South Burlington, VT — The Lyric Theatre Company, based in South Burlington, is gearing up for its 50th season and 100th on-stage performance at the Flynn Theatre.

This year, the company will perform “The Prom.” Hailed as a “New York Times Critic’s Pick,” this musical extravaganza is set to light up the local stage.

“It takes months and months and months [of preparation],” says Erin Evarts, Executive Director of the Lyric Theatre Company. “We’ve had people working on the show for about a year now. It is huge. We have more than 250 volunteers and everybody is putting in their time and effort to make this special next weekend.”

“The Prom” centers around four Broadway stars who are on a mission to reignite their careers. Their journey leads them to small-town Indiana, where they discover a cause worth fighting for. Through social media, the stars learn about a controversy surrounding a school prom in Indiana. In the show, local girl Emma Nolan wants to take a girl to prom but faces backlash from the school’s PTA.

The play promises captivating performances, vibrant choreography, and a resounding message of love and acceptance.

“It’s really funny, sweet and heartfelt and is a great show,” says Moya Millard, an actor who plays Sheldon in the play.

“Through the power of song and dance, we learn to accept gay people,” says Sam Powers, who plays Kevin, a homophobic Jock in the play.

“Everyone learns a lot in this show,” says Samantha Paquette, who’s character is portrayed as homophobic in the play. “The broadways actors learn to be humble, the community that’s homophobic learns to be more accepting and the main character, the lesbian that is being oppressed, learns to find her voice.”

The performance will feature several first-time performers from the University of Vermont, including Powers and Paquette.

Tickets are already on sale for showtimes from November 9 to November 12.