Musical Theatre of Anthem Announces 2018-19 Season

Anthem, Ariz., March 14, 2018 – Musical Theatre of Anthem (MTA) is proud to announce their 2018-2019 Exciting 11th Season, bringing back some popular favorites from over the years. MTA will produce 10 shows offering tremendous opportunities for performers of all ages, including no-cut productions for performers ages 6-19, as well as opportunities for adult performers.

“I am so thankful for all of the support from everyone involved at MTA and am really excited to head into our 11th Season," said MTA Board Member and Producing Artistic Director, Jackie Hammond. “We have a number of crowd favorites, including the very difficult Sweeney Todd, and lots of options for all ages! We are looking forward to an amazing season of shows, workshops, training, and more!"

MTA’s 2018-2019 SEASON

Footloose
Ages: 10-adult (no cut for ages 10-19)
Auditions: July 9
Performances: July 20-22
One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory, FOOTLOOSE bursts onto the live stage with
exhilarating results. To the rockin' rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score and augmented with
dynamic new songs for the stage musical, FOOTLOOSE celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people,
guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.
Footloose is being presented by special arrangement with RnH Theatricals.

A Year with Frog and Toad KIDS
Ages: 6-11 (no-cut production)
Auditions: August 11-12
Performances: September 20-23, 2018
The treasured characters from the children’s books and the beautiful Broadway musical hop from page to stage
in this story of friendship and adventure. Based on Arnold Lobel's well-loved books, A Year with Frog and
Toad KIDS tells the story of a friendship that endures throughout the seasons. Waking from hibernation, Frog
and Toad plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding and learn life lessons along the way. Throughout the
year, two best friends celebrate and rejoice in the differences that make them unique and special.
A Year with Frog and Toad KIDS is being presented by special arrangement with MTI.

Addams Family Young@Part
Ages: 12-18 (no-cut production)
Auditions: August 11-12
Performances: September 27-30, 2018
THE ADDAMS FAMILY features an original story, and it’s every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the
ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable
family – a man her parents have never met. And if that weren’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her
father and begs him not to tell her mother. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they
host a dinner for Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and his parents.
The Addams Family Young@Part is being presented by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

The Giver
Ages: 12-adult (no cut for ages 12-19)
Auditions: October 12-13
Performances: November 29-December 2
Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control and safe. There is no war or fear or pain. There are also no
choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. But when Jonas turns 12, he is chosen for special
training from The Giver—to receive and keep the memories of the community. The Giver is the only person
who holds the memories of real pain and real joy. Now Jonas will learn the truth about life—and the hypocrisy
of his utopian world. Through this astonishing and moving adaptation, discover what it means to grow up, to
grow wise, and to take control of your own destiny.
The Giver is being presented by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing.

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
Ages: 11-15 (no-cut production)
Auditions: October 12-13
Performances: December 6-9, 2018
Currently celebrating its 50th Anniversary! YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (Revised) is a fresh
approach to the all-time 1967 classic, based on the beloved comic strip by Charles Schultz. Sally Brown joins
Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, and Snoopy in this charming revue of vignettes and songs.
YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (Revised) is being presented by special arrangement with TamsWitmark.

Daddy Long Legs
Ages: 16 – adult
2 Roles Available (double cast)
Auditions: January 12-13
Performances: February 21-24, 2019
A heartwarming Cinderella story about a witty and winsome young woman and her mysterious benefactor,
based on the treasured novel that inspired the classic 1955 film. Based on the classic novel, which inspired the
1955 movie starring Fred Astaire, Daddy Long Legs is a beloved tale in the spirit of Jane Austen, The Brontë
Sisters and “Downton Abbey.”
Jerusha Abbott is the “Oldest Orphan in the John Grier Home” until a mysterious benefactor decides to send her
to college to be educated as a writer. Required to write him a letter once a month, she is never to know the
benefactor’s identity – so she invents one for him: Daddy Long Legs. Although she knows that he will never
respond to her letters, she grows more and more fond of this elusive and kindly “old” gentleman. But another
relationship soon begins to develop in Jerusha’s life. Jervis Pendleton is the well-do-do, “youngish” uncle of one
of Jerusha’s roommates, who introduces her to a world of literature, travel and adventure. Through her
correspondence with Daddy Long Legs and her growing intimacy with Jervis, Jerusha’s letters chronicle her
emergence as a delightfully independent “New American Woman.” Yet, there is one startling fact that Jerusha
has yet to uncover – a fact that will change her life forever.
Daddy Long Legs is being presented by special arrangement with MTI.

The Music Man Jr.
Ages: 6-18 (no-cut production)
Auditions: January 12-13
Performances: February 28-March 3, 2019
There's trouble in River City when a fast-talking salesman gets his heart stolen by the town librarian in this
adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway classic. Based on Meredith Willson's six-time-Tony-Awardwinning musical comedy, The Music Man JR. is a story filled with wit, warmth and good old-fashioned romance.
Master showman Harold Hill is in town and he’s got “seventy-six trombones” in tow. Can upright, uptight
Marian, the town librarian, resist his powerful allure? The story follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold
Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band he vows
to organize. The catch? He doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are
foiled when he falls for Marian, whose belief in Harold’s power just might help him succeed in the end in spite
of himself.
The Music Man. Jr. is being presented by special arrangement with MTI.

James and the Giant Peach Jr.
Ages: 6-18 (no-cut production)
Auditions: March 9-10
Performances: April 25-28, 2019
A delightful adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl adventure, a boy and his insect friends take an amazing
journey across the ocean. Based on one of Roald Dahl’s most poignantly quirky stories, Roald Dahl's James and
the Giant Peach JR. is a brand new take on this "masterpeach" of a tale. Featuring a wickedly tuneful score by
the writing team of Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman, and a witty and charming book, this
adventurous musical about courage and self-discovery is destined to be a classic.
When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that
grows a tremendous peach, rolls into the ocean and launches a journey of enormous proportions. James
befriends a collection of singing insects that ride the giant piece of fruit across the ocean, facing hunger, sharks
and plenty of disagreements along the way.
James and the Giant Peach Jr. is being presented by special arrangement with MTI.

Sweeney Todd
Ages: 17-adult (no-cut for ages 17-19)
*With one youth boy role, age 14-17
Auditions: March 9-10
Performances: May 2-5, 2019
Attend the dark, witty and Tony Award-winning tale of love, murder and revenge set against the backdrop of
19th century London. Sweeney Todd has become a worldwide success since being awarded eight Tonys,
(including Best Musical), for its Broadway premiere. Stephen Sondheim's and Hugh Wheeler's (A Little Night
Music, Pacific Overtures) tasty, thrilling, theatrical treat has simultaneously shocked, awed and delighted
audiences across the world.
An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to nineteenth century London, seeking
vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads
Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which, he opens a new barber
practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient
into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up... and the carnage has only just begun!
Sweeney Todd is effective as an intimate chamber musical. Featuring two unforgettable star turns and some of
the most chilling music ever written for the stage, this masterpiece is sure both to thrill and delight audiences.
Sweeney Todd is being presented by special arrangement with MTI.

Freckleface Strawberry
Ages: 8-14 (no-cut production)
Auditions: July 10
Performances: July 20-22, 2019
Freckleface Strawberry The Musical (Expanded Version), based on the beloved New York Times best-selling
book by celebrated actress, Julianne Moore, is a fun and touching family musical. Specifically created to
perform for young audiences, families can step inside of the book's pages with Freckleface and friends as they
learn to "love the skin they're in." With the help of her loveable schoolmates, including an amazingly talented
ballerina, a cutie jock, a charming ditz and a totally kooky teacher, Freckleface learns that everyone is different
– and that's what makes everyone special.

About MTA
Musical Theatre of Anthem (MTA) is an award-winning, non-profit theater company located in Anthem,
Arizona. The mission of MTA is to develop youth and adults within the field of performing arts while
enhancing their intrinsic creativity and brokering their vast talents. MTA trains and educates youth so that they
can become the artists, patrons, and leaders of tomorrow while providing opportunities to adults that empower
them and foster their creativity. MTA’s principles include casting all who audition in select productions,
presenting high quality shows that everyone can enjoy, and providing a positive environment where performers
can practice teamwork and communication skills while experiencing the pride of accomplishment. Supported
in part by the Arizona Commission on the Arts which receives support from the State of Arizona and the
National Endowment for the Arts.