ArtsNashoba Announces 2015-16 Musical Theatre Season

GROTON, MA: ArtsNashoba, the Nashoba Valley’s regional arts center for youth, has announced the productions that will make up its 3rd season (2015-16), productions that welcome young performers ages 8 to 8 – experienced and inexperienced alike. Rehearsals take place afternoons in downtown Groton and culminate in a full weekend of shows for general audiences, as well including a special Autism/Special Needs performances.
Opening the season this Fall will be the musical based on Charles M. Schulz loveable “Peanuts” characters, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” With music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and a book by John Gordon, this production will be directed by Sharon Bisantz and will begin rehearsals in late August/early September, running 2-3 days per week (to be determined based on cast availability). Production weekend is November 19 thru 21 at the Richardson-Mees Performing Arts Center at Lawrence Academy.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, originally winner of the “Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical” by the Outer Critics Circle and then given a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival decades later, is “an average day in the life of Charlie Brown.” It’s a day made up of little moments picked from all those familiar days from Valentine’s Day to the baseball season, from wild optimism to utter despair - all mixed in with the lives of his friends (both human and non-human) and strung together on the string of a single day, from bright uncertain morning to hopeful starlit evening.

Completing the season in Spring of 2016 will be a visit from everyone’s favorite ogre, SHREK! Directed by JulieAnn Govang and based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek, the Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori and a side-splitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Auditions are tentatively slated for late January’16, and rehearsals will begin in February for the show’s April 1, 2016 opening… yes, April Fool’s Day! The Autism/Special Needs performance will be held March 31. All shows will be at the Richardson-Mees Performing Arts Center at Lawrence Academy.

Shrek, the Musical brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage, and proves there’s more to the story than meets the ears... Shrek presents a treasure trove of creative opportunities including costumes, sets, puppets (there is a fire-breathing dragon after all!), and more. Irreverently fun for the whole family, Shrek proves that beauty is truly in the eye of the ogre.

Both You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and SHREK, the Musical is presented through special arrangement with Music theatre International (MTI), New York, NY. www.mtishows.com

ArtsNashoba’s productions are a tuition-based program supported by in part by grants from local agencies of the towns of Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley & Townsend, all supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. General tuition is $295 per student; $275 for siblings. Scholarships are available. To register for either of these productions, or for more information about what other great programs ArtsNashoba has in store for 2015-16, such as classes, fundraisers, workshops and other special events, visit ArtsNashoba online at www.artsnashoba.org, or email info@artsnashoba.org.