Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play! Press Release

Take a Break from the Elephant and Donkey Show and Come See the Elephant and Piggie Show this Fall!
Mo Willems’ best-selling book series comes to life in Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!

Minneapolis, MN – Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) will present Elephant and Piggie’s We Are in a Play!, based on Mo Willems’ award-winning and beloved book series beginning September 13. Willems is the prolific author of popular children’s books such as Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and Cat the Cat. Willems has also created many animated series for Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, and was an animator for Sesame Street for nine years. Often compared to Charles Schulz, his books have received many of the highest honors for literature including the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal, the Caldecott Medal, the Carnegie Medal and the Irma Black Award Honor.

The musical centers around the pessimistic pachyderm, Elephant Gerald and his perky pal Piggie’s opposites-attract friendship and real-life questions and predicaments that people face. For example, what if you have never done something before and are afraid? What do you do if someone makes you angry? What can you do if you think your best friend is moving away forever? Joyfully sung to music with back-up singers, The Squirelles, the pages of the littlest audience member’s favorite books come to life on stage.

The show stars Christopher Michael Richardson (Commonwealth Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Know Theatre of Cincinnati) as Elephant Gerald and local Minnesota actor Shinah Brashears (Guthrie Theatre, Theater Latte Da, 7th House) as Piggie. They are joined by Jennie Lutz (Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre MTC), Justine Icy Moral (Dallas Summer Musicals, Olney Theatre Center, Kennedy Center), and Caroline Wolfson (Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Keegan Theatre) as The Squirelles. The production is a presentation of The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour.

Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play! runs September 13-October 23, 2016 in the UnitedHealth Group Stage and is recommended for preschool and up. Tickets are on sale now starting at $15. All season subscription packages are still available. For more information visit us online at childrenstheatre.org or call the Ticket Office at 612.874.0400. Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour is represented by Shaw Entertainment Group, LLC. Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play! is proudly sponsored by Target.

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for multigenerational audiences. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire for more than 300,000 people annually.CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the coveted Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony® nominations (for its production of A Year with Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to producing world class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.

CTC’s engagement and learning programs annually serve more than 85,000 students ages 2-18 through Theatre Arts Training, student matinees, Bridges, and early childhood arts education programs that bring students to the theatre and bring teaching artists into the classroom. The ACT One program is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community.

# # #

Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!
A Kennedy Center Commission based on the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems
Script and Lyrics by Mo Willems
Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
UnitedHealth Group Stage
September 13 through October 21
Best enjoyed by preschool+

Creative Team & Production Staff
Director: Jerry Whiddon
Music Director: George Fulginiti-Shakar
Choreographer: Jessica Hartman
Dramaturg: Megan Alrutz
Set Designer: James Kronzer
Costume Designer: Frank Labovitz
Lighting Designer: Kyle Grant
Sound Designer: Elisheba Ittoop

Cast
Christopher Michael Richardson: Elephant Gerald
Shinah Brashears: Piggie
Jennie Lutz: Squirelle
Justine Icy Moral: Squirelle
Caroline Wolfson: Squirelle

Runtime
60 minutes, no intermission

Tickets
The Ticket Office is accessible by phone two hours prior to most performances. These posted hours are subject to change.
Email: [email protected] (inquiries only, no ticket processing)
Phone: 612.874.0400
Website: childrenstheatre.org
Lap passes available for children newborn to three years for $5
ASL/AD Performance: October 14 at 7pm
Sensory Friendly Performance: October 21 at 7pm
Group tickets up to 25% off regular tickets for groups of ten or more

Performance Dates
Tuesday, September 13 7pm (Preview)
Wednesday, September 14 7pm (Preview)
Thursday, September 15 7pm (Preview)
Friday, September 16 7pm (Opening night)
Saturday, September 17 2pm & 5pm
Sunday, September 18 2pm & 5pm

Thursday, September 22 7pm
Friday, September 23 7pm
Saturday, September 24 11am & 2pm
Sunday, September 25 2pm & 5pm

Thursday, September 29 7pm
Friday, September 30 7pm
Saturday, October 1 2pm & 5pm
Sunday, October 2 2pm & 5pm

Thursday, October 6 7pm
Friday, October 7 7pm
Saturday, October 8 11am & 2pm
Sunday, October 9 2pm & 5pm

Thursday, October 13 7pm
Friday, October 14 7pm
Saturday, October 15 11am & 2pm
Sunday, October 16 2pm & 5pm

Thursday, October 20 2pm & 7pm
Friday, October 21 2pm & 7pm
Saturday, October 22 11am & 2pm
Sunday, October 23 2pm & 5pm

           

News Archive

Privacy Policy

Thank you for reviewing the privacy policy and disclaimer.

Children’s Theatre Company (“CTC”) is committed to providing a safe online experience. We collect no personally identifying information, unless you choose to provide us with that information. This statement of Privacy applies to the CTC website and governs data collection and usage. By using the CTC website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

COLLECTION OF PERSON INFORMATION
If you visit our site to browse, read, watch videos or download, we automatically collect and store only the following information about you:
  • The IP address from which you access our Web site (an IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.)
  • The type of browser and operating system used to access our site
  • The date and time you access our site
  • The pages you visit
  • and The Internet address of the Web site from which you accessed our site

This information is used to improve the functionality of the website—to learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use. We do not track or record information about individuals and their visits. We may compile and report aggregate statistics about our users — numbers, traffic patterns, and related site information — but these statistics will include no personally identifying information. CTC is not responsible for privacy statements or other content on websites outside of CTC, including those linked from CTC’s website.

USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

If you identify yourself by submitting mailing list, donor or ticket request forms contained in the site, we use that information only to respond to your message and to help us provide you with the material you have requested or to send you a written acknowledgment of your donation as required by law, or to verify and/or mail purchases and/or to process your ticket order.

You have the option to contact us by phone or by email ([email protected]) to request that we remove your name from our mailing and/or calling and/or trade list. If you opt to be taken off our mailing list, you will receive no mail from us, including publications or special notices. If you opt to be removed from our calling list, you will receive no calls from us except when a performance is canceled. We will not sell, trade or share a donor’s personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations. If you are not a donor and you opt to be removed from our trade list, we will not provide your name to other arts organizations that might be making special offers or anyone else.

USE OF COOKIES

CTC’s website uses "cookies" to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

The purpose of a cookie is to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. We and our advertising partners, including advertising networks, use information gathered through cookies and other similar technologies, as well as other information we or they may have, to help tailor the ads you see on our sites and to help make decisions about the ads you see on other sites. To opt-out of targeted adversity from many ad networks visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies. Please be aware that some web pages may not work correctly if cookies are disabled. More information is available here: http://www.aboutcookies.org.

CREDIT CARD SUBMISSION

All credit card transactions including ticket purchases and donations is processed on a secure server. Credit card information is protected by encryption technology, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. This helps to assure information is protected from unauthorized access.

CHANGES TO STATEMENT

CTC may occasionally update our Statement of Privacy to reflect customer feedback or changing technologies. CTC encourages you to review this statement periodically.

CONTACT

CTC welcomes comments and questions about or Statement of Privacy. If you believe CTC has not adheared to this statement, please contact us at [email protected].

DISCLAIMER

Under no circumstances shall CTC, its employees or contractors be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential damages that may result in any way from your use or inability to use the information provided on this or any other web site supported or maintained by CTC or from your reliance on or use of information, services or merchandise provided on or through the web site or that result from mistakes, errors, omissions, interruptions, defects, deletion of files, delays in operation or transmission or any failure of performance. If you are dissatisfied with the information provided on this web site, or with any of the practices of the CTC in the operation of this web site, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using the web site.