Happiness is a warm puppy, two kinds of ice cream ... or reliving the sweet innocence of youth with Charlie Brown and Snoopy. As part of its second season of summer musicals, Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute will treat audiences to the celebrated characters of Charles Schultz's comic strip in the classic musical comedy You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown for six fantastic performances,  July 18-27 at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Presented in the Tony Award-winning 1999 Broadway revival version that helped make Kristin Chenoweth a star, the musical offers snapshots of the “Peanuts” gang at their best: Schroeder and Lucy at the piano, Charlie Brown and Lucy at the psychiatry booth, Linus with his blanket, Snoopy with his supper dish, and the whole gang at the baseball game. Hilarious comic sequences are animated by high-energy song-and-dance routines, creating nonstop entertainment for adults and children alike.

Performances of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown will be Friday and Saturday, July 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday July 20 and 27 at 2 p.m. in The Ahuja Auditorium at Hathaway Brown School, 19600 North Park Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122. Tickets are $11-15 and may be purchased online at www.hb.edu/tickets, by calling 216.320.8796 ext. 7270, or at the door (if available) the day of the performance.

The production features a cast of 24 students, ages 8-13, including Kevin LaMonica as Charlie Brown, Ryan Kacmar as Lucy, Chester Hill as Schroeder, Ella Murray as Sally, Ryan Vincent as Linus, and Hannah Schmidt as Snoopy. All are students of HBTI who hail from cities throughout Northeast Ohio.

Directed by Michael Dempsey, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown features a book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, with additional material and songs by Andrew Lippa. The creative team includes Miki Saito as music director, Katie Zarecki as choreographer, Inda Blatch-Geib as costume designer, and Zachariah Durr as set designer.

"Don’t let the age of the cast fool you,” Dempsey says. “Their talent and polish is amazing. They are bringing these beloved characters to life in a way I didn’t think possible for such young performers. The hilarious comedy, the touching moments, the great singing and dancing—it’s all there.”

Now in its second year, the Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute was created by the Performing Arts Department of Hathaway Brown School. It is a co-ed program open to students across the region in first grade through college. HBTI offers three sessions (June 16-July 3, July 7-25, and July 28-August 8) with coursework in drama, dance, and music. The program provides high-level training from working artists for young people interested in the performing arts, as well as professional-level production experiences. Executive Artistic Director Fred Sternfeld says, “At HBTI, our focus is on the performers’ process. Our goal is to give them the tools they need to succeed in any audition or performance situation.” Last year, HBTI taught more than 170 students, and many more will be attending this year. Students of HBTI's staff of professional artists have gone on to perform on Broadway, in regional theatre, and in film and television.

Following You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, HBTI will conclude its summer season with A Chorus Line directed by Fred Sternfeld and Bebe Weinberg Katz, August 1-10. Visit www.hb.edu/summer for complete description of dates, courses and registration as well as a listing of HB's many other summer offerings.

About Michael Dempsey, Director of HBTI’s Production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown:
Michael Dempsey has written, acted and directed in theater, television and film for more than 25 years in New York, Los Angeles, Louisville, Cleveland and other locations across the country. He wrote for network television in the '90s, most notably CBS’ Cybill starring Cybill Shepherd. His plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Washington and regionally in theaters such as Actors Theatre of Louisville. Dempsey has directed for the stage in NYC, Los Angeles and regionally. Some recent local productions include Into The Woods, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Last Five Years at Salem Community Theatre; Curtains and Macbeth at the Youngstown Playhouse; I Am My Own Wife at the Oakland Center for the Arts; An Evening In Michael Dempsey's Shorts at Rust Belt Theatre Company; and Jesus Christ Superstar at Players Guild Theatre of Canton. He directed Of Mice and Men at TrueNorth Cultural Arts Center in Lorain, Ohio, in February. Dempsey’s first novel, Necropolis, was published by Night Shade Books in October 2011.

For more information about HBTI or You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, please contact Kathleen Osborne, HB’s director of communication & outreach, at kosborne@hb.edu or 216.320.8785.