Theatre Under The Stars Secures Houston Premiere of XANADU for September

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) and The Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) are excited to announce the Houston premiere of Xanadu as the 2013 summer conservatory production. The comical, roller skating musical based on the Universal Pictures film which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, is about following your dreams despite the limitation others set for you. Xanadu rolls onto the Zilkha Hall stage at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts, September 13 - 14, 2013.

Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first Roller Disco! But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds. Rolling along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, Xanadu's catchy score includes, "Magic", "All Over The World", "Suddenly", "I'm Alive", "Evil Woman, and "Xanadu", to name a few.

Casting auditions for young actors between the ages of 13 and 18 will be held at the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre on March 8 at 5:00 p.m., March 23 at 2:00 p.m. and April 20, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Students will need to provide an updated resume and headshot; prepare 16 bars of a musical theatre, up-tempo, pop selection in the same genre of Xanadu and provide sheet music; and be expected to dance on their audition date. To sign up for an audition slot, call 713-558-8801 or visit www.tuts.com/Xanadu for more information.

The TUTS production of Xanadu is made possible by the generosity of The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, The Humphreys Foundation and the Immanuel & Helen B. Olshan Foundation.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston's acclaimed nonprofit musical theatre company whose mission is to enrich life through the experience of quality musical theatre and to positively impact lives beyond the stage through innovative education & community engagement programs. Currently TUTS engages more than 200,000 people annually through productions at Sarofim Hall and Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center and at Miller Outdoor Theatre. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public when it was founded in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the theatre opened. Founded by Frank M. Young and currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge and Artistic Director Bruce Lumpkin, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Kopit and Yeston's Phantom, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll & Hyde, and Irving Berlin's White Christmas as well as critically acclaimed re-inventions of classics Cabaret and Les Miserables. Through its membership in the Independent Presenters Network, TUTS has helped bring Bombay Dreams, 9 to 5, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spamalot, Legally Blonde, Ragtime, Curtains and The Color Purple to Broadway and ultimately back to Houston audiences.