FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Please contact: Ruth Baum Bigus Publicist, Theatre in the Park (913) 707-7746 [email protected]

Theatre in the Park salutes outstanding KC Women in Business As part of “9 to 5-The Musical”

Kansas City is blessed with a number of outstanding women in business. Theatre in the Park will salute some of these outstanding women as part of its next production, “9 to 5-The Musical,” that opens Friday, June 21 and continues through Sunday, June 23 and Thursday through Saturday, June 27-29. Curtain time for the production is 8:30 p.m. with gates opening at the Park theatre at 6:30 p.m. “9 to 5: The Musical” with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick, is based on the 1980 hit movie Nine to Five. Set in the 1970s, three female co-workers are pushed to the boiling point by their boss and concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot. They conspire to take control of their company and learn there's nothing they can't do -- even in a man's world. With the focus on women empowering themselves to succeed, each evening of “9 to 5” TTIP will salute outstanding Kansas City women in business. Honorees include: • Friday, Jun 21: Darci Blake, Mindy Hart and Mary McKenna - hosts of The Radio Dish on KMBZ; • Saturday, June 22: Michele Markey, vice president of the Kauffman FastTrac entrepreneurial program; • Sunday, June 23: Rene Street, executive director of the American Business Women’s Association; • Thursday June 27: Laurie Ingram, publisher of The Independent magazine; • Friday, June 28: Mary Birch, former head of the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce now with Lathrop and Gage law firm; • Saturday, June 29: CiCi Rios, president and CEO of The Central Exchange. “9 to 5: The Musical” is directed by Greg Shaw, with music direction by Jacob Narverud and choreography by Liz Ernst. The cast includes performers from all over the Greater Kansas City Metro area. “This show is definitely a high energy, silly diversion and ode to the past,” Shaw said. “It is a fast paced trip to a time gone by, but not remotely forgotten.” Theatre in the Park offers three additional musicals this summer including our first co-production. “Hairspray” will be staged in partnership with the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City with performances both on the Theatre in the Park stage and in the JCC’s White Theatre. In addition to “9 to 5,” the musical performance schedule for TTIP’s 2013 summer season includes:

• PETER PAN – July 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 • DAMN YANKEES – July 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27 • HAIRSPRAY – July 13, 18, 20, 25, 27 @ 7:30pm July 14, 21, 28 @ 2pm at the White Theatre/ Jewish Community Center (5801 W. 115th St.); August 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 outdoors at the Theatre in the Park

This summer, all shows will open on a Friday night and run Saturday and Sunday the first weekend and Thursday, Friday and Saturday the second weekend. Each production runs for a total of six performances. Tickets may be purchased on line at www.theatreinthepark.org or at the theatre box office the nights of performance; the box office opens at 6:15 p.m. New this summer – a Sit-in Drive-in! It’s all the fun of drive-in movies but out at the Park! TTIP is partnering with SUREWEST for movie nights that will take place every other Tuesday evening (the next movie night is June 25) and three Saturday evenings throughout the summer for only $1 per person. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. with movies beginning at 8:30 p.m. Movies titles include Disney’s Lion King, a Jurassic Park and James Bond double features and triple feature of “The Lord of the Rings”. Please visit www.theatreinthepark.org/movies for dates and titles. Also new at the theatre: • The TTIP concession has added new, healthy items to its menu. Picnics-to-go may be ordered in advance. • Rain out policy: If a production is cancelled at ANY time during the performance, it will be considered a rainout. All tickets scanned at the gate that night will automatically become valid again. • In addition to single night/date specific reserved parking passes, the public can purchase full season reserved parking passes for only $25 each. Reserved chairs are available again this year. TTIP continues to offer THRIFTY THURSDAY pricing - save 20 percent on general admission tickets that are purchased at the box office at the theatre for that night’s show. The Theatre in the Park is located in Shawnee Mission Park at 7710 Renner Road, Shawnee, and is a program of the Johnson County Park & Recreation District. TTIP is the largest outdoor community theater in the country, and has been providing quality theatre entertainment in the community for more than four decades. For more information about the entire 2013 TTIP productions, please visit http://www.theatreinthepark.org. Season sponsors include: Sprint, Shawnee Mission Medical Center and Entercom Entertainment.

NOTE: Story ideas for this production include two sets of mother-daughter teams involved with the cast, a KC SuperStar finalist, a senior citizen and performers from all over the metro area.

[30]