Theatre In The Park to Hold Christmas in July with IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS

Christmas in July? Of course, if you're Theatre in the Park!

"Irving Berlin's White Christmas" will play Theatre in the Park on Friday, July 14 in Shawnee Mission Park., 7700 Renner Road, in Shawnee, KS. Rated PG, "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" continues through the weekend on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16, with four additional performances Wednesday, July 19 through Saturday, July 22.

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.

The musical is based on the beloved 1954 holiday movie "White Christmas" that starred Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen. The story follows two World War II veterans, who partner up as a song-and-dance team. Looking for love, the duo follows two singing sisters who travel to a singing gig during the holidays at a quaint Vermont lodge-that happens to be owned by the men's former army commander. It features some of Berlin's most beloved songs including the title tune, "White Christmas".

The stage adaptation gives audiences new characters and plot twists, all 17 of Berlin's original songs from the film as well as several additional tunes including "I Love a Piano" and "Blue Skies". Energetic dance numbers are also part of this stage production.

TIP Veteran Kacy Christensen directs this production as well as staging the dance numbers with the assistance of Ben Renfrow as assistant choreographer and a member of the cast. Another TIP veteran - Kevin Bogan - is the vocal director and conductor.

For Christensen, this musical is special on a personal level.

"'White Christmas' is a long-standing tradition for my family during the holiday season," Christensen said. "We watched it every year on Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house before opening gifts. I was mesmerized by the singing and dancing, the colorful costumes, and the 1950's time period. 'White Christmas' heavily influenced my love for musical theatre," he said.

The creative team has assembled an incredibly talented group of local performers for this production. TIP veterans Jennifer Renfrow and Krista Eyler portray sisters Judy and Betty Haynes. Both have graced stages across the city including TIP - most recently both women starred in "Sparkletones", which Eyler wrote. Renfrow is also excited to perform with her son Ben in this show before he heads off to college.

TIP Veteran Tom Nelson ("Something Rotten", "Into The Woods") plays Bob Wallace; he partners with Mishi Schueller, a relatively new TIP performer ("School of Rock") in the role of Phil Davis. Other TIP veterans in this cast include Chris Halford ("Urinetown, "Footloose"), Pam Sollars ("Sweeney Todd," "Mamma Mia"), who was seen earlier this summer in "Freaky Friday," Haley Knudsen ("25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee") as well as brothers Alec and Wyatt Walberg.

For "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" TIP is partnering with the Johnson County Christmas Bureau (JCCB) collecting new toys for its annual holiday shop in December. Patrons are asked to donate new toys for children from infants through teens for JCCB's shop. Those who make a toy donation receive a coupon for a free box of popcorn.

JCCB was founded in 1960 as an adopt-a-family holiday program. JCCB migrated to a holiday distribution shop in 1978 and to date serves over 11, 600 low-income Johnson County families yearly. Today, JCCB works year 'round and counts on thousands of volunteers to make the holidays memorable for neighbors in need. For more information, please visit the organization's web site at www.jccb.org.

Following the closing of "Irving Berlin's White Christmas", TIP's final show of the OUTDOOR season is the musical "Footloose," July 28-Aug. 5.

Tickets for the OUTDOOR shows are on sale. 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 in the Park

TIP continues its Movies in the Park for only $1 per person! This remaining summer's line-up includes:

"Toy Story 4" - Tuesday July 8 (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 Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" includes Tom Nelson as Bob Wallace (Kansas City, MO), Krista Eyler as Betty Haynes (Overland Park, KS), Mishi Schueller as Phil Davis (Olathe, KS), Jennifer Renfrow as Judy Haynes (Warrensburg, MO), Chris Halford as General Waverly (Olathe, KS), Pam Sollars as Martha Watson (Kansas City, MO), Erynn Symons as Susan Waverly (Olathe, KS), Brian Houchin as Mike Nulty/Mr. Snoring Man (Kansas City, MO), Robert Clark as Ezekiel/Quintet (Overland Park, KS), Alec Walberg as Ralph Sheldrake/Jimmy (Overland Park, KS), Haley Knudsen as Rhoda/Ensemble (Overland Park, KS), Tori Porteous as Rita/Ensemble (Overland Park, KS), Liv Hollan as Mrs. Snoring Man/Quintet (Olathe, KS), Ben Renfrow as Quintet/Ensemble (Warrensburg, MO), Connor Kelly Wright as Quintet/Ensemble (Lee's Summit, MO), Cayden Shelly as Ensemble (Warrensburg, MO), Morgan Ball as Ensemble (Lee's Summit, MO), Johnny Dinh Phan as Ensemble (Overland Park, KS), Nathan Anderson as Ensemble (Festus, MO), Ava Greenberg as Ensemble (Warrensburg, MO), Jenna Gaston as Ensemble (Lawrence, KS), Jasmine Hall as Ensemble (Kansas City, KS), Bre Hays as Ensemble (Lee's Summit, MO), McKenna Bizal as Ensemble (Lawrence, KS), and Wyatt Walberg as Ensemble (Raytown, MO).

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