Broadway Musicals Coming To City Springs

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — City Springs Theatre Company, metro Atlanta's newest professional theatre company, has announced it will produce a series of hit Broadway shows and roll out other arts education initiatives at the new Performing Arts Center in Sandy Springs.

The company will be led by award-winning producer and director Brandt Blocker, who spent 10 years as managing artistic director of Atlanta Lyric Theatre. Starting in September, City Springs Theatre Company will produce full-scale, well-known Broadway musicals at the Performing Arts Center.

The theatre’s first season will include the hit shows:

• "42nd Street," Sept. 14-23;
• "Elf the Musical," Dec. 7-16;
• Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "South Pacific," March 8-17, 2019 (directed and choreographed by Tony Award recipient Baayork Lee);
• "Billy Elliot the Musical," May 3-12, 2019; and
• "Hairspray," July 12-21, 2019.

As part of its mission, the theatre company will also create and produce arts education at the new facility, offering diverse and engaging programs for students of all ages. To support the programming, the theatre company has already raised over $750,000 in funding, including a $500,000 grant from the Sandy Springs Foundation.

“The ability to create and educate in a first-class facility in the heart of Sandy Springs is a dream come true,” states Blocker. “The passion and support of this community has been overwhelming. I am incredibly proud and honored to work with the top-notch team that we’ve assembled.”

The venues at the Performing Arts Center include the 1,070-seat Byers Theatre and a 350-seat studio theatre. The Byers Theatre is a proscenium theatre with a large stage, fly system, and orchestra pit, and audio/visual infrastructure that supports music, dance, theatre, and film. The studio theatre is a 5,511-square-foot room with flexible staging and seating options. The performance and seating area consists of a cushioned hardwood performance floor, portable staging of up to 48 by 20 feet, and a system of telescopic seating platforms that provides 198 fixed theatre seats.

In addition to Blocker, the theatre has lined up an impressive management and artistic staff. Tony Award-winning actor and Georgia native Shuler Hensley will serve as associate artistic director. Hensley made his Broadway debut in 2000 as Inspector Javert in "Les Misérables," won a Tony Award for his role as Jud Fry in "Oklahoma!" in 2002, and has starred in countless film, television and Broadway productions over the last two decades.

He most recently starred as The Monster in Mel Brooks’ "Young Frankenstein" in London. Hensley is also the namesake for the Shuler Hensley Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, which celebrates the state’s talented students in musical theatre.

“I am thrilled to join City Springs Theatre Company and become even further connected to the metro Atlanta arts community,” says Hensley. “Brandt and I will work to combine the immense local talent here in Georgia with stars from Broadway as we create New York quality musical theatre in a brand new, world-class venue right here in Sandy Springs."

RELATED: Atlanta Ballet, Opera To Perform At City Springs

Managing Director Natalie Barrow will oversee the theatre company’s operations, fundraising, and extensive arts education initiatives. Barrow is the former director of arts education and community outreach for ArtsBridge Foundation at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Season tickets for the 2018-2019 inaugural season of City Springs Theatre Company will go on sale in early 2018 and can be reserved through the box office at 404-477-4365 or by visiting the theatre’s website at CitySpringsTheatre.com.

Photo: from left to right are Brandt Blocker, Shuler Hensley and Natalie Brown. Credit: City Springs Theatre Company