Project Élan isn't just any other show to open at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. No, the all-new musical is an exciting combination of world premiere and Rep reunion. The production is written by a team of alumni from The Rep's Summer Musical Theatre Intensive (SMTI) for young performers and directed by The Rep's Resident Director and Director of Education Nicole Capri.

Though The Rep has premiered new musicals before ("Because of Winn Dixie" and "Treasure Island," for example), Project Élan is the first musical that has been conceived, written, and produced in-house: "It's the first time we’ve developed an original musical at The Rep ourselves, so there are high hopes that the show lives beyond [this run]" says Director Nicole Capri. "It’s scary and terrifying and exciting—all those things wrapped up together. It’s a big deal!"

Here are five things you should know before you see the show!

1. Élan means "to live in the moment." "It’s about taking time to breath and live in the moment, so we were looking for a word to encapsulate that," Capri says. "To live in the moment and with passion and reckless abandon, to live each moment as if it’s your last. To look up from your iPhone screens and see the people in front of you. I think a lot of people fear that our kids are being overrun by technology, but ultimately they have the same dreams that every other generation is looking for. They’re looking for someone to love, to be happy and have a safety net—someone to catch them when they fall. Their needs are timeless."

2. It's an all-original musical with brand-new music written by Arkansas natives and SMTI alumni. Capri says "there are some edgier, more acoustic songs, there are songs that are big anthems, there’s more contemporary Broadway-style songs, there’s Nashville songs. Most musicals aren’t written by a team of writers, so the challenge was to make it sound like they’re all coming from the same show." And the opener won't disappoint: "The opening song is called 'Millennial Child,'" Capri says, with lyrics like, "'We are millennial, undefinable. What will be my legacy? How will they remember me?' Having 60 people singing that song in six-part harmony is powerful. That’s the power of live theater and you don’t get to see that often."

3. The cast features approximately 50 past and present SMTI performers. Not only is the creative team filled with SMTI alumni—including Conly Basham, Sam Clark and Jimmy Landfair—the stars you'll see on stage also represent the competitive theater training program. In fact, it's the 10 anniversary of the Summer Musical Theater Intensive, and Capri calls the show a "big homecoming."

4. The show follows six storylines, and was inspired in part by the 2003 film "Love Actually." "In the beginning, you see these characters on their own individual track," Capri says. "They are in different locations, but occasionally they’ll bump into each other. They could be any man—any young man in any young town who follows his girlfriend to any big city. Any young ex-soldier coming back from any conflict overseas. And they kind of arc together in the end." Each character's story fits into the overarching theme of the show—technology and how it affects the Millennial Generation. "I hope it makes people think," Capri says. "We don’t want to disparage technology and where we’re going, but we do want to remember where we’ve been—and to not forget that there are human heartbeats on the other side of the screen."

5. The Millennial Generation is the focus, but the show is for everyone. "It’s not just for the 10-30 year-olds in the crowd," says Capri. "My 71-year-old mother says it’s her favorite show that we’ve done in the last 10 years. She feels like she gets a window into that generation. It’s almost a generational connector. A lot of the message of the show is that, yes, we’re living in an age in which we’re more connected than ever but a lot of us feel a lot more alone. And we all seem to be living our lives as fast as possible. Hopefully we’re encouraging our audience to take a step back and enjoy a renewed sense of wanting to spend real, tangible time with people they love."

Project Élan hits the stage May 6-16. The Opening Night Party with the Cast will be held on Friday, March 8 and include a post-show reception with the cast immediately following the show.

The production is recommended for ages 8 and up. All seating is $30, regular season subscribers $25. For tickets, call (501) 378-0405 or visit TheRep.org.