Cain Park Produces DREAMGIRLS in 2011

The City of Cleveland Heights and Cain Park Theater Artistic Director Russ Borski announce that DREAMGIRLS will open Cain Park's 2011 season in the Alma Theater June 10-26 (preview June 9). Victoria Bussert will direct this Tony Award-, Drama Desk Award- and Grammy Award-winning musical.

Auditions will take place March 3-4 at the Cleveland Heights Community Center (1 Monticello Boulevard at Mayfield). Callbacks are scheduled for Saturday, March 5. Those interested in receiving audition details should call 216-291-5792. Audition appointments will be accepted as of February 1, 2010 by calling 216-291-2323.

Victoria Bussert is resident director at Great Lakes Theater Festival and director of music theatre at Baldwin-Wallace College, where she is breaking new ground by directing in-repertory productions of La Bohème and Rent this February. She also is on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance of Music Theatres. Ms. Bussert has directed 24 productions at Cain Park where she was theater artistic director for over 20 years.

Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, JAmes Brown, Jackie Brown and others, the musical tells the story of an up-and-coming 1960s girl singing group called "The Dreams" and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune.

With music by Henry Krieger (who also wrote the music for Side Show, which Ms. Bussert directed to critical acclaim in 1999 at Cain Park) and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen, DREAMGIRLS premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theater on December 20, 1981 (closing on August 11, 1985 after 1521 performances) and was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won six. It was also nominated for 11 Drama Desk Awards, winning five, and the original cast album won two Grammys (Best Cast Show Album and Best Female Performance, Jennifer Holliday). The production was directed by Michael Bennett of A Chorus Line fame and choreographed by Bennett and Michael Peters. It starred Sheryl Lee Ralph as Deena Jones, Jennifer Holliday as Effie White, LorEtta Devine as Lorrell Robinson, Ben Harney as Curtis Taylor, Jr., Cleavant Derricks as James "Thunder" Early and Obba Babatundé as C. C. White. The 2006 film adaptation of DREAMGIRLS starred Beyoncé Knowles as Deena, Jennifer Hudson as Effie, Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell, Jamie Foxx as Curtis, Eddie Murphy as James, and Keith Robinson as C. C. The film won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Best Sound Mixing.

Cain Park, a municipally owned and operated summer arts park and one of the nation's oldest landmark outdoor theatres entering its 73rd season, is produced by the City of Cleveland Heights and is located on Superior Road between Lee and South Taylor roads.

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