The Uptown Music Collective will bring the first show of its 2022-23 performance season, Girls Just Want to Have Fun: Ladies of the ’80s, to the stage of the Community Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12, according to a recent press release from the collective.

The performance will pay tribute to 1980s female pop standouts like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, Olivia Newton-John, The Go-Go’s, The Bangles and many more, according to the press release.

“The 1980s was a time of big hair, neon colors, digital keyboards and drum machines, MTV, Live Aid, New Wave and FM pop radio,” the release said. “One of the most important parts of the soundtrack of that time period was the infectious pop sounds of the female artists who were scoring No. 1 hits like ‘Physical,’ ‘Mickey,” ‘Like a Virgin,’ ‘Time After Time’ and ‘Walk Like an Egyptian,’ while at the same time breaking new ground in what had always been a male-dominated music industry.”

In Girls Just Want to Have Fun: Ladies of the ’80s, students of the collective will pay tribute to these chart-topping artists with a performance featuring some of the best young female vocalists in the area, backed by a group of talented young musicians, and a great sound and light show courtesy of a collaboration with the stellar crew at the Community Arts Center.

“This is a mix of artists and songs that we will be paying tribute to for the first time, mostly,” said Dave Brumbaugh, UMC founder and executive director. “The music is fun, while still being challenging from the aspect of reproducing the sounds and musical vibe of the time period. It’s going to be a great learning experience for all of the students involved, and, in the end, make for a great time for everyone who comes to enjoy the show.”

“We are extremely excited to kick off this massive performance season,” said Jared Mondell, assistant executive director of the Uptown Music Collective. “This will be the first performance season that all four debut UMC performances will be held in Williamsport’s beautiful Community Arts Center. In addition, we have adjusted our ticketing policy, moving away from our traditional general admission policy in favor of reserved seating for all concertgoers. This means you will be able to pick your seats when you purchase your tickets, which has been a request of our fans for a while.”

Collective students have been preparing for this event for more than three months, UMC officials said. Along with the music, there will be a professional-grade light, sound, and video show, organized by the students and the professionals at the CAC.

“As with all Uptown Music Collective performances, the students are not only the performers but also the directors of the show,” the press release said. “A group of younger students, or ‘Tech Monkeys,’ will serve as stage technicians and spotlight operators.”

The cast for the show is drawn from the Uptown Music Collective’s much-heralded “Special Performance Group 1.”

“This show is a great way to kick off our performance season,” said Cassidy Lutz, a Loyalsock Township High School student and one of the show’s leadership committee members. “From the huge lot of synth and keyboard parts to the female vocal excellence, a ton of work is required to pull off this show. All of these ’80s songs I’ve had stuck in my head for days after hearing them on the radio, but didn’t actually realize how intricate and detailed they are. I am very excited to see how this show will turn out after the rehearsal process is over and we are on the stage performing the songs for a real audience!”

Tickets for the performance, which are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, plus fees, are available through the Community Arts Center box office at 220 W. Fourth St. and online at www.caclive.com. Live stream tickets for the Saturday performance are also available for $15 plus fees.

In addition to this show, tickets for the collective’s entire performance season are on sale now at the CAC.