High School Musical- Live On Stage! December 18, 2008

It has been announced that a spectacular full-scale Australian production of Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – Live on Stage! will open in Sydney at The Capitol Theatre on Saturday, 20 December, 2008.

Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – Live on Stage!, which is based on the smash-hit Disney Channel Original Movie, has captivated a legion of young fans since it premiered in Chicago in August 2007. Featuring all the characters and chart-topping songs from the movie, Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – Live on Stage! expands on the original work and includes two new numbers and a huge mega-mix finale.

“Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – Live on Stage! has been taking the world by storm so we’re thrilled to be mounting it in Australia,” said co-producer Kevin Jacobsen of Jacobsen Presents. “With an Australian cast playing the characters young people have grown to love, we’re confident that this live, high-energy stage version will be embraced by Australian audiences as their own,” added co-producer Tim McFarlane of The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific.

The all-Australian production will have a large touring company, including a 32-strong cast of the country’s hottest young singers and dancers and a pumping live band. The announcement of the cast will be made in August with rehearsals to commence in Sydney in October. Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – Live on Stage! follows the story of basketball captain Troy and the brainy but shy Gabriella who discover they have a secret passion for singing. When they decide to audition for the student musical it sends shockwaves through the High School’s rigid social cliques. Troy’s basketball team, Gabriella’s fellow science clubbers, even the drama regulars, do all they can to keep the pair apart and off-stage. When Troy and Gabriella defy their friends and family they inadvertently inspire the other students to go public with their own secret talents and dreams.

Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – Live on Stage! is an infectious celebration of both individualism and togetherness, with a story that says you don’t have to change to be accepted, you just have to be yourself.

The stage musical’s key creative team includes David Simpatico who wrote the book (an adaptation of Peter Barsocchini’s original TV movie script), director Jeff Calhoun (whose credits include the award-winning Broadway revivals of Grease and Big River), choreographer Lisa Stevens and music producer and supervisor Bryan Louiselle.

Following its premiere in Chicago, Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – Live on Stage! has played sold out seasons in Boston, Toronto and Los Angeles, and by the end of 2008 it will have played 42 cities in the U.S. A current tour of the United Kingdom has broken all box office records and future productions are scheduled for Spain, Italy, France and Holland.