Enjoy Missouri's Outdoor Shows

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy Missouri's Outdoor Shows

 

Jefferson City, Mo. – Spring is the season of rebirth, so it seems appropriate that one of Missouri’s best-loved treasures announced in April that it was returning to the stage – literally.  The famed outdoor production of “The Shepherd of the Hills” in Branson shut its doors at the end of its fall season, stating at the time that it was for good.

“Last fall was a very difficult time,” says Sharena Naugher, marketing director and co-owner of the Shepherd of the Hills homestead. “My dad had been fighting cancer all summer, our attendance numbers had declined, and we felt very beat up and like the odds were stacked against us. Closing the show that had been so much a part of my family was heartbreaking, but seemed like our only option at the time.”
 
Owner Gary Snadon passed away just days after the play closed, and over the winter, his family reconsidered the decision to cease production.

“The overwhelming outpouring of love and support from the entire community and our fans was such an incredible blessing,” says Naugher. “We were completely blown away!”

Although the schedule has been trimmed from six nights to four during the summer and weekends only during the fall, the Shepherd will return to the Ozarks hills on May 23, continuing a tradition that has lasted 55 years…and counting.

With the return of the Shepherd of the Hills, you might consider making 2014 the year you take a tour of Missouri’s outdoor theatres.  From dramas to musicals, comedies to classics, Missouri has much to offer under starlit skies.

Also in southwest Missouri, a comfortable amphitheatre in Mansfield’s Recreational Park hosts “Laura’s Memories,” the story of author Laura Ingalls Wilder of Little House on the Prairie fame. The play is performed on selected dates July through September.  And in Springfield, Missouri State University’s Tent Theatre is celebrating its 50th season this summer with “Forever Plaid,” “You Can’t Take it With You” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”

There’s something unique and grand about seeing a play outdoors, whether it’s beneath a tent or directly under the stars.

"There's nothing like the atmosphere at an outdoor theater performance,” says Cheri Ghan of Columbia.  “The audience is upbeat, the performers are closer, or feel that way, and along with a nice breeze we get the wonderful aroma of summer flowers.  It's the ultimate in a relaxing evening."

The Grand Dame of Missouri’s outdoor theatres, The Muny in St. Louis, has been in operation since 1917.  Located in the heart of Forest Park, the Muny seats 11,000, with approximately 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows.  The performance season runs from mid-June to mid-August.  Highlights of the 2014 season include “Billy Elliot – The Musical” in June, “The Addams Family” in July and “Hello, Dolly!” in August.

Across the state is Buzzfeed’s number three on their list of the six outdoor music venues you need to visit in your lifetime: the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City.  This summer, everyone from James Taylor to Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss, the Backstreet Boys to One Republic will appear at the Starlight.  But if Broadway is your taste, you’ll enjoy the Starlight’s line-up of “The Wizard of Oz” and “We Will Rock You” in June, and the “Sound of Music” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in July.

Both Missouri’s big cities also present Shakespeare in the outdoors, performing “The Winter’s Tale” in Kansas City’s Southmoreland Park, and “Henry IV” and “Henry V” in St. Louis’ famed Forest Park.

In Hannibal, don’t miss the Mark Twain Outdoor Theatre, where 25 actors and actresses present the story of Mark Twain and his unforgettable characters Monday through Saturday, June through August.

For a more intimate performing arts experience, sample the fare at the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre in Columbia’s Nifong Park.  Maplewood has been in operation since 1973, with a brief intermission when a 2010 fire razed the 133-year-old barn structure, costumes and props.

Performances resumed in 2012, and continue this summer with such popular fare as “Nunsense II,” “Adam’s Eve,” and “Julius Caesar.”  Take your own lawn chair or blanket, and either enjoy the Barn’s concessions or take your own picnic.

Whether it’s Shakespeare or a Broadway musical or a community performance, you can’t beat an evening under the stars in the Show-Me State.

About the Missouri Division of Tourism
The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) is the official tourism office for the state of Missouri dedicated to marketing Missouri as a premier travel destination. Established in 1967, the Missouri Division of Tourism has worked hard to develop the tourism industry in Missouri to what it is today, an $11 billion industry supporting more than 285,000 jobs. For more information on Missouri tourism, go to http://www.VisitMO.com.

 

                 

 

 

 

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Contact: Stephen Foutes, Communications Manager
Missouri Division of Tourism
573-751-3208
Stephen.Foutes@ded.mo.gov
@MoTravelGuy

Contact: Stephanie Lynch, PR and Social Media Manager
Missouri Tourism News Bureau
314-454-3454
SLynch@handlpartners.com
@NtheMO