Saratoga Springs Theatre Co. Inaugural Season Includes a Regional Premiere of SHREK THE MUSICAL

The newly minted Saratoga Springs Theatre Company has announced its inaugural season, featuring a regional premiere production of Shrek the Musical. It will be the first theatre in Utah, and among the first in the nation, to produce the Broadway show.

The first production of the theatre's 2013 season will be a fundraiser concert, Opening Night: The Music of Broadway on April 20 at Westlake High School. Next will be Shrek the Musical on June 24, 28 and 29 at Vista Heights Middle School, followed by Legally Blonde the Musical on Oct. 21, 25 and 26 at Harvest Elementary School.

Season tickets, starting at $18, and concert tickets, starting at $7, are on sale now at the theatre's website, sstheatreco.blogspot.com. As Saratoga Springs Theatre Company is staffed entirely by volunteers, all funds raised through ticket sales go directly to finance the theatre and its efforts. Also coming soon on the website are signups for the upcoming Shrek the Musical auditions and information about a youth theatre camp to be held in July.

On the heels of a successful pilot production of The Sound of Music last summer, Saratoga Springs Theatre Company was formed under the Saratoga Springs Arts Council. The organization strives to offer high-quality live theatre experiences for performers and audiences in the area.

Opening Night: The Music of Broadway is a fast-paced concert of the best of the Great White Way from Showboat in 1927 to Ghost the Musical in 2012 and everything in the 85 years between. It will include songs from composers Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Alan Menken and many more. Whether you enjoy the tried and true classics or lesser-known contemporary fare, you will hear songs you love and may be surprised to discover a new favorite.

The concert is a fundraiser event for the new theatre company. In addition to premium seating at the show, premium tickets include a chance to win the following door prizes: The Phantom of the Opera mask and Playbill signed by the 25^th anniversary Broadway cast, BYU football signed by LaVell Edwards, basketball signed by Shawn Bradley, mini BYU blackout helmet signed by Chad Lewis and Robbie Bosco, Gary Ernest Smith signed and numbered print, tickets to Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley and much more.

Shrek the Musical is a regional premiere event for the whole family. Based on the iconic Dreamworks animated film, this incredible Broadway musical features an all-new score that is both hilarious and poignant. Shrek is a surly ogre who must save the Princess Fiona from a tower in order to reclaim his home from the small-statured tyrant Lord Farquaad. Along the way, he learns that things aren't always what they seem and that love can be found in the most unexpected places.

Legally Blonde the Musical comes to Saratoga Springs straight from its smash hit success on Broadway and in London. The show, which is based on the popular MGM film starring Reese Witherspoon, is filled with catchy tunes and a satisfying combination of humor and heart. Elle Woods is a California sorority girl who crosses the country to become a Harvard Law student in a quest to reclaim her true love. In doing so, she discovers she is capable of more than she, or anyone else, ever thought possible.

For more information about the new theatre, including donation and sponsorship opportunities, or to be added to its mailing list, please contact Saratoga Springs Theatre Company at sstheatreco@gmail.com.