Students Star in Summer Productions at The Highwood Theatre

Over three consecutive weekends, The Highwood Theatre will round out their 14th season with the opening of three productions, a play and two musicals, under the theme of City Dreams: The Robber Bridegroom, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, and Into the Woods.

The Robber Bridegroom, directed by Highwood Artistic Director Matthew Nicola, and The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, directed by Teaching Artist Julia Capizzi, are the end products of Highwood’s annual Musical Theatre and Acting Intensive day camps respectively. Open to 7th through 12th graders, both productions will be fully staged in under two weeks. While the two shows themselves are wildly different, their unique characters will captivate audiences from start to finish. The Robber Bridegroom, based on a novella by Eudora Welty with a book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman, is an immersive bluegrass Southern fairytale tracing the legend of Jamie Lockhart, whose double-identity leads to hilarity and unexpected romance. Meanwhile The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 by John Bishop is a comedic romp surrounding the identity of the “Stage Door Slasher”, who mysteriously murders three chorus girls at the start of a backer’s audition.

Into the Woods, a twist on classic Grimm fairy tales, allows fictional worlds to collide into one epic adventure and examines the consequences of our actions. With a book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the musical is part of Highwood’s Mainstage Season of student-produced shows and will feature a cast of 23 students and a full band grades 3 to 12. Highwood’s complete 2017-2018 season will be announced at the final performance of Into the Woods, in keeping with Highwood tradition.

"As the director of the show, Into the Woods has been easily one of the most rewarding and thrilling projects that I've ever taken on. The complexity and intricacy of the show bring a certain level of excitement that isn't easily replicated,” says Kaufman, Executive Assistant at Highwood Theatre and student director of Into the Woods.

The Robber Bridegroom performances will take place on Friday July 21 at 8 p.m., Saturday July 22 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday July 23 at 2 p.m. Into the Woods performances will take place Friday July 28 at 8 p.m., Saturday July 29 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday July 30 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 performances will take place Friday August 4 at 8 p.m. and Saturday August 5 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $17 for The Robber Bridegroom and The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, and $20 for Into the Woods. A package deal of $45 for all three shows is available. All shows will take place at the Highwood Theatre, 914 Silver Spring Ave, Silver Spring MD 20910. Tickets may be purchased online at www.thehighwoodtheatre.org/tickets or through the box office, which can be reached at reservations@thehighwoodtheare.org, at 301-587-0697 or by visiting the box office during regular business hours.