Les Misérables to anchor TCR 80th Season

"Theatre Cedar Rapids is honored by the invitation to produce Les Misérables. To be one of the first in the country, and by special invitation no less, is as much a stamp of approval for the quality theatre we produce as any other gesture in recent memory," said TCR Executive Director Casey Prince. "A show of this magnitude will have ripple effects through our entire organization, patron base and, in particular, our volunteers. The opportunities to participate in every facet of this monumental undertaking will be many."

A second surprise announcement made at the event was done by Tim Hankewich, Music Director at Orchestra Iowa. Hankewich revealed that Orchestra Iowa, in partnership with TCR, will co-produce a concert version of The Music Man at the Paramount Theatre next July.

A third announcement at the event was made by Executive Director of the NewBo City Market, Ann Poe. She announced that NewBo and TCR are co-presenting a 5K Fun Run/Walk called The Costume Run as part of NewBo's Grand Opening on Saturday, October 27.

These announcements were made during a preview of the current season's shows at the annual TCR Fall Kickoff Fundraising event in front of a crowd of 250. The preview took the audience on a tour through the season using one-night-only performances by a number of special guests including:

· Catherine Blades, Cedar Rapids native and now NYC-based actress who missed much of her senior year at C.R. Washington H.S. when cast in the Broadway production of "Bye Bye Birdie."

· Peter Evans, Cedar Rapids native and now Chicago-based actor most recently cast in "The Book of Mormon."

· Janelle Lauer, Cedar Rapids-based musician, performer, director and vocal coach who is music directing four shows on TCR's season.

All of these special guest performers grew up in the spotlight at TCR and are veterans of numerous TCR shows. Other special appearances were made by TCR veterans Gene Whiteman, Doug Jackson, & Pat Deignan. Local celebrities involved in the program were KCRG's Nicole Agee, Scott Schulte and Rick Swann from Z102.9, a Flash Mob performance by returning cast members from Disney's Camp Rock produced by TCR in August and songs performed by the cast members of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson which opens September 28 and runs through October 20.

The Curtain Raiser was sponsored by Bankers Trust with proceeds used to support the operations and programming at Theatre Cedar Rapids.