OVER THE MOON Kicks Off Centenary Stage's 2012 Summer Festival of Shows, 8/10

Musicals galore fill the schedule of the annual Summer Festival of Shows, August 10-19th, at the Centenary Stage Company Young Performers Workshop (YPW), with a cast of talented young thespians from Morris, Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex counties. The festival will feature the musicals "Over The Moon" by fiction writer Jodi Picoult, Jake Van Leer, and Ellen Wilber; Bob Fosse's "Pippin", Neil Simon's "They're Playing our Song" (with music by the late Marvin Hamlish), "The Roundabout Inn", and The One Act Playhouse. Performances will be held in Little Theatre on the campus of Centenary College at 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown, NJ. The YPW is led and directed by Broadway, film and television veteran, Michael Blevins.

Part Shakespearean comedy and part fractured fairy tales, "Over The Moon" is a fun-filled musical whose characters are from beloved childhood stories. The story begins when Luna, the moon, descends to a small town on earth disguised as a boy and sets out to help humans find love. "Over the Moon" will perform Friday-Aug. 10 @ 8pm, Saturday-Aug. 11 @ 2pm, Sunday-Aug. 12 @ 4pm, Saturday-Aug. 18 @ 5pm and Sunday-Aug. 19 @ 1pm.

"They're Playing Our Song", a musical based on the book by Neil Simon, with a score by Marvin Hamlish, follows the story of an award-winning composer who agrees to partner with a young lyricist, and then falls in love with her as they create beautiful music together. " They're Playing Our Song" will perform Saturday-Aug.11 @ 5pm, Sunday-Aug. 12 @ 7 pm, Saturday-Aug. 18h @ 8pm and Sunday-Aug. 19 @ 4pm.

Bob Fosse's" Pippin" - a hip, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic fairy tale that captivated Broadway audiences - is the story of a young prince who longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. "Pippin" continues to appeal to the young at heart everywhere. Ben Vereen won a Tony Award as the Leading Player in the original Broadway production with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. "Pippin" performs Saturday-Aug. 11 @ 8pm, Sunday-Aug.12 @ 1pm, Friday-Aug. 17 @ 8pm, Saturday-Aug.18 @ 2pm and Sunday-Aug. 19 @ 7pm.

"The Roundabout Inn", written by YPW Program Director Michael Blevins, is a dramatic play whose character's ambitions are bound by the four walls of the Roundabout Inn Bed & Breakfast. The story unfolds the bittersweet family relationships that exist within the constraints of the Inn. The Roundabout Inn runs Tuesday-Aug. 15, Wednesday-Aug.16, and Thursday-Aug.17. All performances are at 7pm.

The One Act Playhouse is a free event that is filled with short scenes and skits the students have been rehearsing during their 5-week summer intensive. The One Act Playhouse runs Saturday-Aug. 18 @ 11am and Sunday-19 @ 11am.

Tickets to the Centenary Stage Company's YPW Summer Festival of Shows are $10 for adults and $8 for children under 12. Tickets may be purchased online at www.centenarystageco.org or by calling the CSC Box Office at (908) 979-0900.

The YPW is the educational arm of the professional Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theatre in residence on the campus of Centenary College. Programs at CSC are made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, Heath Village Retirement Community, and CSC members and sponsors.

YPW CAST: Elaine Belenguer (Long Valley), Cydney Black (Hackettstown), Jenna Black (Hackettstown), Zack Clark (Hackettstown), Izac Donovan Cruz (Budd Lake), Larissa Davis (Newton), Jessica DeFort (Washington), Savannah Doelfel (Hackettstown), Gracelyn Donovan (Blairstown), Tyler Donovan (Blairstown), Kyli Engle (Washington), Kori Engle (Washington), Elizabeth Gerold (Blairstown), Lily Gregorio (Hackettstown), Aree Kim (Pine Brook), Daniel Marion (Newton), Erica Murphy (Newton), Joy O'Brien (Blairstown), Quinn O'Hara (Hackettstown), Sydney Phythian (Oxford), Raphael Pelczmann (Morristown), Nicolette Policastro (Hampton), Samantha Pulido (Hackettstown), Sarah Putz (Hackettstown), HAnna Rose (Blairstown), Hannah Schroeder (Long Valley), Anthony Sica (Sparta), April Sigler (Stanhope), Christina Stanton (Hackettstown), Casey Stone (Hackettstown), Julie Ullmann (Newton), Lilly Vaz (Califon), Kevin Wehrhahn (Long Valley), Meghan Yarussi (Hackettstown), Katie Yarussi (Hackettstown), Anthony Zas (Hackettstown).

Pictured: Nicolette Policastro is "Fastrada" in the Centenary Stage Company Young Performers Workshop production of "PIPPIN".

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