CLICK HERE to preview and download print quality art.

BEVERLY, MA: The award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) is proud to announce its exhilarating 2008 Musical Season.  Audiences will be treated to one of the most eclectic seasons in the history of NSMT - from a comic tour-de-force, a provocative "dance play", and a feel-good rock and roll love story, to a buzzed-about Broadway hit, an American masterpiece, and a tap dancing sensation.  This innovative season will feature two New England Regional Premieres, as NSMT honors the best of the best in musical theater with the musical that won more Tony® Awards than any other show in history, THE PRODUCERS, and the hit of the 2000 Broadway season and winner of four Tony® Awards, CONTACT.

2008 also marks the inaugural season for NSMT's new Artistic Director and Executive Producer Barry Ivan.    "My goal for my first season at NSMT was to create an overarching artistic style to connect the season," said Ivan. "I'm proud to announce that the 2008 season will pay tribute to Tony® Award winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman.  We are honored and thrilled to be able to intertwine New England premieres with a celebration of an immeasurable talent, Tony® Award winner Susan Stroman.  It is going to be a spectacular season."  Susan Stroman has won five Tony® Awards for her work on such outstanding musicals as THE PRODUCERS (Best Choreography and Best Direction), CONTACT (Best Choreography), SHOWBOAT (Best Choreography), and Crazy For You (Best Choreography).

The 2008 Musical Season includes:
THE PRODUCERS - May 13 - June 1
CONTACT  - June 10 - 29
BYE BYE BIRDIE - July 15 - August 3
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE  -  August 12 - 31
SHOW BOAT - September 23 - October 12
42nd STREET - October 28 - November 16

NSMT is also proud to introduce an electrifying new musical experience in the 2008 season.  Directed by Artistic Director and Executive Producer Barry Ivan, the new SCREEN TO STAGE program provides a unique look at popular Broadway musicals whose origins are based in some of the silver screen's most beloved films.

A semi-staged concert version production of THE WIZ marks the 2008 debut of SCREEN TO STAGE. Inspired by the classic 1939 Academy Award winning film The Wizard of Oz, the 7-time Tony Award winning musical THE WIZ captivated audiences on Broadway when it opened in 1975 with its soaring rock musical score.  We invite you to join our professional cast of actors and musicians for an intimate production of THE WIZ on the North Shore Music Theatre main stage.  This exciting concert format features a full cast on-stage with scripts in-hand and a full orchestra.  Performances for this limited engagement run are September 5, 6 and 7, 2008. THE WIZ is not part of the subscription season.

The 2008 subscription musical season kicks off on May 13 with the New England Regional Premiere of THE PRODUCERS, winner of 12 Tony® Awards, including Best Musical.  Based on the hit 1968 film, this Mel Brooks masterpiece is the story of a washed-up Broadway producer and his timid accountant who hatch a scheme to get rich quick by producing a sure-fire flop. It's a comic tour-de-force that spoofs the big, old-fashioned Broadway musical while paying tribute to it at the same time. THE PRODUCERS, originally directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, will leave you laughing out loud!

            CONTACT in its New England Regional Premiere, will sweep across the NSMT stage from June 10 to June 29.  The winner of 4 Tony® Awards, CONTACT was the hit of the 2000 Broadway season and a big feather in director/choreographer Susan Stroman's cap. It's a haunting, moving, 'dance play' that's divided into three parts. The first is inspired by the 18th-century painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard depicting a sexy romp in the French countryside. The second takes place in an Italian restaurant in 1954, where a woman escapes from her troubled marriage into a world of fantasy. And the third centers on a lonely middle-aged man who tries to connect with a young woman in a yellow dress. You'll be dazzled by the incredible choreography, and swept away by the sensational songs, including "Do You Wanna Dance," "Runaround Sue," "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You," and "Sing, Sing, Sing."  

This summer get ready to put on a happy face! BYE BYE BIRDIE will return audiences to a simpler time in the ultimate feel-good musical, winner of four 1961 Tony® Awards, including Best Musical.  BYE BYE BIRDIE will have audiences swooning during its run July 15 to August 3.  The plot revolves around rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie (loosely based on Elvis Presley), who, to the dismay of his adoring fans, is about to be drafted into the army. But, comic complications ensue when, as part of a publicity stunt cooked up by his agent, he promises to give a good-bye kiss to one lucky girl from Sweet Apple, Ohio on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The upbeat score features "Put On A Happy Face," "A Lot of Livin" To Do," and "One Last Kiss."  The cast of BYE BYE BIRDIE will also feature many of the region's most talented teenagers!

This one got a lot of buzz on Broadway!  THE 25^TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE comes to the NSMT stage from August 12 to August 31, as part of a co-production with Barrington Stage Company.  Developed in the Berkshires and a long-running hit on Broadway, this Tony® Award-winning musical comedy follows six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves.  In the end, they all learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. This tuneful, offbeat and at times heartwarming show offers audience members the opportunity (strictly voluntary) to become part of the action as on-stage spellers. So get out your dictionaries, and get ready for an evening filled with humor and heart.

 An American masterpiece sails onto the NSMT stage from September 23 to October 12 when SHOW BOAT docks.  This critically acclaimed American masterpiece was revived on Broadway in 1994 and featured Tony® Award-winning choreography by Susan Stroman. Now you can experience this powerful new version on the NSMT stage. You'll board the Cotton Blossom, a show boat steaming up and down the Mississippi in the 1890s, where dashing men and beautiful women go to be entertained, forget their troubles, and fall in love. But under the surface there's a darker side of gambling, racial tension, and heartache. The unforgettable score includes "Only Make Believe," "Ol' Man River," and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man."   This project has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.

The 2008 Musical Season will conclude with a tap-dancing musical extravaganza as only North Shore Music Theatre can produce. On stage from October 28 to November 16, 42^nd STREET boasts a fun and infectious score featuring songs like "We're In the Money,"  "Lullaby of Broadway,"  "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," and "Forty-Second Street." 42^nd STREET is destined to have you tapping your toes! Set in 1933, 42^nd STREET captures the spirit of anyone who has ever pursued a dream.  This Tony® Award winning musical tells the fairytale story of an aspiring chorus girl and her journey to find love and success on the Great White Way.   One of the highest scoring musicals on NSMT audience surveys, 42^nd STREET will transport you back to the glamour, spectacle and fashion of the 1930's. 

2008 Musical Season subscriptions are on sale now.  Subscriptions offer the biggest savings along with special benefits such as seating priority and the maximum flexibility to exchange tickets, as well as the ability to renew specific seats each year.  To subscribe, or for more information, log on to www.nsmt.org, contact the Box Office at (978) 232-7200, or visit in person at 62 Dunham Road, Beverly, 01915. Single tickets for all NSMT shows go on sale March 24 to NSMT Donors; March 26 to NSMT 6-show Subscribers; and April 7 to the general public.  Gift certificates for all 2008 productions are currently on sale through the NSMT box office.

Throughout the 2008 season, NSMT will continue to host several special free audience enrichment events including:

MEET THE THEATER
This free post show discussion allows the audience to ask questions of the cast and creative staff and find out what happens behind the scenes. These discussions occur immediately following the show on the second Tuesday and the third Saturday matinee of each show.

OUT AT THE NORTH SHORE
This evening for the GLBT community offers the chance to meet members of the cast and enjoy live entertainment at a free post-show reception. Reception occurs the third Thursday evening of each show.

SPOTLIGHT ON HISTORY
A free pre-show educational series featuring a different historical topic related to each the show presented in association with the Wenham Museum. These discussions occur prior to the second Saturday matinee of each show.