Local Celebrities Slated for THEATRE WITH THE STARS 2017 at Flat Rock Playhouse

Flat Rock Playhouse's much anticipated, fun-filled evening featuring Hendersonville's finest is back and better than ever!

After a bit of rescheduling this spring, this popular non-profit focused competition returns this October with five brand-new, local celebrities signed on to Flat Rock Playhouse's third annual Theatre with the Stars!

The State Theatre of North Carolina is excited to continue its tradition in this one-night only song, dance and theatre extravaganza in which local "stars" partner with Flat Rock Playhouse "pros" and compete with the hopes of raising the most votes to win the title, as well as $1000 for their selected non-profit of choice.

The "stars" competing for Theatre with the Stars will be:

- John Connet of City of Hendersonville competing for HopeRx
- Noah C. George of Keller Williams Realty competing for the Henderson County Education Foundation
- Julia Hockenberry of Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County competing for her organization
- Sherri Holbert of Park Ridge Health Foundation competing for her organization
- BJ Ramer of Team ECCO Ocean Center & Aquarium competing for her organization

Flat Rock Playhouse "pros" lined up for Theatre with the Stars include Lisa K. Bryant, Victoria Dunkle, Dave Hart, Scott Treadway and Dane Whitlock.

Hosted by WTZQ's Mark Warwick with "Color Commentary" by Tiffany Ervin, Theatre with the Stars will be directed by Flat Rock Playhouse Artistic Director Lisa K. Bryant.

Starting TODAY, the public is invited to log on to www.frpstar.org to peruse the library of videos featuring the five contestants. There, they will also have the option of casting a vote for their chosen celebrity by making a donation under the star's name. The star with the most donations combined with highest judges' score wins $1000 for their selected charity. Online pre-voting will end midnight October 16th .

Voting can also take place via phone or in person by calling or visiting the Flat Rock Playhouse Box Office in the Village of Flat Rock to make a donation under the celebrity's name.

On October 17th at 6:00 PM, all of the stars will convene at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown to present the acts that they have prepared in front of a live audience as well as a panel of distinguished judges.

Judges for the 2017 Theatre with the Stars include Dr. Scott Donaldson (Pardee Hospital), Kimerly Hinkelman (Pardee Hospital Foundation) and Lutrelle Livingston O'Cain (Blue Ridge Humane Society - 2016 Winner of Theatre with the Stars).

With both excitement and nerves running high, this line-up of contestants for the 2017 Theatre with the Stars is sure to bring Hendersonville one of its most exhilarating nights of entertainment with an extremely meaningful outcome.

Contestant BJ Ramer (Team Ecco Ocean Center & Aquarium) mentions the importance of this event in that she believes it is "wonderful that these organizations are coming together to support the community and the great causes that can be found here." Contestant Julia Hockenberry expands on this idea as she describes Theatre with the Stars as an opportunity "to explore some of the amazing non-profit resources that are here in Henderson County. It's a generous, abundant, wonderful place to be."

On behalf of Flat Rock Playhouse, Artistic Director Lisa K. Bryant adds, "we are proud and grateful to offer this platform for so many amazing local non profits, as well as these leaders in our community who do so much to support them."

Flat Rock Playhouse's Theatre with the Stars, generously sponsored by Horizon Heating & Air, will perform October 17th at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown at 6 PM. A pre-show reception will take place in the Playhouse Downtown lobby beginning at 5 PM. Tickets are $50 which includes food, festivities and reserved seating. There will also be a cash bar. Tickets can be purchased online, in person, or by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008. The Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 South Main Street in Hendersonville, NC.

In 1937, a group of struggling performers, led by Robroy Farquhar, organized themselves as the Vagabond Players. The Vagabonds worked in a variety of places over the course of three years, and in 1940 found themselves in the Blue Ridge region of Western North Carolina. The local and tourist community welcomed them with open arms when they presented their first summer season of plays in a 150-year-old grist mill they converted into The Old Mill Playhouse at Highland Lake. So successful was that summer, they returned in 1941. After WWII, the Vagabond Players reorganized, came back to the region and opened a playhouse in nearby Lake Summit. The Lake Summit Playhouse thrived during the post war years and soon the Vagabond Players were looking for a larger and permanent home. In 1952, the troupe of performers, and a newly formed board of directors, made an offer to buy an 8-acre lot in the Village of Flat Rock. This new home made the Vagabonds "locals" and a rented big top gave birth to Flat Rock Playhouse. As the beautiful Western Carolina region continued to grow, so did the Playhouse and in 1961, by Act of the North Carolina General Assembly, Flat Rock Playhouse was officially designated The State Theatre of North Carolina. What began as a few weeks of summer performances in 1940 is now a nine-month season of plays including Broadway musicals, comedy, drama, and theatre for young audiences. The Playhouse's dual mission of producing the performing arts and providing education in the performing arts includes a professional series; a summer and fall college apprentice and intern program; and Studio 52, family focused programming that provides immersive, hands-on theatrical experiences for children in kindergarten through adults. Flat Rock Playhouse now hosts over 98,000 patrons annually and is a significant contributor to the local economy and the Arts in North Carolina.

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