Date: April 13, 2010
Contact: Eric Matanyi
Southland Area Theatre Ensemble
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-4044
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: e-matanyi@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
Southland Area Theatre Ensemble (SLATE) Announces “The Wedding Singer” as its Second Production
University Park, IL, April 13, 2010 - The Southland Area Theatre Ensemble (SLATE) at Governors State University announced it will present the musical comedy “The Wedding Singer” as its 2010 summer production.
Based on the 1998 film starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, this musical version follows a jilted wedding singer and a waitress who is engaged to the wrong man as they learn heartfelt lessons – and their true feelings – about love and marriage. “The Wedding Singer”, on Broadway, was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
“It’s the ’80s, you know,” said director J.R. Rose. “Reagan, MTV, ‘Who Shot J.R.?’, power ballads, leg warmers, and big hair.” Rose, a local theater director, is also an educator and director at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
“The Wedding Singer will be great for our summer SLATE show because it will leave audiences toe-tapping, laughing, and smiling all the way home. The lavish, up-tempo score, fabulous costumes, and amazing dance numbers can’t be beat. It’s a great show for the ’80s lover in all of us, and a story of love at the right time for the right people,” Rose said.
SLATE was established in 2009 as an artistic collaboration between the Center for Performing Arts, local theater educators, and veterans of area community theater companies. Last year’s critically acclaimed inaugural production, “Into the Woods”, featured a cast of 34 adults and young people from 16 communities, most in Chicago’s Southland.
“The Wedding Singer” will be performed on July 31, and August 1, 6, and 7. Performances will take place at The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University.
For more information about “The Wedding Singer” or SLATE, visit www.slatetheatre.org.
