Musical theatre students and faculty from Western Carolina University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts will perform a star-spangled variety show at two locations in Western North Carolina in advance of a Fourth of July concert at the Roanoke Island Festival Park.

The troupe, known as the Western Carolina University Catamount Starz, will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, on the lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center on the WCU campus and at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at Cashiers United Methodist Church. Both performances are free of charge.

The program, “What a Country: A Celebration of America,” features a selection of rock ‘n’ roll, pop, Broadway, patriotic and light classical song and dance, said Bradley Martin, director of the WCU musical theatre program.

“What better way to celebrate the quintessential American holiday than with a spirited performance of some of the music that helped define a nation,” Martin said. “We’re putting together the musical equivalent of a tasty Fourth of July smorgasbord, with a little something for everyone in a family-friendly show suitable for all ages.”

The eight singers and dancers, who range from a newly minted graduate of WCU’s musical theatre program to an incoming freshman, will be accompanied by a 10-member orchestra composed of WCU music instructors, students and alumni, and other professional musicians.

After the two WNC shows, the troupe will head from the mountains to the coast for an 8 p.m. Saturday, July 4, concert at the Roanoke Island Festival Park.

Amy Jones, resident vocal director and choreographer at Flat Rock Playhouse: The State Theatre of North Carolina, will direct and choreograph the Fourth of July show. Based in New York and a theatre instructor at Western Connecticut State University, Jones directed WCU’s “Last Five Years” in January.

The leader of Western’s musical theatre program is Broadway star and two-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann, former actor and director of the outdoor drama “The Lost Colony.” Mann, who holds the Carolyn Plemmons Phillips and Ben R. Phillips Distinguished Professorship in Musical Theatre at WCU, originated several roles on Broadway, including his Tony-nominated turn as the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast,” Rum Tum Tugger in “Cats,” a Tony Award-nominated performance as Inspector Javert in “Les Miserables,” and his portrayal of Chauvelin in “The Scarlett Pimpernel.”

For more information about WCU’s musical theatre program, contact Bradley Martin at (828) 227-3726 or via e-mail at bradley.martin@email.wcu.edu, or visit http://musicaltheatre.wcu.edu.

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Last modified: Wednesday, June 24, 2009