The Bridgeport High School Theatre Department, Producer Alice Rowe, and Theatre Artist Jason A. Young are proud to announce the shows to be included in their 40^th consecutive season of musical production.

 

The anniversary season will open in October with a senior class production of HONK!, a delightful musical adaptation of one of the most beloved fables of all time, Hans Christian Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling. In the spring the all-school musical will take flight with a production of Sir James M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, a timeless classic that whisks audiences away to a place where dreams are born and no one ever grows up.

 

“Time flies! I can’t believe it’s been 40 years,” said Rowe. “I am really excited for the shows this season with one newer and one older. Everyone will love the flying in Peter Pan, and for those not familiar with the show, they can fall in love with the NBC live version this December.”

 

For the first time ever, BHS Theatre conducted an audience poll via Connect-Bridgeport to gain input on the show selection for the season.

 

“Peter Pan finished first in the poll and became the obvious choice for the All-School Musical,” said Young. “The second place finisher was Young Frankenstein, but unfortunately we felt it was too big of a show for the fall senior class production, so we moved on to the third place finisher in the poll, HONK!, which fit perfectly into the October slot.”

 

Since it first hatched in 1993, Stiles & Drewe’s musical HONK! has winged its way around the world in over 8,000 productions and in many different languages. Winner of multiple awards, including the 2000 Olivier Award for Best Musical, this heart-warming celebration of being different is sure to delight audiences of all ages with its sparkling wit and memorable score.

 

“Both of these shows are beautiful stories with powerful messages,” said Young. “HONK! focuses on acceptance while Peter Pan embraces the adventurous spirit in all of us.”

 

Based on J.M. Barrie's classic tale and featuring an unforgettable score by Morris "Moose" Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favorites of all time. This high-flying TONY Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and delighted audiences for 60 years.

 

“This is truly a family friendly season,” said Rowe. “Audience members from 1 to 99 can come and enjoy both of our shows this year. That is very important in this anniversary season as we welcome back theatre alumni and their families.”

 

For the first time in four years, the high school will not be producing a middle school show this season. However, they will be opening up the auditions for both productions to students from Bridgeport Middle School.

 

“The administration made a very hard decision to not produce a middle school show this year,” said Young. “However, we luckily have a season that allows us to provide opportunities for those students, and there is nothing to say that in future years, middle school shows won’t return to our stage.”

 

Auditions for HONK! are currently scheduled for Sunday, August 24, and information packets will be available to students and BHS and BMS on Monday, August 18.

 

For more information about the BHS Theatre season or the upcoming auditions, please call Alice Rowe at 304-842-6785 or email Jason A. Young at BportHSTheatre@gmail.com.

 

“I can only make one promise about the season at this time,” said Young. “We are going to make a lot of magic this year.” 

 

Editor's Note: On the cover is a photo from the 2013 BHS Theatre production, "All Shook Up."