PSST! Opens ‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’ on Friday

VALDOSTA — The 2013 Peach State Summer Theatre season gains momentum on Friday, June 14, with the opening of “The Marvelous Wonderettes.”

Written and created by Roger Bean in 1999 at the request of officials at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” is a musical comedy that uses pop songs from the 1950s and 1960s — “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “It’s My Party,” and so on — to tell its story. The show takes place at Springfield High School, the first part in a decorated gymnasium at a Class of 1958 prom and the second part at the class’s 10-year reunion.

“The Marvelous Wonderettes” has been described as “a must-take musical trip down memory lane.”

“This show will have you laughing, singing, and dancing in the aisles,” said Barbara Hartwig, show director and choreographer. She can also be seen playing the role of Elsa in “The Sound of Music” and the role of Desiree in the upcoming “A Little Night Music.” She teaches dance at Coastal Carolina University, and Peach State Summer Theatre fans will likely remember her from such past shows as “Gypsy,” “Chicago,” and “Hairspray.”

Peach State Summer Theatre, or PSST!, is Valdosta’s premiere professional summer stock theatre. Each summer, dozens of singers, dancers, technicians, managers, and creators gather on the campus of Valdosta State University for nine weeks. During that time, they rehearse, build, and present three musicals in rotating repertory.

The 2013 Peach State Summer Theatre season marks the 24^th year of VSU producing professional theatre for the city of Valdosta, the state of Georgia, and beyond. From 1990 to 2004, VSU produced the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival. In 2005, the summer theatre program was relocated to the university and renamed PSST! Then, in 2006, it was designated the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia by the Georgia Legislature.

Jacque Wheeler, a theatre and dance professor in the Department of Communication Arts at Valdosta State University, serves as the artistic director of Peach State Summer Theatre. H. Duke Guthrie, a theatre professor at VSU, is the managing director.

The musical theatre season kicked off on June 1 with the opening of “The Sound of Music.” The third and final show in the lineup, “A Little Night Music,” will open on Friday, June 21. The three shows will be presented in rotating repertory through the weekend of July 13-14 on the Sawyer Theatre stage in VSU’s Fine Arts Building, which is located on the corner of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street.

The Peach State Summer Theatre box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. It is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building and can be reached by calling (229) 259-7770.

Individual show tickets are $25 plus tax for adults and $20 plus tax for all children, students, and senior citizens.

Visit www.valdosta.edu/psst or read “Peach State Summer Theatre Box Office Is Open For Business” at http://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2013/05/peach-state-summer-theatre-box-office-is-open-for-business---.php or read “PSST! Season Kicks Off Saturday with ‘The Sound Of Music’” at https://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2013/05/psst-season-kicks-off-saturday-with-the-sound-of-music.php or read “PSST! Offers Pay What You Can Days” at http://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2013/06/psst-offers-pay-what-you-can-days.php to learn more.

Note: “The Marvelous Wonderettes” is rated G.

Performance Schedule

• 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 14

• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 15

• 3 p.m. Sunday, June 23

• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27

• 2 p.m. Saturday, June 29 (American Sign Language interpreted performance & Pay What You Can performance)

• 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 3

• 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 5

• 3 p.m. Sunday, July 7

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 10

• 2 p.m. Saturday, July 13