PSST! Presents “Hello, Dolly!” June 22-July 15

VALDOSTA — Peach State Summer Theatre will take musical theatre fans on a big-city adventure when it kicks off a 10-performance run of “Hello, Dolly!” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 22, at Valdosta State University’s Sawyer Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.

Based on Thornton Wilder’s play “The Matchmaker,” this hit Broadway musical follows Dolly, meddler and matchmaker, on a madcap journey from Yonkers to New York City and back. Along the way, Dolly wrangles up a posse and strives to bring romance to Yonkers’ famous half-a-millionaire, his clerks, his niece, and his fiancée.

“This play is a classic in musical theatre,” said Jacque Wheeler, who plays the role of Dolly and also serves as artistic director of Peach State Summer Theatre. “Many audience members will be familiar with the wonderful music — ‘Put on your Sunday Clothes,’ ‘Hello, Dolly!,’ ‘Before the Parade Passes By,’ and more. The characters are lovable, and the audience can identify with their desire for romance and adventure. We know everyone will enjoy this summer valentine of a show.”

“Hello, Dolly!” premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre in 1964 and instantly became a hit, playing close to 3,000 performances before its close in 1970. The show has seen multiple Broadway revivals, international productions, and national and international tours. It has won 15 Tony Awards, five Outer Critics Circle Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, three Laurence Olivier Awards, and many more accolades. The Broadway musical was adapted into a 1969 movie directed by Gene Kelly and starring Barbara Streisand that was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won three.

Please note that “Hello, Dolly!” contains one minor expletive but is still appropriate for families.

The show is sponsored in part by Wild Adventures Theme Park.

Individual admission is $32 for adults, $28 for students and senior citizens, and $24 for Peach State Summer Theatre fans in groups of 10 or more, including taxes and fees.

Patronages are available at a variety of levels.

The Peach State Summer Theatre Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. It is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building, at the corner of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street, and can be reached by calling (229) 259-7770. The online box office at www.valdosta.edu/psst is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Peach State Summer Theatre, or PSST!, is Valdosta’s premiere professional summer stock theatre. Each summer, dozens of singers, dancers, technicians, managers, and creators gather on the campus of Valdosta State University for 10 weeks, and during that time, they rehearse, build, and present three musicals in rotating repertory. “Million Dollar Quartet” kicked off a 13-performance run on May 25, and “Newsies” began a 13-performance run on June 8.

The 2018 Peach State Summer Theatre season marks the 29^th year of VSU producing professional theatre for the city of Valdosta, the state of Georgia, and beyond. From 1990 to 2004, VSU produced the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival. In 2005, the summer theatre program was relocated to the university and renamed PSST!

The Georgia Legislature designated Valdosta State’s summer stock theatre program the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia.

VSU’s Jacque Wheeler serves as the artistic director of Peach State Summer Theatre. H. Duke Guthrie is the managing director.

Sawyer Theatre and the PSST! Box Office are located on the first floor of VSU’s Fine Arts Building, at the intersection of Oak Street and Brookwood Drive.

Visit www.valdosta.edu/psst for more information.

Visit www.facebook.com/vstatenews to view photos and learn more about the cast and crew.

“Hello, Dolly!” Performance Schedule
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 22
• 2 p.m. Saturday, June 23, Pay What You Can Performance
• 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 27
• 2 p.m. Saturday, June 30, Interpreted for the Deaf in American Sign Language
• 3 p.m. Sunday, July 1
• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 5
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7
• 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 11
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 13
• 3 p.m. Sunday, July 15