One Show Only!

Actors ‘all together now’ for night of musical theater

It’s not like Kailey Miller Erwin needed something else to do. She was already teaching 54 students piano, ukulele, guitar and voice lessons, runs the adult and children’s choirs at her church and is in graduate school getting her master’s of music in music composition. Oh, and she’s written a contemporary opera that will premiere in April 2022.

But when Erwin heard about the All Together Now! theater initiative, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Created by Music Theatre International, the one-weekend-only event gives schools and theaters around the world free rights to a musical revue featuring songs from MTI’s extensive catalog of shows. Some 2,500 productions are planned across all 50 states and more than 40 countries.

“All Together Now! is about bringing people back to the theater, whether as audience members or cast, crew and musicians,” says John Prignano, MTI director of education and development. The tagline for the show is “a global event celebrating local theater.”

Erwin started her production by putting out a plea on social media. Singers were invited to submit an audition video — and everyone who auditioned was included in the cast.

“I wanted to provide an opportunity for people to be guaranteed a spot in a show after an audition,” Erwin says. “I made no cuts, and everyone is in at least four numbers. There are some featured soloists in this production who have never had an opportunity to sing such a substantial solo in front of an audience, and that will be great for them.

“I also wanted to do something outside of one of the traditional theaters in the area,” she says. “Additionally, I wanted to give myself an opportunity to show people what I

(Courtesy Photo/Alex Erwin) Actors from all over Northwest Arkansas have joined forces under the direction of Kailey Miller Erwin for a tribute to musical theater taking place one night only on Nov. 12.