POP!
by Zach Theatre
Dec. 08 - Dec. 31, 2023
Thursdays-Sundays
A New Way to Holiday
Turn up the festive vibes in ZACH’s new holiday sing-along party, POP! This pop-up party is a wild mix of holiday classics and the hottest hits of Taylor Swift, *NSYNC, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Wham!, The Beatles, and more!
Toast with date-night cocktails at a cabaret table for two or reserve a whole row for your crew. POP!’s musical hosts will guide you through the night, making each show a unique, make-it-your-own singalong fun. Festival holiday attire encouraged. Come on, let’s shimmer!
Age Recommendation: 10 and up
Review by Joni Lorraine, Austin Broadway World, December 20, 2023
“I miss communal singing in public, which seemed to happen a lot when I was a kid, but rarely these days. There is a tonic for the soul when a community of people gather and sing. It's what makes pub and piano bar culture so popular,” said Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley. “During the holidays last year, I experienced a few amazing sing-along concerts at Royal Albert Hall in London. The venue was packed with 5,000 audience members singing Christmas songs at the top of their lungs, dressed in festive holiday sweaters and hats and light up necklaces. It was impossible to leave there without feeling buoyantly happy and in the holiday spirit.”
Steakley continued, “This is the spark that led me to create POP! a guided sing-along concert experience that is appropriate for all ages and mixes holiday favorites along with pop music from multiple eras. This is the kind of celebration that has become synonymous with ZACH through other long-running shows I created, like Rockin' Christmas Party and A Christmas Carol.”
The cast includes ROOTS and ALLISON BRADBURY as vocalists with ALLEN ROBERTSON on keys, ARNIE YANEZ on percussion, and ZACK CRISSMAN on bass.
ZACH360 is ZACH's artistic initiative creating dynamic theatre experiences that are intimate, revelatory, and fun. Actors are in close proximity to the audience and will create opportunities of active participation for patrons during the performance. Audience members are engaged in the storytelling, as ZACH takes a fresh approach to work.
On the ZACH360 experience for POP! Steakley added, “Our goal is to make an environment where everyone feels comfortable singing, grooving and maybe more if so inclined, but without any pressure. Everyone will have the lyrics on their phone that they will access via a QR code if they need them, but most of these songs are deliberately very well-known. Patrons can go to the bar throughout the show and if they want to take photos or video of their group enjoying the evening, that is all encouraged in this environment. Three musical hosts with a live band will lead the ZACH 360 sing-along, and we are very excited to get audiences in because the experience will be different every single performance.”
POP! is directed by DAVE STEAKLEY with musical direction by ALLEN ROBERTSON. Additional production team includes SCOTT ROBINSON as scenic and properties designer, SUSAN BRANCH TOWNE as costume designer, AUSTIN BROWN as lighting designer, ELIOT HAYNES as sound designer, and BRENNAH CROWLEY-GALVIN as stage manager.
POP!
by Conceived by Dave Steakley
Zach Theatre
December 08 - December 31, 2023
December 8 - 31, 2023
Thursdays - Saturdays at 6:30 p.m., many 9:30 p.m. shows
Christmas eve event on Sunday, December 24, 2023 at 9:30 p.m.
Kleberg Theatre at the Zach Theatre complex
