Photo Flash: TUTS Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Education Wing with Alumni Association

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the founding of its Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) with the kickoff of the recently formed HSMT Alumni Association. Graduates and supporters of the HSMT program from the past four decades joined for an evening of celebration and reunion as they mixed and mingled amidst the backdrop of the HSMT rehearsal rooms, complete with wine and hors d'oeuvres from City Kitchen.

Following the inaugural event, the HSMT Alumni Association watched a performance of Legally Blonde the Musical by current HSMT students as part of the school's yearly teen summer conservatory production. At the conclusion of the show, The Cast members attended a post-show reception, where the alumni group got the chance to meet and converse with the up-and-coming generation of musical theatre performers.

In effort to create lasting support for the Humphreys School, money raised by the alumni group's membership fees and charitable donations will fund a newly created artistic fund, which will support future HSMT productions and encourage growth in the disciplines of musical theatre.

"The evening was a tremendous success for both the HSMT Alumni Association and for the school," said John Breckenridge, President and CEO of TUTS. "To be able to reunite previous students while also showcasing the current students in their phenomenal summer production was a real delight. What a way to celebrate 40 years of teaching musical theatre excellence and to help support future productions!"

The Humphreys School historically has served as a springboard into the world of theatre and entertainment with many HSMT graduates succeeding not only in regional theatres but also on Broadway, in national tours and beyond the stage. Notable HSMT alumni include Bruce Norris (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner for Clybourne Park), Chandra Wilson (ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"), Michelle DeJean (Broadway: Chicago; National Tours: Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, Oliver!; TUTS: The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, White Christmas, Urban Cowboy), Michael Tapley (Broadway: The Who's Tommy; National Tours: Evita, 42nd Street, Mame, The Who's Tommy, The Unsinkable Molly Brown; TUTS: The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Annie, White Christmas), Austin Miller (NBC's "Grease: You're The One That I Want"; National Tours: Grease, Smokey Joe's Café, Victor/Victoria; TUTS: Urban Cowboy, Hairspray, 42^nd Street), Logan Kesler (Broadway's 2010 Tony-winning revival and national tour of La Cage Aux Folles; TUTS: Urban Cowboy, Dreamgirls, West Side Story), Kalyn Hemphill (Season 6 winner of Lifetime Television's "Project Runway/Models of the Runway"; TUTS: Singin' In The Rain) and Manuel Santos (NBC's "Smash"; TUTS: West Side Story, 110 In The Shade, Beauty And The Beast).

For more information about the HSMT Alumni Association or to join, visit www.TUTS.com/HSMTAlumni. For more information about the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre, please visit www.TUTS.com/HSMT.

Photo Credit: Sam Byrd