Photo Flash: Phamaly Theatre Compay Opens THE FANTASTICKS Tonight

Tonight, January 29 at 7:30, Phamaly Theatre Company premieres its production of the musical The Fantasticks at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, which will run for three weekends before encoring at the Arvada Center for three performances on February 27, 28 and March 1. From there, the NEA-award winning theatre troupe will travel the show for its first international performance in Osaka, Japan at the International Communications Center for Persons with Disabilities-also known as Big-i. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

In addition to performing The Fantasticks in Japan, the show's director and Phamaly's Associate Artistic Director, Bryce Alexander, along with the cast of eight actors, will lead four days of mock auditions and acting workshops for nearly 100 residents traveling from all over Osaka Prefecture, a geographical region of Japan that spans 733 square miles. At the end of the four days, the community participants will hold their own performance of original writing, in which they will share their own stories.

To prepare for the trip, the actors have formed a study group to learn basic Japanese phrases, and in early March, they will undergo training in order to effectively lead the workshops and writing process.

The Fantasticks, by Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt, is the world's longest running musical -- running for over 52 years in Manhattan. TheFantasticks is a hilarious and moving tale of two young lovers, their meddling fathers, and the wall that divides them.

The Phamaly Theatre Company's production of "The Fantasticks" runs tonight, January 29 - February 15, 2015 at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave, Aurora. Go to www.phamaly.org for additional details.

Photo Credit: Michael Ensminger