BLUEBERRY HILL, PERFECT WEDDING and More Set for JPAS' 2013-14 Season

By: Sep. 05, 2013
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For 36 years, JPAS has continued to bring the best in the performing arts to venues from Jefferson Parish, the Metro Area, to the North Shore and beyond. Thanks to loyal patron support we have grown to become Louisiana's largest professional touring company. Our offerings are abundantly varied and our outreach is extensive. This season is no exception!

We begin with a World Premiere New Orleans Jukebox Musical entitled Blueberry Hill. Written, directed, and starring Big Easy Award winning Director Butch Caire (JPAS' The Light in the Piazza), Blueberry Hill will have you dancing and singing to all the great tunes of Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, Fats and so many more.

Due to damages sustained last year from Hurricane Isaac to our Westwego Performing Arts Theatre, we moved much of our season intoTeatro Wego!,our cabaret space. Here you will enjoy a Murder Mystery, several Comedies and an especially creepy Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde directed by John Brooks from North Carolina.

New Orleans icon Ricky Graham returns to JPAS as director of that outrageous Christmas comedy - A Tuna Christmas, while the inimitable "Uncle" Wayne Daigrepont puts his spin on the Bogart inspired Murder at the Café Noir where you get to solve "who did the hit?"

Dedicated to Arts Education and Enrichment, we created a new program this past summer -the JPAS Conservatory will now become a part of this 36th Season as we produce that Doo Wop Smash Little Shop of Horrors and a special Spring Production to be announced later. These and Ballet Hysell's The Nutcracker will be enjoyed in the current Jefferson Performing Arts Center. .

We would like to welcome a new dance program to our 36th Season called making the Grade (MTG). MTG, improves fitness and offers proactive approaches to healthcare through dance. The program will also help students in difficult life circumstances master math skills that are measured by standardized tests. See what I mean about "varied offerings"?

Become a subscriber and enjoy substantial discounts by contacting our box office at 504.885.2000 ext: 202 or email us at boxoffice@jpas.org. Tickets: Adults $18-30, Seniors/Military $15-27, Students $15-20, Kids $12-15. Ticket prices vary depending on location and production. Please visit www.jpas.org for more info! The JPAS Box Office is located at 1118 Clearview Parkway in Metairie, LA. Box Office hours are Monday - Friday from 9am-5pm. On show dates, the theatre box office opens one hour prior to curtain.

Blueberry Hill

Written and directed by Butch Caire

Blueberry Hill features classic New Orleans R&B songs made famous by local musical icons like Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, and many others! Not a revue type show or a retelling of the history of the recording business, Blueberry Hill instead tells a new story of everyday people who find themselves dealing with love & betrayal, laughter & tears. Audiences will find themselves sharing in the joy and sadness onstage and singing along as the plot takes some unexpected twists while bringing to life the songs they know and love.

Performances: September 20 - October 6, 2013at Teatro Wego! (177 Sala Ave. Westwego, LA 70094) and October 18 - 20, 2013 at Fuhrmann Auditorium (317 Jefferson Ave. Covington)

Times: Friday(s) at 7:30PM, Saturday(s) at7:30PM and Sunday(s) at 3:00PM RATED PG

The 18th Annual Pasta and Puccini Headdress Ball - Fundraising Gala

Proudly Presented by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Shane and First NBC

October 11, 2013/Doors open at 6:30PMMarriott Hotel Grand Ballroom 555 Canal St., New Orleans, LA

Join us for an unforgettable evening to benefit the 36th Season and educational outreach programs of JPAS. The evening will begin with the Headdress Ball, showcasing designs by JPAS celebrities. The evening will continue with dancing to the JPAS Big Band Orchestra, an elegant dinner, complimentary cocktails and a magnificent concert featuring international, national and local vocalists accompanied by the JPAS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Dennis G. Assaf. The evening also features fabulous live and silent auctions. Patrons are encouraged to wear their own fabulous headdresses to this black tie event. TICKETS AND TABLES ARE STILL AVAILABLE!Individual tickets start at $165. For reservations or for more information, contact JPAS Development Director, Valerie Hart at 504-885-2000 ext: 212 or valerie@jpas.org.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, from the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Directed by John Brooks of North Carolina.

This adaptation is a new and shocking version of this classic tale of depravity, lust, love and horror. On the fog-bound streets of Victorian-era London, Henry Jekyll's experiments with exotic "powders and tinctures" have brought forth his other self-Edward Hyde, a sensualist and villain free to commit the sins Jekyll is too civilized to comprehend. When Hyde meets a woman who stirs his interest, Jekyll fears for her life and decides to end his experiments. But Hyde has other ideas, and so the two sides battle each other in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse to determine who shall be the master and who his slave. Performances: October 18 - November 3, 2013 at Teatro Wego! (177 Sala Ave. Westwego, LA 70094) and November 8 - November 17, 2013 (Northshore, TBA) Times: Friday(s) at 7:30PM, Saturday(s) at 7:30PM and Sunday(s) at 3:00PM **Arts Adventure Series: October 24 - 25, 2013 at 9:45AM at Teatro Wego! (High School only)

RATED R for ADULT CONTENT

A Tuna Christmas

By Jason Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard

Directed by Ricky Graham

Another chapter in the Greater Tunaseries, its Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas. Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including the intensively competitive annual lawn display contest. In other news, voracious Joe Bob Lipsey's production of A Christmas Carol is jeopardized by unpaid electric bills. A Tuna Christmas is a total delight for all seasons, and is performed by two quick changing comedians. Performances: November 22 - December 8, 2013 at Teatro Wego! (177 Sala Ave. Westwego, LA 70094) December 13 - 22 (Northshore, TBA)

Times: Friday(s) at 7:30PM, Saturday(s) at7:30PM and Sunday(s) at 3:00PM RATED PG

Ballet Hysell's The Nutcracker

Featuring the JPAS Symphony Orchestra

Conducted by Maestro Dennis G. Assaf

JPAS presents this holiday classic created by award winning Ballet Master, the late Harvey Hysell, and starring Kimberly Matulich - Beck (Director, Jefferson Ballet Theatre) and Eric Otto (Broadway's Movin Out).

Performances: December 21 and 22, 2013 at Jefferson Performing Arts Center (400 Phlox St. Metairie, LA 70001)

Times: Saturday at 7:30PM and Sunday at 3:00PM

RATED PG

Murder at Café Noir

By David Landau

Directed by "Uncle" Wayne Daigrepont

This 1940's detective story comes to life as Rick Archer, Private Eye, seeks a curvaceous runaway on the forgotten island of Mustique, a place stuck in an era of black and white cinema. The owner of the Cafe Noir has washed ashore and Rick, whose quarry was the last person seen with him employs his hard-boiled talents to find the killer. Was it the French club manager Madame Tureau, or the voodoo priestess, the shyster British attorney, the black marketer, or the femme fatale? The audience votes twice on what they want Rick to do next. These decisions change the flow and determine the ending of this comic tribute to the Bogart era. Performances: January 24 - February 9, 2014 at Teatro Wego! (177 Sala Ave. Westwego, LA 70094) and February 14 - 23, 2014 (Northshore, TBA) Times:

Friday(s) at 7:30PM, Saturday(s) at 7:30PM and Sunday(s) at 3:00PM RATED PG-13

Perfect Wedding

By Robin Hawdon

Directed by Phillip A. Benson

A bridegroom wakes on his wedding morning in his own bridal suite and finds a strange girl in bed beside him. What's more, she's an extremely attractive girl to whom, in the depths of his post stag-night hangover, can't remotely remember even having been introduced! Worse - during the ensuing panic to get the stranger dressed and out of the way, the bride arrives and the girl is trapped in the bathroom. The only way out of the dilemma is to persuade the best man to pretend that the hidden girl is his girl friend. Then the problem is compounded when the best man's real girlfriend arrives she has to be kept ignorant of who this mystery gal is. By the time the bride's parents and half the hotel staff get in on the act, the chaos reaches nuclear proportions!

Performances: March 7 - 23, 2014 at Teatro Wego! (177 Sala Ave. Westwego, LA 70094) and March 28 - 30, 2014 at Fuhrmann Auditorium (317 Jefferson Ave. Covington, LA) April 4-6, 2014 (Northshore, TBA) Times: Friday(s) at 7:30PM, Saturday(s) at 7:30PM and Sunday(s) at 3:00PM

RATED R for ADULT CONTENT

FUN FOR KIDS, STUDENTS AND FAMILIES!

JPAS Theatre Kids!, Theatre for Young Audiences, Cultural Crossroads, JPAS Conservatory for the Performing Arts, and Arts Adventure Series specials!

** All shows are RATED PG OR G

JPAS Theatre for Young Audiences PRESENTS
I Didn't Know That!
By Johnny Saldaña, Louis Moloney, Joyce Selber and Rachel Winfree

Directed by Phillip A. Benson

A lighthearted revue of first facts, selected oddities and world records. The Guinness Book of World Records is incorporated in this creative and exciting new comedy for children. I Didn't Know That! presents more than 50 startling facts in a trivia-style revue. Audiences have "oohed" and "aaahhed" in amazement to learn such fascinating facts as the first policewoman, the origins of superstitions and the world records for leapfrogging, sneezing and egg laying. Rapid-fire sketches and songs plus total reliance on ensemble acting make this comedy and a world winner with young audiences! Performance(s): September 19, 2013 at the Magnolia School in Jefferson, LA. For more information, contact 504.885.2000 ext: 202 or

e-mail boxoffice@jpas.org to find out how you can get involved with JPAS Theatre for Young Audiences!

JPAS Conservatory for the Performing Arts PRESENTS

Little Shop of Horrors

by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman Directed by Phillip A. Benson

A doo-wop spoof of 1950s sci-fi disaster movies, Little Shop of Horrors follows the misadventures of Seymour, a down-and-out floral assistant who longs to get the girl of his dreams and escape life on skid row. He becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, R&B-singing carnivore that offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination! Laced with dark humor and irresistible music, Little Shop of Horrors is one of the longest-running off-Broadway shows of all time.

Performances: November 1 - 10, 2013 at Jefferson Performing Arts Center (400 Phlox St. Metairie, LA 70001) Times: Friday(s) at 7:30PM, Saturday(s) at 7:30PM and Sunday(s) at 3:00PM

**Arts Adventure Series: October 30, 31, 2013 at 9:45AM

JPAS Theatre Kids! PRESENTS

Schoolhouserock Live! Jr.

Music, Book, Lyrics by

Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, George Keating, George Newall, Kathy Mandry, Kyle Hall, Lynn Ahrens, and Tom Yohe

The Emmy Award-winning Saturday morning educational cartoon series is now the basis for one of the most fun and energetic musicals ever to hit the stage! A loose, revue-like structure is thoroughly enjoyed by young performers and their families. SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! JR. is a hit for actors and audiences alike! Performances: December 6 - 8, 2013 at Jefferson Performing Arts Center (400 Phlox St. Metairie, LA 70001) Times: Friday at 7:30PM, Saturday at 2:00PM & 7:30PM and Sunday at 3:00PM

**Arts Adventure Series: December 5 and 6, 2013 at 9:45AM

Making the Grade PRESENTS

A Christmas Cabaret: Winter Dance Concert with choreography by James Anthony and Annette Ledet

A dance-filled winter celebration, featuring JPAS Making the Grade dance students and a blend of various styles of dance ranging from Modern, to Hip-Hop, Tap and Jazz. Audiences will be treated to a global excursion as they enjoy Christmas and Holiday dances from around the world as well as modern renditions of such favorites as My Favorite Things(homage to John Coltrane and his jazz classic, by André 3000 ) and Santa Baby (a Dubstep Remix.) This dynamic high-energy journey of exciting and original dance entertainment is not to be missed! Performances: December 13 -15, 2013 at Teatro Wego! (177 Sala Ave. Westwego, LA 70094) Times: Friday at 7:30PM, Saturday at 7:30PM and Sunday at 3:00PM**Arts Adventure Series: December 12 and 13, 2013 at 9:45AM and 11:15AM at Teatro Wego!

JPAS Theatre Kids! PRESENTS

Willy Wonka Jr. by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl's timeless story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir comes to life in this stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which features the songs from the classic family film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This "scrumdidilyumptious" musical is guaranteed to delight everyone's sweet tooth. Join us on a fantasy ride into the land of pure imagination!

Performances: February 14 - 16, 2014 at Jefferson Performing Arts Center (400 Phlox St. Metairie, LA 70001) Times: Friday at 7:30PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and 7:30PM andSunday at 3:00PM

**Arts Adventure Series: February 13 and 14, 2014 at 9:45AM at Jefferson Performing Arts Center

Founded in 1978 by Dennis G. Assaf and Hannah Cunningham, Jefferson Performing Arts Society is a non-profit professional arts organization whose mission is to promote arts performance, training and outreach by providing a diverse range of quality programs that entertain, educate and enrich the cultural and economic vitality of Jefferson Parish, Greater New Orleans and the Gulf South.



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