Musical 13 To Open At Theatre In The Park As First-Ever All Teen Show; Partnering With Jewish Family Services

Evan Goldman is about to turn 13 when his life is turned upside down. His parents get divorced and Evan is forced to move from his familiar life in exciting New York City to a small, sleepy town in Indiana. On top of that, Evan is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah while navigating a new school and popularity pecking order.

Can Evan situate himself on a comfortable link of the food chain... or will he dangle at the end with the outcasts?!?

Audiences will find out with the opening of the musical "13" at Theatre in the Park on Friday, June 30 located in Shawnee Mission Park, 7700 Renner Road, in Shawnee, KS. Rated PG 13, "13" continues through the weekend on Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2, with four additional performances Wednesday, July 5 through Saturday, July 8. This is the first all-teen cast at Theatre in the Park.

Curtain time for all OUTDOOR productions is 8:30 p.m.; the box office opens at 7 p.m. and the seating bowl opens at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.theatreinthepark.org or at the theatre box office nightly.

With music by Tony-Award winning composer Jason Robert Brown (who just won the 2023 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical) and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn, "13" is a musical about fitting in - and standing out! Netflix premiered a movie version of the musical last summer (2022).

"13" is a premier production for TIP with Amy Sander making her directorial debut with the theatre. Sander has directed at various theatres around the region including The Culture House.

"I have been waiting to direct at TIP for many years," Sander said. "And I LOVE working with teenagers, so this particular show was a perfect fit!"

Sander is joined by Matt Richardson as Vocal Director/Conductor and Emmy Hadley and Jackson Tomlin as co-choreographers.

The entire cast of 26 incredibly diverse and talented performers from across the region is made up of only 12-15-year-olds.

For "13," TIP is partnering with Jewish Family Services to help stock the shelves of its two food pantry locations. Patrons can bring deodorant or toothpaste (full-sized tubes please) with them to the theatre and receive a coupon for a free box of popcorn. Additional information can be found on the JFS website at jfskc.org.

"We are so excited to partner with TIP during this production," said Jo Hickey, JFS Director of Pantry Partnerships. "Finding you way in life can be challenging and we at JFS are here to support others during their journey."

Director Amy Sander is excited to bring "13" to audiences at TIP.

"This show is so relatable," Sander said. "It is fun, silly, lively, cheesy, full of teen-angst and so incredibly heart-warming. The best part of the show are the lessons at the end, because we can ALL learn from them. Loyalty, honesty, trust, friendship, and personal awareness and growth all truly matter ... no matter what our age," she said. "Differences are not just okay, they are amazing and actually imperative to our world and our communities."

Following the run of "13," TIP will present two additional musicals this summer:

● "Irving Berlin's White Christmas," July 14-22 (PG)

● "Footloose," July 28-Aug. 5 (PG)

Tickets for the OUTDOOR shows are on sale now. TIP OUTDOOR ticket prices are $10 for adults, $6 for youth (ages 4-10) plus tax, and children three and under are free (ticket required for entrance). Reserved seats and parking are also available.

Movies are back!

In addition to its musical bill of fare, TIP is offering Movies in the Park for only $1 per person! This summer's line-up includes:

● "Toy Story 4" - Tuesday, July 18 (G)

● "Trolls World Tour" - Tuesday, Aug. 1 (G)

● "The Goonies" - Friday, Aug. 11 (G)

● "Top Gun: Maverick" - Friday, Aug. 18 (PG-13)

On movie nights, TIP gates open at 8 p.m.; movies start between 8:30-8:45 p.m.

TIP is a program of the Johnson County Park & Recreation District and is the largest community theatre in the nation. TIP produces eight musicals annually with a company of Kansas City Metro area performers, directors, musicians, designers, and staff for over 40,000 patrons thereby furthering its mission to enhance the quality of life in the community by providing a variety of entertainment programs through public and private partnerships. TIP thanks our 2023 Season Sponsor, AdventHealth.

Cast of "13"

(Performer, role, school, city of residence)

Kamryn

Henderson,

Evan

Delta Woods Middle

Lee Summit, MO

Jocelyn

Salter,

Patrice

Prairie star Middle

Overland Park

Nile

Clipner,

Brett

Home-schooled

Overland Park

Evan

LeRoy,

Malcolm

Mill Valley

Shawnee

Kenyon

White,

Eddie

St. James Academy

Olathe

Delilah

Pellow,

Kendra

Lee's Summit North

Lee Summit, MO

Jacob

Banman,

Archie

Blue Valley High

Stilwell

Maddie

Hendricks,

Lucy

Blue Valley Southwest

Olathe

Aubrey

Richardson,

Cassie

Frontier Trail Middle

Overland Park

Max

Duffy,

Charlotte

New Covenant Academy

Brookline, MO

Viviana

Carias,

Molly

Shawnee

Eli

Aikman,

Richie

Shawnee Mission North

Mission

Charlie

Tietjen,

Simon

St. Paul's Episcopal Day School

Leawood

Joaquin

Gonzalez-Layton,

Ensemble

Blue Valley North

Leawood

Aliyah

Hart,

Ensemble

St. James Academy

Overland Park

Jenna

Hass,

Ensemble

Blue Valley High

Leawood

Brooke

Jenkins,

Ensemble

Frontier Trail Middle

Olathe

Dylan

Johnson,

Ensemble

Blue Valley Northwest

Overland Park

Elliana

Farrow,

Ensemble

Shawnee Mission South

Lenexa

Holly

Lichtenauer,

Ensemble

Spring Hill High

Spring Hill

Lainey

McManamy,

Ensemble

Visitation Catholic

Kansas City, MO

Delainey

Mock,

Ensemble

Olathe East

Overland Park

Ryan

Peterson,

Ensemble

Blue Valley Northwest

Olathe

Jordan

Rosenwald,

Ensemble

BlueValley West

Overland Park

Kellen

Serrano

Ensemble

Blue Valley Southwest

Overland Park

Harper

Wright

Ensemble

St. Thomas Aquinas

Overland Park

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