BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER: THE MUSICAL Extends At The Turbine

After a successful premier in February where it received rave reviews, the 1990s queer- culture classic musical is extending its run at The Turbine Theatre. Following a short closure to make some necessary changes for its future life, But I'm A Cheerleader will run until Sunday 8 May.

Joining the cheer squad as the new 'Super Cheerleaders' will be Lauren Soley and Owen McHugh, taking on the baton as the cast swings. Addition changes to the cast include Leslie Bowan taking over the role of André and Kurt Kansley as Mike at the end of April. And joining as the resident director/choreographer will be Ruthie Stephens.

But I'm A Cheerleader: The Musical is the story of Megan, an all-American high school cheerleader who has the perfect life.

That is, until she finds out her friends and family suspect her of being a lesbian and send her packing to 'True Directions,' a rehabilitation camp to set her straight. It is at this camp, under the strict tutelage of headmistress Mary Brown that Megan meets Graham, a sexy tomboy who shows her exactly what her 'true direction' is. Hilarious, irreverent and full of heart, But I'm A Cheerleader: The Musical is a quirky coming-of-age comedy about sexual awakening and self-realization.

Paul Taylor-Mills has said, "The Turbine Theatre was always meant to be a safe space in which we could develop, shape and hone work. For the last few months we have produced the sell-out musical But, I'm a Cheerleader and have learnt so much from our audiences. I've always acknowledged how crucial listening to the audience is in terms of how we learn more about where our show sits, and with whom it resonates.

Our audience's reactions have been wonderful and incredibly positive, many commenting on how wonderful it is to see two queer characters leading a musical. That said, we believe there is work still to do on our show and are therefore taking a short pause to make some adjustments. Following this we will be returning for a few weeks to finish off our triumphant run with what we hope will be the definitive (if that ever exists!) version of the show.

Having the ability to do this and indeed creating a safe space to allow this to happen makes me unbelievably happy as this was always my ultimate ambition with The Turbine Theatre. This is a similar process to which we followed many years ago with Heathers at The Other Palace before we moved to the West End. The idea is that we will do the same with But, I'm a Cheerleader and hope to get the show as ready, as ready can be, for its future.

I'd like to thank everyone involved in the development of this musical which is the fruit of 20 years of hard work from hundreds of artists. Most shows are nearly sold out but please do come and join us for our final few weeks and hopefully one day you'll be able to say you were there at the beginning.

In light of the recent news today we're desperate to try and do something meaningful and have set up a petition to Ban Conversion Therapy To everyone in the UK. If you have a second to sign, then we'd be very grateful"

https://www.change.org/banconversiontherapyUK

Paul Taylor-Mills & Bill Kenwright, in association with Adam Bialow, by special arrangement with LIONSGATE present But I'm A Cheerleader: The Musical, based on the LIONSGATE motion picture, directed and story by Jamie Babbit and screenplay by Brian Wayne Peterson. First presented as part of MTFestUK 2019, this is the first fully commissioned musical discovered at the new musical festival, to be presented on stage.

But I'm A Cheerleader: The Musical, has book and lyrics by Bill Augustin, music by Andrew Abrams and direction by Tania Azevedo. Musical direction and orchestration by Josh Sood with choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento and set and costume design by David Shields. Lighting by Martha Godfrey, sound design by Chris Whybrow and projection design by George Reeve. With casting by Will Burton, CDG.