The 2022 season of Theatre in the Park kicks off this spring. It begins with the indoor production of The Sparkletones from March 18 to April 3 in the Blackbox Theatre in the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS.

The Sparkletones is a heartwarming new musical drama about sisterhood and song. It’s a story of four women in singing group during the 1960s. The production centers around the four dear friends who find themselves stranded in a rural Kansas diner one stormy winter evening. The encounter bittersweetly changes their lives over the next 30 years in drama and music. 

Local playwrights Krista Eyler and Barb Nichols premier this work following the success of their musical Overture which won the Best of Fest-Audience Choice Prize at the New York Musical Festival in 2019.

The indoor productions will be presented Friday-Sunday with matinees at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 7:30 p.m., depending on the date. Other productions indoor include:

• Always, Patsy Cline, September 30-October 3
• Seussical, the Musical, December 9-24

The box office at the front desk of the Arts and Heritage Center opens at 6:30 p.m. on performance evenings and 1 p.m. for matinees. The Blackbox Theatre opens 30 minutes before show time. Seating is assigned at time of ticket purchase.

Theatre in the Park's summer outdoor season begins June 3-11 with the performance of Something Rotten at the amphitheater in Shawnee Mission Park. The theater facility has its own entrance at 7700 Renner Road, Shawnee, KS.

Tickets for the outdoor summer season go on sale in mid-March. Other productions include:

• Disney’s the Descendants, June 17-25
• School of Rock, July 1-9
• Zombie Prom, July 15-23
• The SpongeBob Musical, July 29-Aug. 6

Show time for all outdoor productions is 8:30 p.m. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. followed by the gates to the seating bowl at 7 p.m.

Both indoor and outdoor performances last about 2 ½ hours with a 15-minute intermission, with the exception of Disney’s the Descendants which lasts 90 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

Ticket prices for outdoor productions are adult admission $8, youth $6, and children three and under free (but require a ticket for entrance). Indoor evening performance prices are adult admission $16.50, youth $14.50 and seniors (60 and older) $14.85. Indoor matinee prices are adult: $13.20, youth: $11.60 and Seniors (60 and older): $11.88. Tickets may be purchased at the box offices or online through its website.