Iconic musical to take Grand Theater stage as High School Project turns 25

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The Phantom of the Opera – the longest-running musical in Broadway history that’s closing in April – will be performed at London’s Grand Theater in September to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the High School Project.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical will be on the Sprite Stage Sept. 19-Oct. 7 directed by High School Project alumnus Andrew Tribe and featuring a cast of about 50 students from across the region.

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“Twenty-five years, 38 productions and thousands of students later we celebrate the anniversary of this extraordinary program by staging a production never seen before on the Grand’s stage: The Phantom of the Opera,” said Dennis Garnhum, the Grand’s artistic director.

“It will be an incredible spectacle and it will be one for the history books”

The High School Project is the only program of its kind on the continent, where students work with professional artists, designers and backstage crew to produce a musical to “ensure young people had access to the liberating and transformative power of the arts,” Garnhum said. .

Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a beautiful soprano who becomes the obsession of a masked musical genius lurking in the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House and exercising a reign of terror and control over all who enter it.

The musical opened on Broadway in 1988 and won seven Tony awards, including best musical, after winning the 1986 Olivier Award in England.

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Tribe, who directed Titanic for the High School Project in 2019, said he is “very excited” to be directing Phantom of the Opera to celebrate the 25th anniversary. He performed in Oklahoma and Sound of Music in 2005.

“Londoners can expect the essence of what makes Phantom so special, but also with a few new surprises – all dressed in beautiful grand style and with a youthful vitality that only students can bring,” said Tribe, former artistic director of Original Kids Theater Company. .

Up to 50 students will perform on stage and another 20 will work backstage on stage management, props, wardrobe, scenic art, orchestra, sound and marketing.

Registration to audition opens Feb. 17 with audition workshops being held March 25-26 ahead of the auditions for stage roles, which are set for April 12-16. Rehearsals being Aug. 8. Visit the website grandtheatre.com/high-school-project for more information about the show, registration and audition.

Tickets for The Phantom of the Opera are now available for subscribers, March 21 for new subscribers and May 8 for single ticket buyers.

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