Oconee Youth Playhouse presents HAIRSPRAY

Oconee Youth Playhouse presents the Tony Award-winning musical comedy Hairspray Aug. 19-21 and Aug. 26-28 at the Oconee County Civic Center.

Based on the 1988 movie written and directed by John Waters, the show takes audiences back to Baltimore in the 1960s, where plump teenager Tracy Turnblad dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins Show, a TV dance program.  When she manages to win a spot on the show, she becomes an overnight celebrity and meets a colorful array of characters. 

Hairspray opened on Broadway in 2002 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score. The London production won four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.  In addition to national and international tours, the show was adapted into a 2007 musical film with John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky and Zac Efron.  

Tracy is played by Gracin Wilkins, a 10th grader at Westminster Christian Academy.  Annabelle Woodard, a senior at Athens Academy, plays her best friend Penny. Cameron Loyal, a recent graduate of North Oconee High School, will be seen as Seaweed Stubbs before heading off to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

Among other featured teens in the show are Jeremiah Smith, a 10th grader at Westminster, as Link Larkin; Chloe Carmichael, a junior at Walnut Grove High School in Loganville as Amber Von Tussle, and Isabel Arenas, a senior at North Oconee High School, as her mother Velma Van Tussle. Thomas Peck, an NOHS graduate and now a sophomore at the University of Georgia, plays Corny Collins.

OYP will carry on the tradition of casting a male as Tracy's mother Edna, with veteran performer Dallas Bono making his OYP debut in the role. Jittery Joe's owner Bob Googe, who has appeared in several OYP shows, plays Tracy's father Wilbur. The role of Penny's mother Prudy will be shared by Amy Coenen and Lucy Haskill, both of whom grew up performing with OYP, while OYP newcomer Jenique Williams will play Seaweed's mother Motormouth Mabel.

"We are incredibly excited about this amazing cast that includes so many talented performers," says Terra Hannon, who co-directs the show with her husband, Shane. "They sing, dance and act like pros and just make this show so much fun."

The score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman runs the gamut from 60s dance music to rhythm and blues and includes infectious numbers like "Good Morning, Baltimore," "The Nicest Kids in Town" and "You Can't Stop the Beat."

"Terra has really outdone herself with the choreography for this show," says Shane. "There is number after number with the stage full of kids and she makes it all work."

OYP has "gone big" with all aspects of this show, says Shane, including renting set pieces, costumes and wigs from the company that produced one of the national tours.

Hairspray performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with 3 p.m. matinees on Sunday. Tickets are $18 adults, $16 students and seniors, and $14 for age 12 and under and will be available in the lobby of the Oconee County Civic Center starting an hour before each performance. Advance tickets will be sold at Oconee Youth School of Performance, 1050 Jamestown Blvd. in Watkinsville, from 4-6 p.m. Aug. 15-18.

Oconee Youth Playhouse is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 to bring high-quality musical theater productions to the local community while giving young people valuable experience in the performing arts. For more information, see oconeeyouthplayhouse.com

Source: Online submission from event organizers       

 

 

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Cost:

$14-18

Location:

Oconee County Civic Center
2661 Hog Mountain Rd
Watkinsville, GA 30677


Contact:

Terra and Shane Hannon

Phone: 706-769-2677
Website: Click to Visit

Categories:

Disclaimer:

We make every effort to provide useful and accurate information. Sometimes event details change or we receive inacurate information. We review public submissions but cannot guarantee thier accuracy. We encourage you to contact event coordinators and venues to confirm event details before planning to attend. If you notice inaccurate information, please contact us.


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