Raleigh Little Theatre to Stage BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL This Summer

RLT's Teens on Stage and Teens Backstage begin the 2016/17 season with a musical inspired by the Weekly World News phenomenon, "Bat Boy: The Musical." Directed by Linda O'Day Young, the production opens on July 15 in the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre.

"There is an incredible amount of talent shared by the twenty three members of this year's Teens on Stage conservatory allowing them to conquer with ease the challenges of this fantastic show. "Bat Boy, the Musical" has an amazing score of songs people will be humming for days. The story is beautiful, bizarre, touching, strange, hilarious and sad but the underlying theme of the struggle for acceptance in a world filled with prejudice and hypocrisy is a strong one to which everyone can connect," said Young. On Friday, July 22, there will be a post-show discussion led by Young and Kelly Taylor of the LGBT Center of Raleigh on the themes of the play.

"Bat Boy: The Musical" premiered in 1997 and later played Off-Broadway and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The plot follows a half-boy/half-bat creature discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, West Virginia. He joins a family and is taught to act like a "normal" boy. But can he find true love with Shelley, the daughter of the locAl Veterinarian, and will the town ever accept him? "Bat Boy" is recommended for ages 12 and up.

Teens on Stage (TOS) is an intensive five-week theatre program for teenagers, which culminates in a full-scale production and RLT's first show of each season. Students take morning conservatory classes which include movement, acting, voice and improvisation. The afternoons are spent in rehearsal. Teens Back Stage (TBS) is the back stage program that supports the performers. TBS students learn by doing, as they participate in numerous behind the scenes activities such as building and painting scenery, hanging and focusing lights, and finding and creating props for the production.

This project is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission.

"Bat Boy: The Musical" runs July 15-24 in the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre. Tickets for all events at RLT can be purchased by calling the box office (919)-821-3111, Monday through Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m., or by visiting the theatre's website at www.raleighlittletheatre.org.

Founded in 1936, Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT) is one of the oldest, continuously operating, community theatres in the United States. RLT offers entertainment, education, and community programs year-round, reaching 40,000 people. As a community theatre, RLT engages hundreds of volunteers, under the guidance of professional staff, to achieve its mission and to bring quality Live Theatre to the Triangle area.

Visit www.raleighlittletheatre.org for more information. Raleigh Little Theatre is located at 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, N.C. 27607, adjacent to the Raleigh Rose Garden.

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