parton with book by Patricia Resnick, based upon the screenplay by Resnick and Colin Higgins.

Beehive, the 60's Musical to run October 13 through 30. From Lesley Gore to Aretha Franklin and everyone in between, Beehive the 60's Musical is a celebration of the girl group of that decade and features such music as It's My Party, My Boyfriend's Back, Where the Boys Are, Proud Mary and Respect. Book by Larry Gallagher.

A Christmas Carol to run November 17 through December 17. Charles Dickens' classic tale adapted by Richard Hellesen and David De Berry, returns to the Flat Rock Playhouse stage in 2016. The State Theatre of North Carolina will be presenting the hit 2014 production bi-annually.

All of the musicals will be performed on the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage in the Village of Flat Rock.

The plays slated for 2016 include:

Self Help to run May 26 through June 4 at on the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage. Norm Foster's hilarious play about two struggling actors who reinvent themselves, and their failing acting careers, as self help gurus. Their marriage and their lives unravel in this uproarious farce as they try desperately to deal with dead bodies and nosey reporters while holding on to their newly found fame.

The Importance of Being Earnest to run July 7 through 24 at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown. Dubbed "a trivial comedy for serious people," The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde's most celebrated play. Set in Victorian England, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Earnest") for their illicit activities and hilarity ensues.

The Diary of Anne Frank to run September 8 through 25 on the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage. Based on the diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding with her family in Amsterdam for two years, adapted by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, The Diary of Anne Frank has become symbolic of the Nazi atrocities during World War II.

Vintage Hitchcock, A Live Radio Play to run October 20 through November 6 at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown. This spooky and thrilling piece from the master of suspense, Vintage Hitchcock, A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry, brings to life three tales in the style of a 1940's radio broadcast - complete with vintage commercials and the magic of live sound effects.

The Music on the Rock concert series includes:

The Music of Barry Manilow, February 11 - 14.

Donny Edwards, a Heart and Soul Tribute to the King, the return limited engagement direct from Las Vegas will perform April 7 - 17 on the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage.

The Music of the Beach Boys, April 21 - May 1.

The Music of the Eagles, May 12 - 22.

The Music of Billy Joel and Elton John, June 9 - 19.

The Music of Buddy Holly, August 11 - 21.

The Music of Fleetwood Mac, September 29 - October 9.

A Celtic Christmas, December 1 - 18.

Additionally, Flat Rock Playhouse Studio 52 will present James and the Giant Peach at the Playhouse Downtown. Based on the beloved book by Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach is about a young boy who escapes his conniving aunts via a magical giant peach and discovers adventure, friendship, and the true nature of family along the way. This multimedia production with a new and inventive book by Timothy Allen McDonald, music and lyrics by the Tony nominated duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, will take flight from March 10 - 20, 2016.