The fifth season of the Performing Arts Center at Kent
State University at Tuscarawas includes Dancing Pros:
Live, a live competition show created by some of the
most accomplished Dancing With The Stars pros.

The fifth season of the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas features an all-star lineup of 23 outstanding performances. Announced during the annual season unveiling on July 19, the season begins Aug. 29 with the multitalented comedian Rodney Carrington and also will include music, smash-hit Broadway shows, family programming and the ever-popular dance performances.

“The 2014-2015 schedule offers a variety of Broadway shows, which are very popular with our patrons,” says Brad Bielski, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Tuscarawas. “We are very excited about bringing to our stage the national tour of the Tony Award-winning Million Dollar Quartet, which will certainly be a crowd pleaser. We expect tickets to sell very rapidly for that show. Other Broadway shows are the national tours of Jekyll and Hyde, the hilarious Sister Act, the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis and Flashdance the Musical.

“Plus, we have a very unique performance coming in December – Holiday Spectacular on Ice, professional figure skating right on our stage! The dynamic concerts include Who’s Bad – The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band, Get the Led Out – The American Led Zeppelin and Night Ranger, a classic rock band. And there is a very clever, all-female comedy event, Southern Fried Chicks’ Cage-Free Comedy Tour,” Bielski adds.

Returning to the Performing Arts Center stage, due to overwhelming demand, will be the iconic orchestra Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, the percussion performance of STOMP and the youth-oriented Rainforest Reptile Shows.

This will be the second year for the Performing Arts Center to offer a cabaret dinner show.

“The blues duo of Kristine Jackson and Austin Walkin’ Cane will perform with the audience seated on stage,” says general manager Mike Morelli. “This seating in proximity to the performers creates a unique and intimate evening. Dinner is served on stage during the performance.”

Other quality productions that will appeal to families are Jim Henson’s Sid the Science Kid; Peter and the Starcatcher, the imaginative play about the origins of Peter Pan; Singalong Grease; the classic Gilbert & Sullivan comic light opera Mikado; and The Tempest. Morelli says The Tempest is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from Ohio Arts Council and General Mills Foundation.

An additional family event is Dancing Pros: Live, a live competition show created by some of the most accomplished Dancing With The Stars pros Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo. Audience members will use electronic voting remotes to vote for the couple they want to win the live competition that night. The performance will be hosted by actor and talk show host Alan Thicke.

The Tony Award-winning musical
Memphis is one of several performances
lined up for the fifth season of the
Performing Arts Center at Kent State
University at Tuscarawas.

“Our schedule also features two music productions that are being presented in partnership with area community arts organizations,” Morelli says. “We are partnering with the Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County to present The Crucible in October, and our season ends in June with Franc D’Ambrosio, presented with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, our resident company at the center.”

More than 500 people attended the unveiling. Entertainment was provided by the jazz duo of Jack Steward and Bob Venturi.

Season packages (four or more events) go on sale July 28, while single event tickets will be available beginning July 31. A complete list of performances and ticket prices are online at www.tusc.kent.edu/pac.

Tickets can be purchased by mail, in person at the Performing Arts Center box office, by calling 330-308-6400 or online at www.tusc.kent.edu/pac. The box office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Free parking is available for all shows. The Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Dr. N.E. in New Philadelphia.