Regional Premiere of [title of show] set for Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare with Student Casts

PlayhouseSquare and the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music (B-W) are partnering to present the first regional premiere of [title of show], May 1-3 at the 14th Street Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. The show will feature current students in the Baldwin-Wallace Music Theatre Program under the direction of nationally acclaimed director Victoria Bussert, head of the music theatre program at B-W. This will be the second year that the multi-tiered collaboration between PlayhouseSquare and the Baldwin-Wallace Music Theatre Program as well as the Arts Management Program will occur.

Bussert is excited to begin yet another collaboration between B-W and PlayhouseSquare with [title of show]. Because this is the first time [title of show] is being performed outside of New York City, it makes the collaboration even more special. "I was hoping this might happen next year." said Bussert, "We were ecstatic and completely surprised when we got the phone call in February saying ‘we got it'. I think it really speaks to young artist, that's why I wanted the students involved with it."

"Our partnership with Baldwin-Wallace College has been a sunny day for all of us at PlayhouseSquare. The offices are alive with the vibrancy of their students offering the results from their extensive research projects on marketing to college-age audiences. And the students on stage offer Cleveland the final glimpse of fresh talent who are on the threshold of launching their professional careers," stated Gina Vernaci, Vice President of Theatricals for PlayhouseSquare. "We are grateful to be working with Vicky Bussert and Bryan Bowser. Their keen eyes for talent continue to enliven our community."

The show has been double cast and features music theatre students from freshman through senior year. Casts will perform in a rotation. "Hunter's cast" features seniors JR Bruno and Dustin Jesberger as the main characters Hunter and Jeff, juniors Maggie Roach and Emma Ruck as Heidi and Susan and freshman Rachel Jones is featured. "Jeff's cast" includes freshman Cameron Cornelius and sophomore Rod Lawrence as the main characters and Jennifer Noble, junior, is also included. Emma Ruck and Rachel Jones perform in both casts. In addition, senior B-W Arts Management students have also been working hard behind the scenes to produce the show.

[title of show] is a musical about two nobodies named Hunter and Jeff who decide to write a completely original musical starring themselves and their attractive and talented lady friends, Susan and Heidi. Their musical, [title of show], gets into the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and becomes a hit. Then it gets an off-Broadway production at the Vineyard Theatre, and wins three Obie Awards! Then it's announced that their musical is going to Broadway and people start seeing this blurb everywhere! They read that The New York Times called [title of show]"DELECTABLE ENTERTAINMENT! A postmodern homage to the grand tradition of backstage musicals like Babes in Arms, Kiss Me, Kate and A Chorus Line." Fully intrigued, those people snatch up tickets and help make Hunter and Jeff's life-long dream come true!

The regional premiere of [title of show] will be performed May 1 - 3 at the 14th Street Theatre at Playhouse Square. Performances are scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. All tickets are $20.00 and are now on sale by calling 216-241-6000, online at playhousesquare.org, or at the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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