For Zilker Theatre Productions' (ZTP's) 66th annual summer show, the company seems to sticking to a nostalgic aughts theme. In 2024, the production was Legally Blonde; in 2025, from July 11 to August 16, it'll be Bring It On: The Musical. There will be free outdoor performances every Thursday through Sunday.

Bring It On, the movie, came out in 2000 and followed two high school cheerleading teams newly captained by Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst) and Missy Pantone (Gabrielle Union), culminating in a national competition. More movies came along, all with different, unrelated plots.

The 2011 musical follows the same tradition, telling a new story with new characters by Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), set to music by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and lyrics by Amanda Green (High Fidelity). It was nominated for two Tony Awards: Best Musical and Best Choreography.

Similar to the movie, main character Campbell has become captain, but the story diverges when she unexpectedly must spend her senior year at a neighboring school. She joins the dance crew and together with dance captain Danielle, they prepare for nationals, with lots of choreography and aerial stunts along the way. Also like the movies, this story juxtaposes different class dynamics between the schools.

In Austin, the production is directed by Anna Skidis under the artistic direction of Amy Oxley. The two leads, Campbell and Danielle, are played by Ella Harper and Yassie Bonner, respectively. Harper is from Austin but is visiting from New York, where she is now based; she acted as an understudy to Miss Honey in ZTP's 2023 show, Matilda. Bonner grew up and is based in Austin, has been a teaching artist at Austin's ZACH Theatre, and recently completed a national tour as Little Inez in Hairspray.

The rest of the cast are as follows:

• Nautica: Sherlicia Cariolét
• Randall: Theron Howard
• La Cienega: Christian Patty
• Steven: Scott Bratton
• Kylar: Lily Holmes
• Eva: Eugenia De la Garza
• Twig: Joshua Quidilla
• Bridget: Myk Garcia
• Skylar: Bella Birdsley
• Cameron: Isaiah Choice
• Ensemble: Abby Littrell, Aiden Burgoon, Aleshia McClinton, Caleb Clemons, Erin Fallis, Ivey Johnston, Jaysen Gaston, Katie Stumpf, Jordan Tuffentsamer, Kira Thomas, Lael Johnson, Lucky Cantu, Nathan Tran, Sabrina Muir, Savannah Baker and Zaid Ricarte.

“Bring It On delivers sharp choreography, vibrant music and an iconic story audiences of all ages can relate to,” said director Anna Skidis in a press release. “What I love about this production is how it captures the tension between friendship and rivalry with energy that’s alive every moment on stage. We’re thrilled to invite audiences back to the Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater for this high-energy production that our cast has poured so much passion into delivering.”

Although the summer theater performances are free, ZTP is a nonprofit, and welcomes donations. Donors may also get special perks like VIP parking and exclusive merch. ZTP estimates that its annual attendance for summer shows is more than 66,000.

Performances will be at the Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater at 2206 William Barton Dr. All performances start at 8:15 pm.