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Waitress National Broadway Tour Arrives at the Clark State Performing Arts Center

Waitress National Broadway Tour Arrives at the Clark State Performing Arts Center

September 13, 2021

While the live performance is slated for October 2 at the Clark State Performing Arts Center (PAC), the Waitress has already made its way into Springfield.

The highly anticipated Waitress National Broadway Tour will open the PAC 2021-22 season following the cancelation of the May 2020 scheduled performance due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The cast and crew will utilize the PAC for rehearsal and tech prior to the launch of its national tour.

"We are so excited to have Waitress here in Springfield to rehearse and tech before they go out on their national tour,” said Dan Hunt, technical director of the Clark State PAC. “They are putting all of the pieces together: actors, music, costumes, sets, lighting, and baking it into a big, beautiful pie for performance in the Kuss Auditorium."

Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.

Brought to life by a ground -breaking, female-led creative team, this “warm, witty, wise and hilarious” (NY Times) hit features “one of the best scores in years” (The Stage) by 7-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam) and direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland).

“Waitress was rescheduled from May 2020 and it worked out because now all of the rehearsals and the technical period will be at the Kuss,” said Adele Adkins, executive director of the Clark State Performing Arts Center. “A huge added benefit to the technical weeks is the economic impact that has on our downtown. About 60 people will be here for three weeks and along with them all eating downtown, it is about an $84,000 boost to the downtown Marriott Hotel.”

Waitress will begin at 8 p.m., Saturday, October 2 at the Clark State Performing Arts Center, 300 South Fountain Avenue, Springfield. Tickets are currently on sale at ticketmaster.com. Patrons are required to wear a mask or facial covering while indoors at the PAC.

Media Contact

Lori Common Communications Coordinator

937.328.6086 commonl@clarkstate.edu