Get ready for a musical experience, ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved, awardwinning, best-selling children’s books, that will leave audiences doing the “Flippy Floppy Floory” dance all night long! In Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!”, Gerald and Piggie take to the stage in a rollicking adventure that is perfect for young audiences.
When “bestus” friends Elephant and Piggie get together, anything is possible. They might get invited to a fancy costume party, learn a crazy new dance, or decide to spend the day playing ping-pong in silly hats. Well, they do all that and more in this lively and irresistibly charming musical featuring Elephant Gerald and Piggie, who are joined by their delightfully nutty back-up singers, the Squirrelles, as they discover the fun of being in a play – all the while encouraging the audience to join in for some interactive fun. Bring your bestie and share in the laughter and how good it feels to put friends first.
Using catchy, jazz- and Broadway-inspired melodies to bring the story to life on stage, author Mo Willems transports his simple – yet endearingly fanciful – look at friendship into a musical message that resonates with every age in the family. It’s the same message about the endurance of friendship that has propelled the Elephant and Piggie books to become one of the best-selling and most beloved young reader series of the past decade. The 25-book series, which debuted in 2007, has twice been awarded the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal and had two titles appear on TIME magazine’s Top 10 Children’s Books of the Year.
The author of numerous popular children’s books such as Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and Cat the Cat, Mo Willems has received many of the highest honors for literature, including the Caldecott Medal, the Carnegie Medal, and the Irma Black Award Honor. He served for nine years as an animator for Sesame Street before creating several animated series for Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Elephant & Piggie’s “We are in a Play!” marks Willems’ second stage adaptation with composer Deborah Wicks La Puma, who also worked on Willems’ musical adaptation of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical.
The Yocum Institute’s production of Elephant & Piggie’s “We are in a Play!” will run approximately 60 minutes with no intermission and is perfect for families with all ages. The production is supported the Berks County Community Foundation, The Stabler Foundation, Arethusa Designs, Reading Musical Foundation (RMF), The Yocum Family Charitable Trust and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
Theater: Yocum Institute for Arts Education, Schumo Theater
Theater Address: 3000 Penn Avenue, West Lawn PA 19609
Show Title: Elephant & Piggie’s “We are in a Play!”
Showtimes:
Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 10:00 AM & 2:00 PM
Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 3:00 PM
Friday, February 11, 2022 at 7:00 PM PJ Party Night
Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 11:00 AM with Post show Piggie Dance Party
Sunday, February 13, 2022 1:00 PM *SENSORY FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE
*What is “sensory friendly?” It is a relaxed performance atmosphere with quiet areas to leave the theater, house lights on through show, lowered volume of overall performance, vocal “warnings” by cast before confetti cannons and flashing lights.
Tickets: Tickets are on sale now. Students & children $10; Adults $15. Tickets can be purchased online at YocumInstitute.org, stop by the Yocum Institute front desk at 3000 Penn Ave, West Lawn or call 610.376.1576.
About the Show:
Based on the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems
Published by Hyperion Books for Children
Book and lyrics by Mo Willems
Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Cast:
The cast of Elephant & Piggie’s “We are in a Play!” features Eli LaCroix as Elephant Gerald and Mind Pornsakulpaisal as Piggie, with Jaida Garber, Joanna Ferbrache, Elizabeth Robinson as the Squirelles. Special Guests as “Dog” and “Ice Cream Penguin”
The Artistic Team:
Beverly Houck: Director
Katerina Lansing: Music Director/Piano
Jimmy Damore: Stage Manager
Quentin Brendlinger: Assistant Stage Manager/ Props Design
Jeff Cusano: Sound & Light Design
Martha VanKouwenberg: Costumes
Susan Golembiski: Costumes
Chris Heslop: Reeds
Franklyn Fraser: Bass
Travis Williamson: Drums
High resolution photos available upon request.
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