Serenbe Playhouse, which has done some of the most exciting and interesting theater in the greater metro area the past four years, will visit Oz and the Oklahoma territory in its fifth season commencing May 30.

serenbe-logoThe news is out now for two reasons: because discounted season tickets ($50 vs. $60) are available through Dec. 31; and because Serenbe is launching a Playhouse Academy that begins Jan. 13 with an audition workshop and features two summer camp sessions with discounted registration ($500 vs. $600), again through Dec. 31.

The season is as follows (remember, Serenbe performs all of its shows outdoors):

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ. May 30-Aug. 2. A world premiere adaptation of the L. Frank Baum story. Adapted by Rachel Teagle, who in past seasons, has been responsible for new stage versions of The Velveteen Rabbit  and Alice in Wonderland.

TEN MILE LAKE. June 12-29. A world premiere by California-based playwright Tira Palmquist that shows the lasting power of memories and love as a father and daughter gaze over familiar waters and dip their toes into unfamiliar territory.

OKLAHOMA! July 24-Aug. 10. Rediscover this groundbreaking 1943 musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, set in the Indian territory just after the turn of the 19th century. The score includes “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” The Surrey With the Fringe on Top, “I Can’t Say No,” “People Will Say” and many others.

Serenbe’s Jan. 13 audition workshop will be conducted by Jody Feldman, casting director and associate producer at the Alliance Theatre. It runs from 6 to 10 p.m., and registration ($75) is limited to 20 participants.

Serenbe summer camp sessions will run in two sessions. Session 1, titled A Journey Over the Rainbow (June 2-13) is designed for those in grades 3-8. Session 2, titled A Journey to the Wild West (June 16-27), is for those in grades 6-12.

Both include 80 hours of professional instruction in singing, acting and dancing; admission to The Wonderful World of Oz and Oklahoma!; healthy lunches, snacks and water; and a final musical revue performance. A $25 discount is applied for each additional child within the same family.

About Kathy Janich

Kathy Janich is a longtime arts journalist who has been seeing, working in or writing about the performing arts for most of her life. She's a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, Americans for the Arts and the National Arts Marketing Project. Full disclosure: She’s also an artistic associate at Synchronicity Theatre.

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