MANTEO, NC – The North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Performance Festival is delighted to announce details of its 2008 six week series on the Outer Banks. Free family fun is presented daily Tuesday through Saturday, June 24 – August 2, at Roanoke Island Festival Park just across the bridge from downtown Manteo!

Opening Tuesday, June 24, the festival will present Mark Norman, Director, and the NCSA American Music Ensemble appearing for the first time on the Outer Banks performing four consecutive 8 pm shows!  Returning by popular demand for their second season, Ron Rudkin, Director, and the NCSA Jazz Ensemble with vocalist Becca Stevens will perform July 1 – 4 at 8pm.  Mark Norman and members of his ragtime band will join the jazz band for a night of American classics and patriotic music to accompany the spectacular fireworks on July 4^th by the Town of Manteo. 

Beginning July 8^th director Matt Bulluck and the NCSA School of Drama will present three different shows with at least two offered in any given week.  Patrons can choose A Comedy of Errors, the hilarious Shakespeare comedy of lost twins and mistaken identity; Take One Step - the New Pied Piper, a rock musical with a modern take on a classic story for children of all ages by Gerald Freeman and John Morris; and Red, White & Blue Revue, a cabaret of songs from Broadway musicals for voters!  The festival culminates on August 2 after its final week of amazing modern and classical dance directed by Rick McCullough. All live evening shows are Tuesday – Friday at 8pm at the Outdoor Pavilion (Film Theater in case of rain) on the waterfront at Festival Park in Manteo.

In addition to the free 8 pm shows, the NCSA Summer Performance Festival features free live shows at 2 pm in the Film Theater, every Tuesday – Friday, from June 24 to August 1, 2008.  Classical music concerts are performed Tuesday and Friday in the Afternoon Classics series.  Wild and Wonderful Wednesday performances feature excerpts from the outdoor pavilion shows.  Each Thursday at 2pm musicians will present a special program for kids in our new Classics for Kids Series.  Shows include Zoostrumentals, an instrument petting zoo, Rockin’ with Mozart and Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing. On Wednesdays at 7 pm, these musicians will Rock the Boat with pre-show concerts performed onboard the Elizabeth II and projected to audiences on the Manteo waterfront.  Our family film series, Saturday Night at the Movies, sponsored by Kitty Hawk Kites, presents films at 8 pm each Saturday night of the festival on the outdoor inflatable screen.  Please visit www.NCSASummerFest.org  to Stay Entertained this summer at over 60 free festival events in six weeks at Roanoke Island Festival Park!

Rain or shine!  Afternoon or evening!  Free family fun! This year the NCSA Summer Performance Festival offers free shows to fit every schedule and age.  For outdoor evening shows, bring your picnics, lawn chairs, and even your pets to enjoy a memorable evening of sensational entertainment for the whole family.  Please visit www.NCSASummerFest.org or call 252.475.1506 (and press 4) to Stay Entertained at over 60 free festival events in six weeks at Roanoke Island Festival Park! 

The NCSA Summer Performance Festival is produced and directed by students, alums, faculty and staff of the North Carolina School of the Arts to provide an enriching educational and training experience for emerging and professional artists and to provide an important cultural resource to residents and visitors of North Carolina.

The North Carolina School of the Arts was the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, NCSA opened in Winston-Salem in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina in 1972.  More than 1100 students from middle school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional degree programs: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. Internationally renowned conductor John Mauceri became chancellor of NCSA in 2006. For more information about NCSA, visit www.ncarts.edu.