'Guys and Dolls' to Hit the Stage in Moon

 take on Guys and Dolls—the theatrical classic about big-city gamblers—will mark the district's return to the running for Pittsburgh CLO's Gene Kelly Award.

The production, which will be presented Thursday through Sunday at the Moon Area High School auditorium, has been entered for consideration for the regional high school performing arts awards, said director Laura Mitchell. 

Moon has not submitted a production for consideration in the Kelly Awards in "years and years," said Mitchell, who has directed plays for the district since 2005. Kelly Award judges will be in attendance at each of the show's four performances later this week. 

"We figured, hey, we've got this fabulous stage; let's do something with it," Mitchell said. 

The Gene Kelly Awards ceremony will be May 26 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. 

Guys and Dolls features 60 students on stage and an orchestra filled with more than 30 student musicians. Students have been at work on the production since January.

"It's going to be a great show," Mitchell said. "It takes place in New York; it's got gamblers. It's just really lighthearted."

This year, Mitchell said the district decided to bring a theater staple to the stage, and Guys and Dolls, with its sizable cast, was a perfect fit for the high school—more than 100 students auditioned for parts in the musical.   

Guys and Dolls is the district's third musical production in its newly constructed high school auditorium. Mitchell said the new venue provides expanded opportunities for Moon's drama and music students. 

"It takes everything up a notch," Mitchell said. "The sound system is state-of-the-art. The lighting system is state-of-the-art. We can offer the community more here." 

Guys and Dolls will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets, which will be available at the doors, are $10 for senior citizens and students and $12 for adults.