*N E W S R E L E A S E* *HEIGHTS YOUTH THEATRE 2015-2016 SEASON* *RESILIENCE & DIVERSITY!* *Season to open with You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown! directed by Eugene Sumlin and music directed by Stacy Bolton* Cleveland Heights, OH – Heights Youth Theatre (HYT), with the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council and Eaton Charitable Fund, is proud to announce their 2015-2016 season opening in October 2015 with *You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown! *Charlie Brown struggles with confidence and self-assessment as he seeks the answers to universal questions through his often-comical interactions with the Peanuts Gang. Charles Schulz would be proud of this updated rendition of Clark Gesner’s 1967 script. In January 2016, follow Ugly as he evolves through self-discovery in *Honk! *directed by Pierre Brault. *Honk! *is the brilliant re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson’s classic *The Ugly Duckling*. The capstone of the season will be the much-anticipated *West Side Story *directed by Treva Offutt. Ms. Offutt will be conducting an intensive workshop prior to auditions to help the young performers embrace the context and themes of the production. This is bound to be a tremendous experience for all involved! Participants in Heights Youth Theatre range in age from 6 -18 from all over Greater Cleveland. HYT has been in existence for over 60 years and generally produces three to four full-length musicals each year while engaging over 200 children and entertaining thousands each season. For countless numbers of children, Heights Youth Theatre is their first exposure to live theater. It has been a place where young people from first through the 12th grade, from the inner ring suburbs of Greater Cleveland and beyond, enjoy a safe, nurturing environment and a cooperative learning experience as they work together to create a production. The extraordinary artistic quality of Heights Youth Theatre’s productions and the sense of connection to a larger community, are but a few of the compelling reasons children and adults choose to become involved with the theatre. Says Pamela Fine, Executive Director, “We are so grateful for the ongoing support of the Cleveland Heights/University Heights Schools, the community at large., along with our generous donors and sponsors. The support has allowed us to continue to bring these theater opportunities to our communities. We are so fortunate to work with some of the best directors and technical staff around, in turn providing our young performers with a truly engaging and educational experience. We encourage everyone to bring their family and friends out to see our shows this season. You will be in for a real treat!! “ For more information on auditions, tickets, sponsorships and donations please e-mail* heightsyouththeatre@gmail.com <heightsyouththeatre@gmail.com>* *or visit **www.heightsyouththeatre.org <http://www.heightsyouththeatre.org>**.*