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Tall tales, humor and heart: Springfield Contemporary Theatre's production of 'Big Fish' continues two more weekends

A 'Big Fish' promotional postcard for Springfield Contemporary Theatre's upcoming performance is shown.
Courtesy Springfield Contemporary Theatre
A 'Big Fish' promotional postcard for Springfield Contemporary Theatre's upcoming performance is shown.

Andrew Lippa and John August's musical based on the Daniel Wallace novel and the Tim Burton film opened last weekend at the Fox Theatre.

The stage musical version of the celebrated novel and well-regarded Tim Burton film continues for two more weekends, Thursdays through Sundays, until September 24 at Springfield Contemporary Theatre's new performance venue, the historic Fox Theatre at 157 Park Central Square in downtown Springfield.

Gretchen Teague directs this production, with music direction by Alex Huff.

On "Arts News" this morning, I talked with SCT Managing Artistic Director Rick Dines and actor Eli DePreist.

De Preist plays Will, adult son of traveling saleman Edward Bloom, who returns home after literally months on the road, weaving fantastic, larger-than-life stories. Will determines to find the truth behind his father's "big fish" tales.

In addition to discussing "Big Fish," Dines talked about the Fox Theatre and previewed SCT's 2023-24 season, all of which can be heard at the "Listen" link above.

For more information, call Springfield Contemporary Theatre at 417-831-8001, or visit springfieldcontemporarytheatre.org.

Randy Stewart joined the full-time KSMU staff in June 1978 after working part-time as a student announcer/producer for two years. His job evolved from Music Director in the early days to encompassing production of a wide range of arts-related programming and features for KSMU, including the online and Friday morning Arts News. Stewart assisted volunteer producers John Darkhorse (Route 66 Blues Express), Lee Worman (The Gold Ring), and Emily Higgins (The Mulberry Tree) with the production of their programs. He was the de facto "Voice of KSMU" due to the many hours per day he was heard doing local station breaks. Stewart’s record of service on behalf of the Springfield arts community earned him the Springfield Regional Arts Council's Ozzie Award in 2006.<br/><br/>Stewart passed away on July 1, 2024.