FORT WAYNE SUMMER MUSIC THEATRE
FORT WAYNE SUMMER MUSIC THEATRE PRESENTS
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. CELEBRATING 25 YEARS WITH FWSMT!
DIRECTED BY: ANDREW SHERMAN
MUSIC DIRECTION BY ERIC VANCLEAVE
PERFORMANCES: JULY 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23 AT NORTH SIDE HIGH SCHOOL.
CAST
MISSION
The Fort Wayne Summer Music Theatre is proud to provide students with a bigger challenge as actors, singers, dancers, musicians and technicians. FWSMT will continue to present stage productions of a larger scale than students would experience in their own high school programs. FWSMT will offer students an eight-week intensive production schedule that includes singing, acting, dancing, set construction, and stage combat. By the end of the process, it is our goal that students leave with a more advanced skillset as young performers. Our program will utilize student technicians, led by professional educators to teach the craft of set, lighting, sound, and costume design. Any student may audition for any role; none are pre-cast or limited to any student because of their race, weight, religious views, handicap, or sexual orientation. The students will be treated with the same respect and professionalism that they would find in the professional world of performance.
production history
2022: Hairspray
2021: Les Misérables
2020: Covid-19 :(
2019: West Side Story
2018: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
2017: Addams Family the Musical
2016: Beauty and the Beast
2015: RENT
2014: Hairspray
2013: 9 to 5: the Musical
2012: Legally Blonde: the Musical
2011: West Side Story
2010: Sweeney Todd
2009: Rent: School Edition
2008: Titanic: A New Musical
2007: Aida
2006: Jekyll & Hyde
2005: Sweeney Todd
2004: Ragtime
2003: Les Misérables
2002: Footloose
2001: Hello, Dolly!
2000: Grease
1999: How to Succeed in Business (Without Really Trying)
PROGRAM HISTORY
A message from Executive Artistic Director, Andrew Sherman
Hello, and welcome to the Fort Wayne Summer Music Theatre in conjunction with Indiana Musical Theatre
Foundation!
It is my honor to tell you a little bit about the history of our program. In 1999, two high school directors, Kirby Volz and Jeanette Walsh, started a summer theatre program with Fort Wayne Community Schools. This program was designed so that eager high school students from any area high school would have an opportunity to spend their summer vacation involved in the theatre. The program was based around the ideas of furthering arts education within our community while also training the students to a higher skill-set as young performers.
Three years later, the funding for this summer program was cut and the future became uncertain for many of its student performers. Feeling strongly about the program, the obvious decision by the programs director’s, Kirby and Jeanette, was to keep the program going by seeking funding from outside sources and supporters. Through the hard work of the students, parents, local business, and program sponsors, enough money was raised that the program was able to continue, hence- fourth known as the Fort Wayne Summer Music Theatre.
The program went on to flourish, providing the opportunity for summer involvement of high school theatre students for the next 16 years. Under the continued direction of Kirby Volz and his amazing support team, the total student involvement since the program’s conception has reached to over 9,200 students from close to 30 different schools around Northern Indiana. This growing number includes student actors, musicians, designers, and technicians. FWSMT is proud to have a long list of alumni now working as actors, educators, dancers, designers, and technicians all around the world including professional national and regional tours. The FWSMT has performed to an audience base of over 42,000 theatre-goers over the last 20 years.
Then in 2019, FWSMT team was lucky enough to have Leslie Koehlinger Russ come into our lives. With her help Kirby and I created Indiana Musical Theatre Foundation Inc. This non-for-profit organization is now the umbrella under which FWSMT sits. Thanks to Leslie, FWSMT will continue to grow and thrive for years to come. I am so excited for the future growth of this program, and proud of the impact it has already had on so many young performers. Please join us as we continue to thrive and grow FWSMT and IMTF!