Community Performance Series Announces 2015 Summer Musical Theatre Productions

CPS to Present 'Into the Woods' and 'Chicago' in Summer 2015 at SUNY Potsdam Performing Arts Center

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Pictured are cast members from this year’s Community Performance Series production of “Cats,” summer 2014.

POTSDAM, NY (11/24/2014)(readMedia)-- Community Performance Series has recently confirmed its 2015 summer musical productions. The upcoming season will include "Into the Woods," running from July 6 to 11, and "Chicago," showing from July 20 to 25, 2015.

"Into the Woods" will include 7:30 p.m. performances each night, with 2 p.m. matinees offered on July 8 and 11. "Chicago" will also include 7:30 p.m. performances each night, and 2 p.m. matinees on July 22 and 25. Both runs will be offered in the Proscenium Theater, located in SUNY Potsdam's new Performing Arts Center.

Local auditions will be held in the spring of 2015. More information will be forthcoming after the New Year, through press announcements, social media and posts to the CPS website, at www.cpspotsdam.org.

"The 2015 musicals were carefully selected to provide our theatre-going community with two distinctly different, yet equally exciting productions," said CPS Executive Director Amy Flack. "'Into the Woods' offers families the chance to enjoy a fairytale night at the theatre. However, don't let the storybook characters fool you -- Sondheim offers us a rich musical score and Lapine's book reveals a plot that is complex and very human. 'Chicago' is geared toward a more mature audience; we give the musical the same PG-13 rating as the movie. This musical features several recognizable songs like 'All that Jazz,' which will delight audiences with the high-energy dance numbers that have become the hallmark of CPS summer theatre."

About the productions:

"Into the Woods" is a multiple Tony Award-winning musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The story intertwines the plots of several Grimm Brothers fairy tales and follows them, to explore the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from "Little Red Riding Hood," "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Rapunzel" and "Cinderella," as well as several other tales. The musical is tied together by an original story involving a childless baker and his wife, and their quest to begin a family, following their interaction with a witch, and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey. The Disney movie adaptation of "Into the Woods," starring Meryl Streep, is set for major release on Dec. 25, 2014.

Broadway's longest-running American musical revival, "Chicago" is a Prohibition-era based satire that tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County jail. Nightclub star Velma is serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding the two entangled. Driven chorus girl Roxie has been tossed in the joint for bumping off her lover. Never one to rest on her laurels, Velma enlists the help of prison matron Mama Morton and slickster lawyer Billy Flynn, who turn Velma's incarceration into a murder-of-the-week media frenzy, thus preparing the world for a splashy showbiz comeback. Roxie, however, has some of her own tricks in store. This universal tale of fame and fortune is brimming with show-stopping songs and mesmerizing dance numbers, which garnered six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy.

Early access tickets will be available in March 2015 for donors to the 2015 Producer's Club. More information about Producer's Club membership will be made available in the spring.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on June 1, 2015, and can be purchased in person at the CPS Box Office, located in SUNY Potsdam's Performing Arts Center, by calling (315) 267-2277 or visiting www.cpspotsdam.org.

Ticket prices will range from $25 to $50 for adults, with discounts for students and seniors. Package discounts will also be available when purchasing tickets to both shows in a single transaction.

CPS is a college-community partnership presenting world-class performing artists and arts education opportunities in Northern New York. This rich mixture of programming links communities, classrooms and audiences of all ages and preserves access to the performing arts for future generations.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

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