Springfield Contemporary Theatre at the Vandivort Center opens The Light in the Piazza, the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards-winning musical by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel on Valentine's weekend, February 12, 2010.

This Springfield area premiere features two guest actors in the lead female roles:

Kim Crosby* as Margaret Johnson and Erica Spyres as her daughter, Clara Johnson under the direction of Robert Bradley.Kim Crosby grew up in Springfield, MO and went on to a Broadway career where she created the role of Cinderella in Stephens Sondheim's Into the Woods. She also played in that production with her future husband, Robert Westenberg, in that production. They, and their three children, now live in Springfield. On Broadway, Ms. Crosby has also appeared in Jerry's Girls, Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown) and the benefit performance of Into the Woods. Off-Broadway, at the York Theatre, she played Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard and Jane Seymour in Six Wives and Marsius in Philemon. In regional theatre, most recently, she played Sally Durant Plummer inFollies (2005) with the Barrington Stage Company and appeared as Lily Garland in On The Twentieth Century at Barrington Stage and as Eliza Doolittle inMy Fair Lady at The Muny in St. Louis opposite Westenberg. She has performed in Springfield at the Landers Theatre and the Gillioz Theatre and in Peter Pan last season in Branson. *Ms. Crosby is appearing at with Springfield Contemporary Theatre under a Special Appearance Contract as a member of Actors' Equity Association.

Erica Spyres, also grew up in Springfield, and now resides in Boston. She won Best Supporting Actress in a Musical from the Independent Reviewers of New England for the Boston premiere of The Light in the Piazza at the SpeakEasy Stage Company in the role of Clara, last season. Recent Boston credits include Pirates! (Isabel)at the Huntington Theatre Company, Baby, it's Cold Outside! and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In Springfield, she has appeared in A Little Night Music (Anne Egerman) with SRO, Urinetown (Hope) and Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Johanna) at the Vandivort Center Theatre, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Philia) and Zombie Prom (Ginger) at the MSU Tent Theatre and The Taffetas (Peggy) at the Landers Theatre. Erica graduated from Drury University, studying voice, violin and theatre. Kim and Erica last shared the stage in A Little Night Music for Springfield Regional Opera. They will be joined on the Vandivort stage with Jeff Carney, Adam Henry, Seth Hunt, Erin Jacobs, Michael Lee, Judy Luxton, Daniel Bush, Harrison Fanter, Jeff Fenoglio, Beverly Finley, Erin Routh, Ron Seney, Terry Spyres and Jana Thomas.

The Light in the Piazza is a musical love story set in sunny Italy. A brief episode, charged with coincidence and fate, sparks an immediate and intense romance between Clara, a young American and Fabrizio, a handsome Florentine, and unfolds a secret in addition to the cultural differences between the young lovers. Winner of six 2005 Tony Awards, five Drama Desk Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Performances are February 12-13, 18-20, 25-27 at 7:30 PM and three Sunday matinees, February 14, 21, 28 at 2:00 PM.

Tickets are now on sale Tuesday-Friday afternoons at the theatre box office, 305 E. Walnut St., in downtown Springfield MO. Call 417-831-8001 (out of town 888-452-0930) for reservations.

Reserved Seat Tickets: Opening weekend, Feb. 12-14, all seats $15. The following weekends: $20 Adult, $17 Senior (55 and over) & Student. Group Rates Available for 12 or more on final two weekends. Student Rush Tickets $12 (if seats are available) 30 minutes before each performance, with I.D. Military and School Faculty members half price on Thursdays.