Birmingham-Southern to start 2018-19 theatre season

For Immediate Release
Sep. 10, 2018

If you loved the catchy, rock-influenced scores of Jonathan Larson’s RENT, you might want to see the first show of Birmingham-Southern’s theatre season.

The college is kicking off its first stage production of 2018-19 in October with four performances of tick, tick…BOOM! This autobiographical musical by Larson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer of RENT, traces a journey of turning 30 and holding onto dreams.

The story follows a composer, Jon, and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theatre. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue and, yet, Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical.

Set in 1990, this compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theatre styles. This youthful, endearing, and thoughtful piece, embraces the universal ideal of navigating through life’s most difficult challenges.

Twenty-one BSC students are working on the theatre project, including a cast of six. Guest Artist Jay Tumminello will serve as music director.

“The arrangement of the seats in our Mainstage auditorium will be a little different than usual—accommodating 150 people,” said Michael Flowers, BSC Professor of Theatre and a former CASE/Carnegie Alabama Professor of the Year. “There will be a four-piece band on stage with the actors.”

Performances will be held in the College Theatre/Mainstage on Oct. 4,5, and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 7 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for the general public; $10 for students regardless of the school they attend. Reserve tickets starting Sept. 13 by calling the Theatre Box Office at (205) 226-4780 or going online; Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 1-4:45 p.m. during ticket sales. The 90-minute production has no intermission. Children six and under are not allowed.

Flowers will present a free, public talk titled “The Big 3-0. The End of Youth?: A Look at Hope and Dreams Through the Lens of Jonathan Larson’s Autobiographical Musical tick, tick...BOOM!” on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m. at the Mainstage. Participants in the Provost’s Forum will include Flowers and Tumminello as well as several Birmingham-Southern alums who will talk about what their hopes and dreams look like a decade after graduating from the college. The cast will perform selected songs and scenes from the show.