KIDS ON STAGE MUSIC NOW ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS FOR 
DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2  

St. Joseph , MI (November 10, 2008) –Kids On Stage is now accepting registrations for their spring production of “Disney’s High School Musical 2”.  Rehearsals will begin Saturday January 3, 2009 and will culminate with performances March 6, 7 & 8 at Lakeshore High School Auditorium.   The show will be performed by students in grade 1-12.  The cast will be split into two separate groups if registration reaches a certain number.  The two casts would then consist of a Junior Trouper cast, grades 1-5 and a Super Trouper cast, grade 6-12.   Some qualified 6^th grade students would be given the option of participating in the Junior Trouper cast.  Every child who registers is guaranteed participation in the production, regardless of talent or ability.  Registration volume for this production is expected to be high so early registration is recommended.   

Participants may register by visiting online at www.dougskidsonstage.com and printing out the registration form.  Forms may also be obtained by calling 269 313-2795.  Registration fees are $235 for Super Troupers and $215 for Junior Troupers.  There is an early bird discount of $25 for registrations received and/or postmarked by December 31, 2008.   

Rehearsals are on Saturdays beginning January 3, 2009 from 9:00am – 4:00pm.  Rehearsal times may vary depending on cast size and production requirements.  Additional rehearsals for those with principal parts will also be held on some Thursday and Friday afternoons.  Optional rehearsals will also be held on some Thursday & Fridays for the entire cast to rehearse music.  Rehearsals are at The Chapel (Multi Purpose Room), 4250 Washington Ave. , St. Joseph , just south of Glenlord Rd.   For more complete rehearsal and performance information as it becomes available visit the Kids On Stage web site: www.dougskidsonstage.com.

School’s out—and the Wildcats are back for an all new adventure. High School Musical 2 takes place in the summer following the original show. The school’s basketball star Troy Bolton and super math freak Gabriella Montez, whose romance bloomed during the school year, are looking for summer jobs along with all their friends. Meanwhile, Sharpay Evans, the prima donna theatrical star of East High who got beat out by Gabriella for last year’s high school musical (and for Troy ’s affection), is eager to steal Troy away. And she’s hoping to do it with a little help from her connections with the local country club where her father’s a bigwig, luring Troy with a summer job, chances for a basketball scholarship, and herself. But her devious plans hit an immediate bump when Troy convinces the country club to hire all his friends including Gabriella, meaning they’re all in it together for the summer.

The first broadcast of High School Musical 2, which occurred on August 17, 2007, broke records, receiving 17.2 million viewers.  This number made it, at the time, the most-watched basic-cable telecast in history, the most-watched made-for-cable movie ever and the largest audience of any program on broadcast or cable in the 2007 summer television season, along with Friday nights for the past five years. Total viewers for the premier weekend reached 33.04 million viewers.

The film was generally well-received by critics.  USA Today's Robert Bianco awarded the film three stars out of four, saying High School Musical 2 was "sweet, smart, bursting with talent and energy, and awash in innocence.”  High School Musical 2 won the "So Hot Right Now" award at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2007 in which High School Musical cast mate, Zac Efron hosted with The Veronicas.

Kids On Stage received five National Youth Theatre awards for their spring 2007 production of the original High School Musical.  Awards included Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical (Wes Shenker), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical ( Ashley Machacek ), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical (Ryan Teich), Outstanding Ensemble (Junior Trouper cast) and Outstanding Choreography (Jenna Thomas).  Based in Phoenix, Arizona, National Youth Theatre is an organization whose mission is to support, inspire, give feedback, and encourage the youth theatre community of America, to increase interest and visibility of youth theatre events, to offer theatres, instructors, and actors a medium through which they can connect, and to assist in building a helpful and supportive youth theatre community.   

Partial scholarships are available to any participant on a “first come/first served” basis.  The application process is initiated by calling Doug Fordyce at 269 313-2795.  Parents of scholarship recipients are asked to help out with the production process by volunteering in some capacity.  No child will ever be turned away simply because of a financial need.  

Kids On Stage is a theatre company dedicated to the development of life skills in children through the performing arts.  Since 1996, as founder and former director of Children’s Music Workshop, Doug Fordyce, along with his wife Jeri, has developed a solid reputation for impacting the lives of children with personal growth through music and theatre.  Kids On Stage is a values driven opportunity for school age kids to grow in self-confidence and communication skills through the preparation and performance of high quality musical productions.  Through this process children learn fundamentals of practical theatre, vocal projection, stage presence, basic choreography and make-up.  Emphasis is placed on teamwork, self-accountability, commitment and self-fulfillment through hard work and accomplishment.