Hershey Area Playhouse to Present BANDSTAND Beginning in May

Bandstand hits the stage of the Hershey Area Playhouse this Memorial Day Weekend and continues through the first weekend in June. Performances run Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons; May 25, 26, 27 and June 1, 2, and 3 at 7 p.m. and May 28 and June 4 at 2 p.m.

Bandstand tells the story Private First Class Donny Novitski (Ethan Tucker), a singer and songwriter, who returns home from war in 1945 with the hope of rebuilding his life. When NBC announces a competition to find the nation's next swing band sensation, Donny joins forces with a group of veterans (Edward Valentine, Andrew Santoro, Brendon Pierce, and Noah McClure) to form a band. The newly formed band faces complicated relationships, the demands of the competition, and the challenging after-effects of war. But when Donny meets a beautiful, young singer named Julia (Victoria Gaffey), he finds harmony in words and music.

The company also features Theresa Garber, Vitoria Garber. Eliana Kreider, Hannah Louise, Karlee Marroncelli, Tony Measley, Emily Myers, Tyler O'Connor, Brendon Pierce, Brenda Rodrigues, Ryan Taylor, Natalie Tibbs, Kate Wentling, and Melissa West.

Tori Gaffey, a Long Island University Musical Theater alumna, is returning home to play the role of Julia. Gaffey is excited to get to tell the story from Julia's perspective because she "uses music to express herself and all of the undiscussed things she is dealing with, being a widow who just lost her husband in battle. "Seeing post-war America from the perspective of a woman struggling to move on with her life is emotional but real," she says.

The production staff includes Kevin Edward Gane (director), Jasmine Ammons Bucher (associate director), Kelley Shambaugh (choreographer), Rosemary Bucher (producer), Carlton Hoke and Jeff Miller (set design), Mary Manning (costumes), Miguel Santiago (lighting designer), and Matt Smoluk (sound design).

Tickets for the show are $29 for adults and $23 for seniors and can be purchased online at the Hershey Area Playhouse website or at the box office. For more information, visit www.hersheyareaplayhouse.com. For tickets, visit hap.booktix.com.

Bandstand premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ on 2015. It transferred to Broadway in 2017, directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler and featuring Corey Cott, Laura Osnes and Beth Leavel. Bandstand is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.