Straw Hat Theatre will open on Friday, June 9 with the fantastic family musical Seussical! Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year and Ragtime) have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and all of the Whos of Whoville. The score emerges as a Seussian gumbo of musical styles, ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and R&B to funk! As each story unfolds you will marvel at how relevant and profound Seuss’s subtle themes are, making this fantastical, magical musical one that appeals to all ages! Your toes will tap, your fingers snap and your imagination will run wild, as Seussical takes the stage on June 9-24.

Following the Cat in the Hat will be a classic tale of love and death. One of the most famous of Shakespeare’s plays and undoubtedly the most famous love story in Western history, is this play about the doomed love affair of two young lovers from rival families who have found true love and are determined to keep it alive. Romeo and Juliet will play one weekend only, from Thursday, June 29 through Sunday, July 2.

Straw Hat Theatre is the first community theater in Ohio to receive permission to produce our third show of the season, Urinetown. One of the most uproariously funny musicals in recent years, Urinetown is a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold! In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets! The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Urinetown catapults the “comedic romp” into the new millennium with its outrageous perspective, wickedly modern wit, and sustained ability to produce gales of unbridled laughter. Urinetown will be played on the Ashtabula Art Center’s indoor main stage on July 7 – 22.

Streakin,’ by Jamie Rocco & Albert Evans with Patti Wyss, Ed Cionek & Heidi Karol Johnson, the fourth production of the Straw Hat summer season, makes a flashback to the 70’s and has fun with the “ME” generation with over three dozen hit songs and wild fast paced skits covering a kaleidoscope of musical styles from disco to country to soul to R&B. Included are the hits “I Will Survive,” “YMCA,” “I Am Woman” and many more chart show-stoppers from the 70's. Streakin’ will play for one weekend only, July 27, 28, 29 and 30.

The summer season will conclude on August 4-19 with the glamour and pageantry of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot. In this favorite tale, Arthur establishes the perfect kingdom, gathers the best knights in the world at the Round Table, and even finds himself a kind, loving wife. But alas! Mordred, the king's treacherous illegitimate son, works to undo everything Arthur has worked for.

All Straw Hat shows will begin at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets for any of the productions can be reserved by calling the Ashtabula Arts Center at (440) 964-3396.