Broadway Theatre League (BTL) announced today that single tickets are now on sale for its 2012-13 season! John Fehlner, executive director of Broadway Theatre League of Utica, encourages prospective patrons to call early for the best available seats.

The new schedule, set for the 2012-2013, includes:

• Midtown Men, October 13, 2012
• West Side Story, November 7 & 8, 2012
• A Chorus Line, January 8 & 9, 2013
• The Addams Family, February 12 & 13, 2013
• Elvis Lives, March 12, 2013
• Rock of Ages, April 16 & 17, 2013
• Catch Me If You Can, June 4 and 5, 2013

Additionally, subscriptions for the new season can still be obtained, until November 7 and include five shows out of the seven-show season: West Side Story, A Chorus Line, The Addams Family, Rock of Ages, and Catch Me If You Can. Subscriptions begin at $141 per person. Tickets for the two additional shows, Midtown Men, October 13, 2012, and Elvis Lives, March 12, 2013, are sold separately. 

For more information about the Broadway Theatre League’s new season, or to purchase single tickets, call (315) 724-7196 or visit www.broadwayutica.com.

Broadway Theatre League’s Executive Director, John Fehlner, and President of the Board of Directors, Dr. Frank Dubeck, announced today that Broadway Theatre League of Utica (BTL) will offer an exciting new program next season designed to get young people involved in theatre. The Youth Ambassador Program will create a vehicle for local school students to discuss Broadway Theatre League’s shows and the organization itself. 

Specifically, BTL’s Youth Ambassador Program will provide free subscription tickets to area high school students in exchange for their review of the shows through social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

“We want to get young people talking about theatre to other young people, and how do they talk to each other these days? They use social media. We want to become a part of that communication chain,” said Fehlner.  

Demographics provided by the Broadway League’s website, the national trade association of the Broadway industry, state that the average age of a Broadway theatregoer in 2010-11 was 44.

“This is a hurdle the Broadway industry is facing nationwide,” said Dubeck.  “However, with programs such as this, we can reach out to a whole new demographic and get them excited about Broadway.” he added. 

In addition to revealing the Youth Ambassador Program, Fehlner and Dubeck also discussed the exciting new schedule set for the 2012-2013 Broadway Theatre League season, which includes:

• West Side Story, November 7 & 8
• A Chorus Line, January 8 & 9
• The Addams Family, February 12 & 13
• Rock of Ages, April 16 & 17
• Catch Me If You Can, June 4 and 5

Subscriptions for the new season are currently on sale and begin at $141 per person for all five shows.

Tickets for two additional shows, Elvis Lives, March 12, 2013 and Midtown Men, October 13, 2012, will be sold separately.  For more information about the Youth Ambassador Program or to purchase subscription tickets, call (315) 724-7196 or visit www.broadwayutica.com.

Broadway Theatre League of Utica today hosted a drum workshop at the Stanley Theatre for the area’s budding band and music students, featuring performers from tonight’s presentation of BLUE MAN GROUP (NETworks Presentations, LLC and Blue Man Productions).

The drum workshop was open to area junior high and high school students participating in band, music, or percussion. John Fehlner, Executive Director of Broadway Theatre League, said Broadway Theatre League thought it was important to reach out to our aspiring future performers.

“This was a great opportunity for local students to gain a few tips and inspiration from national performers,” said Fehlner. These students could be the future of our national touring productions,” he added.

Schools that took part in the workshop included:

• Ilion
• Sauquoit
• Whitesboro
• Oneida
• Rome Catholic
• VVS
• Madison
• Little Falls
• New Hartford
• Clinton

This new theatrical touring production of BLUE MAN GROUP will be at the Stanley Theatre in Utica, tonight May 25 and tomorrow, May 26. Broadway Theatre League of Utica brought the production to the Stanley. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (315) 724-7196 or visiting www.BroadwayUtica.com.

NETworks Presentations, LLC and Blue Man Productions are pleased to announce a new theatrical touring production will be at the Stanley Theatre in Utica on May 25 & 26. Blue Man Group is a presentation of Broadway Theatre League of Utica. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling (315) 724-7196 or visiting www.BroadwayUtica.com.

Although Blue Man Group has toured previously with its Megastar arena rock show, this marks the first theatrical production to tour North America. The theatrical tour features classic Blue Man moments as well as brand new content.

Blue Man Group on tour also features a new physical design centering around a proscenium-sized LED curtain and high-resolution screen, creating an entirely new visual experience for Broadway houses across the nation.

The critically-acclaimed Blue Man Group creates experiences that defy categorization. Blue Man Group is best known for multi-media performances that feature three bald and blue characters, who take the audience on a journey that is funny, intelligent and visually stunning. A live band, whose haunting tribal rhythms help drive the show to its climax, accompanies the Blue Men.

“Until now, we have never mounted a touring version of our theatrical production,” says Blue Man Group co-founder Philip Stanton. “The main reason for this is we needed to find a way to transform theatres of all shapes and sizes into spaces in which the Blue Man can intimately connect with the audience, where the audience can become engaged with the spirit of the show and of the Blue Man himself.  We think we have finally figured it out, and an audience member in a theatre that seats 4,500 people or so will now be able to enjoy the same intimate experience that might be had in one of our smaller theatres. Our goal with this production, as with all of our productions, is to help audience members reconnect with their own sense of discovery, with their own sense of what is possible in their lives.”

To purchase tickets for this smash hit production, call Broadway Theatre League of Utica at (315) 724-7196 or visit www.BroadwayUtica.com.

About NETWORKS Presentations

NETworks Presentations, LLC was founded in 1995 by Kenneth Gentry, Seth Wenig and Scott Jackson. NETworks has produced and managed over 70 national and international touring productions. Previous productions include Oliver!, Little Women starring Maureen McGovern, Jekyll & Hyde, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt and Deborah Gibson, Fosse starring Ben Vereen and Ruthie Henshaw, The Light in the Piazza, My Fair Lady co-produced with Cameron Mackintosh, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, among many others. Current productions include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Young Frankenstein, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, Blue Man Group National Tour, La Cage, Shrek The Musical and The New 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables.  Future productions include Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, Flashdance the Musical and National Theatre of Great Britain’s production of War Horse touring the U.S.

About Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group is best known for its wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts that combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The blissful party atmosphere created at the live events has become the trademark of a Blue Man Group experience.

Currently, Blue Man Group theatrical shows can be seen in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Berlin, Tokyo, and on tour throughout the U.S and Canada.

Audiences have multiple opportunities to discover Blue Man Group through the scope and variety of its creative projects, including:

• Blue Man Group’s headlining performance on the new Norwegian Epic by Norwegian Cruise Line—the Official Cruise Line of Blue Man Group
• Blue Man Group family-focused educational projects, including a touring Children’s Museum exhibit, “Making Waves”
• Blue Man Group’s original music, including the Grammy®-nominated “Audio”, as well as four additional albums, and numerous scoring projects for film, TV and commercials
• Blue Man Group’s multiple performances on popular television shows such as The Tonight Show, Ellen, and Regis & Kelly; and unique storylines in “Scrubs” and “Arrested Development”

As the company grows, it remains true to its vision of providing exciting experiences in a variety of media, appealing to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds. Learn more at www.blueman.com.

Performers from the Broadway touring show, SOUTH PACIFIC, a presentation of the Broadway Theatre League of Utica, will visit and perform at the New Hartford American Legion Post 1376 on Tuesday, March 6, at 12:30 p.m.  The performance will serve as a thank-you to our local veterans for their service to our country.  In addition, Broadway Theatre League of Utica is extending a $5.00 per-ticket discount for veterans and active military members.

Media coverage is invited.  Veterans and active members of the military are encouraged to participate.  The event is also open to the public. 

About SOUTH PACIFIC:

Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples — US Navy nurse Nellie Forbush and French plantation owner Emile de Becque and Navy Airman Joe Cable and a young local native girl Liat — and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices. Considered by many the finest musical ever written, the score’s songs include such classics as “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” “Younger Than Springtime,” “Bali Ha’i,” “There is Nothin’ Like A Dame,” “This Nearly Was Mine” and “A Wonderful Guy.”

For more information about the production, please visit www.SouthPacificOnTour.com or www.BroadwayUtica.com/SouthPacific. Become a fan on Facebook (South Pacific on Tour).  To purchase tickets to this show or to another upcoming Utica performance, call Broadway Theatre League of Utica at (315) 724-7196 or visit www.BroadwayUtica.com/Tickets.

DreamWorks Theatricals and NETworks Presentations, LLC. are pleased to announce that SHREK THE MUSICAL with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, will play the Stanley, for three performances only, February 7-9. SHREK THE MUSICAL is a presentation of the Broadway Theatre League of Utica. Tickets are currently available at Broadway Theatre League by calling (315) 724-7196 or by visiting: BroadwayUtica.com/tickets

An entirely new musical which opened on Broadway December, 2009, SHREK THE MUSICAL is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek!, as well as the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter of the Shrek movie series.

SHREK THE MUSICAL tells the story of a swamp-dwelling ogre who goes on a life-changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land. Joined by a wise-cracking donkey, this unlikely hero fights a fearsome dragon, rescues a feisty princess and learns that real friendship and true love aren’t only found in fairy tales.

The role of everyone’s favorite swamp-dwelling ogre, Shrek will be played by Lukas Poost.  Liz Shivener will play the feisty Princess Fiona.  André Jordan is Shrek’s lovably annoying best friend Donkey and Merritt David Janes plays the vertically challenged villain Lord Farquaad. 

Rounding out the cast of misfit fairy tale characters, the peoples of Duloc and Far, Far Away are:  Willie Dee, Lauren Devine, Susan Leilani Gearou, Kelly Teal Goyette, Alexa Kerner, Rachel Khutorsky, Schuyler Midgett, Lyonel Reneau, Adam Steiner, Erin Sullivan, Chase Todd, Sarah Tranchina, Nadia Vynnytsky, Ryan Everett Wood, Chris Woods, Luke Yellin, Ian Frazier, Mara Gabrielle, Ryan Rubek and Laura Smith.

“We are thrilled to send SHREK THE MUSICAL to theatres across the country,” said Bill Damaschke, President of DreamWorks Theatricals, “and for American families to experience their favorite ogre and fairy tale creatures live on stage.”

SHREK THE MUSICAL features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize® winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Good People), music by Olivier Award-winner Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie,  Caroline, or Change).  SHREK THE MUSICAL is directed by Stephen Sposito who recently served as Associated Director of the current Broadway revival How To Succeed In Business starring Daniel Radcliff.  Sets and costumes are based on the Tony Award® winner designs by Tim Hatley (Private Lives, Spamalot)  and Chris Bailey will recreate the original choreography by Josh Prince (The Bridge Project, The Jerry Springer Opera).

SHREK THE MUSICAL was initiated when Sam Mendes, a big fan of the first Shrek film, suggested the idea of creating a musical to DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg around the time the second film was in production. The musical is produced by NETworks Presentations, LLC.

NETworks Presentations, LLC (Producer) was founded in 1995 by Kenneth Gentry, Seth Wenig and Scott Jackson. NETworks has produced and managed over 80 national and international touring productions. Previous productions: Little Women starring Maureen McGovern; Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt and Deborah Gibson; Fosse starring Ben Vereen and Ruthie Henshall; The Light in the Piazza; My Fair Lady co-produced with Cameron Mackintosh; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!; Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake; Annie; Hairspray; The Wizard of Oz, Handel’s Messiah Rocks, Spring Awakening, A Chorus Line and many others. Joining returning productions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; Young Frankenstein; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, based on Lincoln Center Theater Production; Blue Man Group National Tour and The New 25th Anniversary Tour of Les Misérables this season are Shrek The Musical, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins and Lincoln Center Theater production of War Horse touring the U.S.

SHREK THE MUSICAL will play the Stanley, for three days only, February 7-9. Tickets are currently on sale at Broadway Theatre League of Utica, and begin at $36.50 including all fees. Special pricing is also available for students! For more information, or to purchase tickets, call (315) 724-7196 or visit: BroadwayUtica.com/tickets.

The chart-topping original Broadway cast album for SHREK THE MUSICAL
is available on Decca Broadway.

Today, entertainers from the smash musical MAMMA MIA!, which is based on the songs of ABBA, taught the tenants of Sitrin’s Cedarbrook Assisted Living Center how to perform some of the moves from “Dancing Queen,” a hit song from the musical. MAMMA MIA! is returning to the Stanley Theatre tonight and tomorrow night, for two performances only, and is a presentation of the Broadway Theatre League of Utica.

MAMMA MIA! Synopsis:

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya – from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

The musical is inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and newfound family.

Tickets begin at $36.50, including all fees, and are still available by calling the Broadway Theatre League’s Office at 315-724-7196, or by visiting www.broadwayutica.com/tickets/
 

The first national tour of the explosive Broadway hit AMERICAN IDIOT, called “wonderfully raucous” and “emotionally charged” by The New York Times, will make its national touring debut in Utica on December 21 & 22 at the Stanley.  The production is being presented by Broadway Theatre League of Utica. Utica is also serving as the tech city for this first national tour.

AMERICAN IDIOT, a 2010 Tony Award®-nominated Best Musical and 2010 Grammy© Award winner for Best Musical Show Album, features the music of Green Day with the lyrics of its lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The book is by Armstrong and Michael Mayer and direction is by Tony Award®-winner Mayer (“Spring Awakening”).

Nominated for three Tony Awards®, AMERICAN IDIOT is the story of three boyhood friends, each searching for meaning in a post- 9-11 world. Through incredible spectacle, thrilling performances, and with the hope embodied by a new generation, AMERICAN IDIOT has given Broadway audiences the time of their lives night after night since the musical began performances at the St. James Theatre in March 2010.

“Since its inception, audiences have been surprised by the emotional journey the show takes them on, told almost exclusively through Green Day’s songs, including many they are already familiar with and love,” said Tom Hulce, producer. “This is such a potent time for our country, and the search of our characters for what to believe in is gorgeously celebrated through Billie Joe and Green Day’s wonderfully lush score,” he added.

“This is the first national tour for AMERICAN IDIOT and Utica is the first city to host the production,” said Broadway Theatre League’s Executive Director, John Fehlner. “Being the first stop on the national tour means that Utica serves as the show’s tech city, requiring the show and its cast and crew to be in town for an extended period of time,” he added.

A tech city marks the first time the cast, crew, and set for a broadway touring production are together in one place. AMERICAN IDIOT is the second tech show that the Broadway Theatre League has brought to Utica this year.

With Utica as the tech city, patrons of the Broadway Theatre League’s presentation will be the first to see the national tour of AMERICAN IDIOT. The cast and crew will set up shop for a period of 12 days, which will be of great benefit and will contribute a significant economic boost to the area. 

The musical features the hits “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “21 Guns,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Holiday”, and the blockbuster title track “American Idiot” from Green Day’s 2004 Grammy© Award-winning, multi-platinum album. Also included in the score are several songs from Green Day’s 2009 release “21st Century Breakdown,” and an unreleased love song, “When It’s Time.”

AMERICAN IDIOT premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September 2009 and played through November of that year. In April 2010, the musical opened on Broadway where reviews were unanimously positive, with Charles Isherwood of the New York Times calling the show “the most adventurous musical to brave Broadway in the past decade” and the Toronto Star naming it “the first great musical of the 21st century!”

For more information on AMERICAN IDIOT, visit www.americanidiotthemusical.com or www.broadwayutica.com.
 

The Broadway Theatre League of Utica, Inc., The Utica Municipal Housing Authority, and the Stanley have partnered to provide a community theatre program for at-risk teens and their families.

In an effort to encourage Utica teens and their families to attend theatre on a regular basis, The Broadway Theatre League of Utica, Inc., is sponsoring four Family First Nights over the next two seasons.  Family First Nights are made possible through a new audience development grant from The Broadway League of New York City.  The grant will subsidize the cost of tickets and transportation for teens and their families to attend Broadway Theatre League performances, as will additional funds and contributions from The Broadway Theatre League of Utica, Inc., The Stanley, and Utica Municipal Housing Authority.

Peter Pan, showing November 15, 16, and 17, is the first show chosen for the Family first Night series.  In Peter Pan, Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby takes flight in her Tony-nominated and Emmy Award-winning role as the boy who won’t grow up.  Based on that very topic, Teaching Artists in Theatre, Shannon Enders and Ann Carey, will teach a series of theatre classes to explore what life is like for at-risk teens growing up in Utica.  Under the direction of Enders and Carey, the group will work toward a collection of scenes and monologues, which will be shaped into a full-length theatrical production and shared with peers, families, and the larger community in late January.

Enders and Carey, founders and directors of Renaissance City Theatre, an institute which uses dramatic arts as a primary tool to positively contribute to the quality of life for at-risk populations, will use interactive theatre techniques to help teens look at choices, analyze strategies, and think critically about the consequences of decisions and the possibilities of solving dilemmas.  Teens will then move forward to create realistic characters grounded in difficult life circumstances, characters that, while coming of age, face conflicts and moments of critical decisions.  A collection of scenes and monologues will be shared with peers, families, and the larger community in a theatrical showcase scheduled for late January.

For more information about Family First Nights, contact Shannon Enders at (315) 982-0439 or Shannon@BroadwayUtica.com.

Tony® Award nominee Cathy Rigby, star of the all-new production of PETER PAN will teach Broadway Theatre League Board Member and Holland Farms Owner, Marolyn Wilson, how to fly– her way! This exciting special event will take place at the Stanley on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.

The Emmy Award-winning and two-time Tony® Award-nominated production of PETER PAN, will be at the Stanley on November 15, 16, & 17.  Broadway Theatre League of Utica is presenting the show.

Media coverage of this event is invited and encouraged.