Bridge 2 Broadway Premieres HIGHER EDUCATION, Now thru 7/21

It's SMASH meets High School Musical this summer at Bridge 2 Broadway, a non-profit, workshop experience for musical theater students. 40 students from the Orange County School of the Arts have been chosen, by audition, to work alongside Tony winners, equity actors and musical theater professionals during this five-week program.

Tim Kashani, Broadway producer and successful entrepreneur and Broadway veteran Pamela Kashani have created this non-profit program to enrich the experience of of young theater students. The Kashanis earned their Broadway chops producing the 2009 revival of Hair and the original musical Memphis, with both musicals winning Tonys. Their Bridge 2 Broadway concept is a joint venture between their nonprofit, Apples and Oranges Arts, and the Orange County School of the Arts to give aspiring student actors and theatre technicians the opportunity to study with Broadway professionals and earn real-world experience. The program is offered free of charge to all student participants.

Debuting in the summer of 2011, Bridge 2 Broadway began as a month-long student workshop. This year the stakes have been raised and students will culminate their workshop experience through participation in a New Works Festival and the first-ever full production of the new musical, "Higher Education." This professional production will allow students a chance to see behind the curtain as a new musical comes to life. Complete with sets, costumes, lighting, choreography, and a live orchestra, "Higher Education" will run two weekends in July (12- 14, 19-21) at the Margaret A. Webb Theatre in Santa Ana. Alongside the fully staged production, the New Works Festival will give students the opportunity to work on four new musicals in different stages of development, rounding out the students' first-hand experience of the new musical work creation process. Staged readings during the New Works Festival will give writers a chance to see their work brought to life and students the chance to provide feedback during the earliest stages of creativity.

Bridge 2 Broadway began workshops on Monday, June 17th. Performances of "Higher Education" are Fridays (July 12th, 19th), Saturdays (July 13th, 20th) at 7:30 pm and Sundays (July 14th, 21st) at 2:00 pm. The Margaret A. Webb Theatre is located at 801 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Tickets can be purchased at bridge2broadway.org.

Bridge to Broadway Mission Statement: Bridge 2 Broadway nurtures the development of new musical works and aspiring artists of Southern California by engaging Broadway-level talent and presenting first-class productions in a professional environment. The program commits to fostering the development of new musicals by providing necessary resources and infrastructure.

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