Notre Dame College Performing Arts programs are serving as the new site for Heights Youth Theatre’s 2022-2023 season, which opens with a full-scale production of “Matilda: The Musical.”
Heights Youth Theatre (HYT) will premiere the musical based on the 1988 children’s novel of the same name by Roald Dahl from October 7-9 and October 14-16. All HYT performances will be conducted on Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., all in Regina Auditorium.
This is the first of three musicals complete with full sets, costumes, lighting and a full orchestra that HYT will present this academic year. Each of these musical opportunities are open to students in grades 1-12.
The production will be directed by Treva Offset, has been adapted for the stage by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.
“Matilda” is the story of an extraordinary girl armed with a sharp mind and vivid imagination who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. It was a feature film released in 1996, and a Netflix film adaptation is scheduled to be released in December 2022 in the United Kingdom.
A girl with telekinesis, Matilda loves reading, overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school and helps her teacher to reclaim her life.
The musical first was staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon from November 2010 to January 2011. It debuted at the West End in 2011. It then was performed at the Cambridge Theatre and premiered on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 2013.
The production won seven 2012 Oliver Awards, including best new musical. Multiple performers shared a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. The show also won the show won five awards, including the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Dennis Kelly, in 2013.
More information about Heights Youth Theatre can be found here: https://www.heightsyouththeatre.com/.
September 2022
About Notre Dame College
Notre Dame College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college in South Euclid, Ohio, committed to teaching students how to make a good living and live a good life. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. For more information, visit NotreDameCollege.edu.