By Lauren Boykin | NTPA, Contributor
The award-winning North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre announced their lineup for the 2023 Plano Summer Musicals Series, including two exciting Broadway musicals sure to entice audiences, Grease performing June 16-25 and Pippin performing July 28-August 6 at Willow Bend Center of the Arts. Package tickets are available now including both shows starting at just $30.
NTPA Repertory Theatre will kick off 2023 summer nights with the feel-good, hit musical, Grease! The Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: the hot-rodding Greasers and their hip-shaking Pink Ladies in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoke the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Head greaser Danny Zuko and the new good girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the romance of their “Summer Nights” as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through hit Broadway classics including “Greased Lightnin’,” “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” and “You’re the One That I Want.”
Grease is directed by NTPA Repertory Artistic Director, Lizz Bashore, a tenured performer and director with professional experience in Philadelphia, New York and Dallas, and a professor of theater across DFW colleges and universities. The artistic team includes Assistant Director Malaisian Parker, Choreographer Matt John West, Assistant Choreographer Mandy Scofeild, Music Director William Veer, and Set Designer Jo Alamares.
“I’m excited to bring Grease to life in our Summer Musicals series. This show combines fast-paced, fun, classic music traditions with thought-provoking drama that, with a bit of a modern take, will illustrate how classic works can be just as powerful and evocative now as they were in their conception,” says Bashore.
NTPA Repertory will close the summer series with the magical Tony Award-winning tale of Pippin. With an infectiously unforgettable score from Grammy and Oscar-winning musical theatre giant, Stephen Schwartz, Pippin is the story of one young man’s journey to be extraordinary. In the circus-inspired saga, the young prince Pippin is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power. In the end, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day.
Pippin is directed by Irwin Daye with Music Direction by Scotty Lee Clayton, and Set Design by Jo Alamares.
The Plano Summer Musicals Ticket Package includes two exhilarating shows, Grease performing June 16-25 and Pippin performing July 28-August 6. The package includes 25% off individual ticket prices.
Grease performs June 16-25 in the Rodenbaugh Theatre at Willow Bend Center of the Arts, 6121 W. Park Blvd. B216, Plano, TX 75093. Matinees are at 2:30 pm and evening performances are at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $20. ASL interpretation will be provided Saturday, June 17, 2:30 PM.
Pippin performs July 28-August 6 in the Starcatchers Theatre at Willow Bend Center of the Arts, 6121 W. Park Blvd. B216, Plano, TX 75093. Matinees are at 2:30 pm and evening performances are at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $20. ASL interpretation will be provided Saturday, August 5, 2:30 PM.
For full performance dates and tickets go to ntparep.org.
NTPA Repertory Theatre is the recipient of two Column Awards and fifteen nominations, was named “Best Adult Theatre Company” in 2019, and this year NTPA was named by Broadway World as the Dallas area’s “Favorite Local Theatre” in 2023.
GREASE | Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | “Grease” is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., a Concord Theatricals Company. www.concordtheatricals.com
PIPPIN | Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Book by Roger O. Hirson | Originally Produced on the Broadway Stage by Stuart Ostrow | Directed on the Broadway Stage by Bob Fosse | 2013 Broadway Revival Directed by Diane Paulus | Orchestrations for 2013 Revival by Larry Hochman | Theo Ending Originally Conceived In 1998 By Mitch Sebastian | Pippin is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
About North Texas Performing Arts
North Texas Performing Arts (NTPA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to developing the character of youth through quality performing arts education and family entertainment. NTPA evolved from Plano Children’s Theatre founded three decades ago and is now the largest youth theatre organization in the country. NTPA is headquartered at Willow Bend Center of the Arts in Plano and has additional performance and educational spaces in Fairview, Frisco, and Dallas. Each year NTPA provides opportunities to more than 11,000 students ages three to 18 through its “Ten Characters” leadership development program. NTPA’s professional artistic staff uses theatre, dance, music, voice, film and TV to ignite a lifelong passion for the performing arts and guide young people on a path to becoming better citizens in our community and our world.
About North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre
North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre is the professional adult theatre company within the 501(c)3 non-profit North Texas Performing Arts family of theatres. The mission of the NTPA Repertory Theatre is to deliver professional-quality theatrical entertainment that inspires audiences and empowers artists; bringing Broadway to the ‘Burbs. NTPA Repertory was named the 2019 Best Adult Theatre Company of Plano.