Dacal to sing Anthem for 25th Anniversary Outback Bowl

Broadway singer/actress Janet Dacal will perform the National Anthem at this years Outback Bowl. Dacal is currently playing the role of Alice in Frank Wildhorn's WONDERLAND, coming to Broadway in the Spring of 2011. WONDERLAND will hold its pre-Broadway engagement at the Straz Center Jan. 5-16, 2011.

Dacal just recently finished her run with IN THE HEIGHTS as the lead, Nina Rosario, after having originated the role of Carla in the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. She also performed on Broadway in Good Vibrations in addition to the off-Broadway production of Byzantium. Other productions include Señor Discretion Himself (Arena Stage); Five Course Love (Carbonell nomination); Four Guys Named Jose; Annie and others (Actors' Playhouse). Janet has also been a part of recordings and tours for various Grammy-winning artists, including Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada and Luis Enrique.

The Outback Bowl celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year and will be played on January 1st at 1:00 PM at Raymond James Stadium. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/. Tickets can also be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet in the state of Florida.

A limited amount of priority seating as part of a bowl membership package are still available by calling the Outback Bowl office directly at (813) 874-BOWL or go to the bowl web site at www.outbackbowl.com for details.

The Broadway Season Begins! (And a public service announcement).

Last night we celebrated the beginning of the Bank of America America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay series and the premiere of the touring company of In the Heights.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who conceived In the Heights and wrote the music and lyrics, said a few words before a packed house in Carol Morsani Hall.

I googled "In The Heights Tampa" today to see if any of the papers wrote about opening night.

I found what I was looking for, but I also found several ticket brokers selling In The Heights tickets. As we begin the Broadway season, we cannot be more clear about this: Purchasing tickets from a third party vendor not only ensures that you will pay too much for your ticket, but also puts you at risk for a bogus ticket.

Under Florida Statutes 817.36 Resale of Tickets, which took effect July 1, 2009, it is illegal for any person or entity to offer or resell a ticket to any performance at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center for more than $1 over this nonprofit institution’s originally assigned price. Substantial penalties are in place for violators. All TBPAC tickets are covered by the statute and contain a notice that they cannot be resold for more than their originally assigned face value. To keep our tickets affordable and accessible, violators will be prosecuted.

Call 813.229.STAR to purchase safe, affordable and accessible tickets from TBPAC, or visit our website 24/7 at www.tbpac.org to purchase tickets online, or stop by and see our new ticket office and meet our friendly staff and maybe even take a tour of the facility.

Keep reading Culture Shock and following us on twitter and friend us on facebook and myspace. We promise to always keep you informed and give you plenty of notice when tickets go on sale, so you'll never be left out and you'll always pay a fair price.

Congratulations to In The Heights! Don't miss this great show! Ticket brokers - knock it off!

- Kari G.

Student Rush for IN THE HEIGHTS

Students can save 50% off tickets to In the Heights, Oct. 27 (tonight) through Nov. 1. Simply come to the TBPAC Ticket Office no sooner than 90 minutes to the scheduled curtain time with a valid student ID. This discount is valid for all remaining seats for that scheduled performance. One discounted ticket per ID.

Not applicable to prior sales. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Subject to availability. Service charge applies.

Please note: Photo shown is the Original Broadway Cast and not the performers in the National Tour.

In The Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams

If you missed it a few months ago, the PBS special “In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams” will re-air tonight on WEDU-PBS at 9 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the show and how this amazing musical found its way to Broadway and will soon be launching it’s first National Tour right here at the TBPAC. If you saw it the first time, watch it again. It will continue to inspire!

-Angela L.

"In the Heights" tour cast annouced

Have you been waiting to see who will be cast in the 1st National Tour of IN THE HEIGHTS opening in Tampa on Oct. 27? The wait is over. Check out the cast list and learn more at playbill.com.

Spoiler Alert: Lin-Manuel Miranda on "House"

IN THE HEIGHTS' Lin-Manuel Miranda will appear on Monday's season premiere of "House." Check it out Sept. 21 on FOX. If you'd like to read more, follow this link.

In the Heights goes on sale Sunday!

The TBPAC's 2009-2010 season is getting ready to kick off in a big way... with the launch of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning IN THE HEIGHTS. Not only does IN THE HEIGHTS open the TBPAC's season, but Tampa is the opening city for the first national tour. That means we're double excited!

Single tickets go on sale this Sunday, Sept. 13, at the TBPAC Ticket Office. Season tickets are also still available.

To learn more about IN THE HEIGHTS, visit the TBPAC website or you can check out the show's website for videos, downloads, widgets, e-cards and more!

DVR alert... In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams

The TBPAC is delighted to launch the first National Tour of the four-time Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, Oct. 27 - Nov. 1, as part of the 2009-2010 Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay series. As we prepare to welcome the show to Tampa, we invite you to watch In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams that airs on WEDU tomorrow, May 27, at 8 p.m. as part of their Great Performances series.

In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams chronicles the personal stories of composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of In the Heights in the months leading up to opening night. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn how this young, diverse group of relatively unknown artists and performers dreamed of making it on Broadway and after eight years found success beyond their wildest expectations!

View the trailer of the PBS special here.

After you watch the program, circle around and leave a comment. We'd love to hear what you think!

Follow In The Heights!

If you love In The Heights, the show is now on Facebook and Twitter. Become a fan of the show on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter... http://twitter.com/ninarosario

And for all the Rent Heads, or wanna be Rent Heads, you can also follow the new Rent Broadway Tour (coming to the TBPAC in July) on Twitter... http://twitter.com/rentthebwaytour

Following any other Broadway shows?

In the Heights launches tour in Tampa

It was just announced that the eagerly anticipated tour of In the Heights is scheduled to launch here in Tampa in October. Full story is at Playbill.com.

Though tickets aren't on sale for the Tampa engagement just yet, you can secure a great seat now by becoming a season ticket holder. Packages start at $85!

In the Heights connection to Sesame Street

Now that I have a baby I'm officially a Sesame Street watcher. If you're a parent of an infant or toddler you too have sat through your share of Sesame Street. The other day I was watching and the "Murray has a little lamb" segment came on. For those of you aren't active watchers, this is a segment where the muppet, Murray Monster, visits a new school each episode. He has a little lamb, Ovejita, who speaks Spanish and provides clues about the school so Murray can guess. In any case, the hip-hop/rap theme song came on and I knew I had heard the voice before. After a second listen I placed it. It's the voice of Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is the composer, original conceptor and star of Broadway's Tony Award-winning Best Musical In The Heights!

And there's your random fact for the day. Impress your friends! :)

2008 Tony winners from June 15 ceremony

Winners in the 62nd Annual Tony Awards recognizing the Best of Broadway, presented Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall

Best Musical: "In the Heights"

Best Play: "August: Osage County"

Best Direction for a Musical: Bartlett Sher, "South Pacific"

Best Direction for a Play: Anna Shapiro, "August: Osage County"

Leading Actor in a Play: Mark Ryland, "Boeing-Boeing"

Leading Actress in a Play: Deanna Dunagan, "August: Osage County"

Leading Actress in a Musical: Patti LuPone, "Gypsy"

Leading Actor in a Musical: Paulo Szot, "South Pacific"

Featured Actress in a Play: Rondi Reed, "August: Osage County"

Featured Actor in a Play: Jim Norton, "The Seafarer"

Featured Actor in a Musical: Boyd Gaines, "Gypsy"

Featured Actress in a Musical: Laura Bonanti, "South Pacific"

Best Revival of  a Play: "Boeing-Boeing"

Best Revival of a Musical: "South Pacific"

Best Book of a Musical: Stew, "Passing Strange"

Best Original Score and Best Choreography: "In the Heights"

For complete coverage, go to the official Tony site, www.tonyawards.com

-- MichaelK

HEIGHTS' Tony nominations and your chance to win

In case you haven't been keeping tabs on the Tony Awards and the nominees (that's why you have me, right?), the show to keep an eye on this Sunday is IN THE HEIGHTS who leads the pack with 13 nomination.

I actually had the opportunity to see the show this past April when I was in NYC. Set in the Washington Heights neighborhood NY (complete with a corner bodega), IN THE HEIGHTS is a journey of hope and self-discovery. Personally, the most impressive part is the music. It's a great fusion of rap, hip-hop and Latin. Definitely very different from what we've come to expect from a hit Broadway musical.

You can learn more at the show's website complete with downloads, videos, etc.

During my trip in April, I just happened to be given a little swag to support the show. Want to win it? It's an IN THE HEIGHTS messenger bag and souvenir program. Text the word HEIGHTS to TBPAC (82722) for your chance. A random entry will be drawn and notified on or around June 16, 2008, via text message. Contest ends on or around June 16.

Good luck!

Tony nominees announced today

This just in:

"August: Osage County," "The Seafarer," "The 39 Steps" and "Rock 'n' Roll" have been nominated for Best Play.

For Best Musical: "Cry-Baby," "In the Heights," "Xanadu," "Passing Strange"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Ben Daniels, "Les Liaison Dangereuses"; Laurence Fishburne, "Thurgood"; Mark Rylance, "Boeing-Boeing," Rufus Sewell, "Rock 'n' Roll"; Patrick Stewart, "Macbeth"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Eve Best, "The Homecoming"; Deanna Dunagan, "August: Osage County"; Kate Fleetwood, "Macbeth"; S. Epatha Merkerson, "Come Back, Little Sheba"; Amy Morton, "August: Osage County"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Daniel Evans, "Sunday in the Park With George"; Lin-Manuel Miranda, "In the Heights"; Stew, "Passing Strange"; Paulo Szot, "South Pacific"; Tom Wopat, "A Catered Affair"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Kerry Butler, "Xanadu"; Patti Lupone, "Gypsy"; Kelli O'Hara, "South Pacific"; Faith Prince, "A Catered Affair; Jenna Russell, "Sunday in the Park With George" -- MichaelK

For a full list of nominees, go to the official Tony Awards site.

The awards show will air on Sunday, June 15, on CBS.

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