5th Avenue Spotlight Night Features 'Shrek' Team

The 5th Avenue presents a Spotlight Night unlike any other when members of the Broadway creative team, cast and producers of Shrek the Musical visit Seattle to reveal the behind-the-scenes development of this world premiere on Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m. at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

At Spotlight Night: Shrek the Musical, director Jason Moore, book writer and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire and composer Jeanine Tesori will share how this new musical is taking shape – a sneak peek at the music, casting, staging and design. Tesori, along with select cast members, will perform songs from the show. President of DreamWorks Theatricals Bill Damaschke and Neal Street Productions' Caro Newling will discuss the development of Shrek from page to film to stage.

Spotlight Night, sponsored by US Bank, is free and open to the public. To guarantee admission, register online at www.5thavenue.org/spotlight or call 206-625-1900 / 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849). Seating is general admission. Reserved priority seating is available for donors of $250 or more. For more information, call 206-315-4681 or email devo@5thavenue.org.

Shrek the Musical will play an exclusive world premiere engagement at The 5th Avenue Theatre, August 14 – September 21, prior to opening in New York at the Broadway Theatre on December 14, 2008. Preview performances begin in New York on November 8. Shrek the Musical is an entirely new musical based on the story and characters from William Steig's book Shrek!, as well as the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter of the Shrek movie series.

The production will star Tony Award nominee Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek, Tony Award winner Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, Chester Gregory II as Donkey, Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquaad, Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia as Pinocchio and Kecia Lewis-Evans as The Dragon.

Shrek the Musical is DreamWorks Animation's first venture in legitimate theater. The production was initiated when Sam Mendes, a big fan of the first Shrek film, suggested the idea of creating a musical to DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg around the time the second film was in production. The musical is being produced by DreamWorks Theatricals (Bill Damaschke, President) and Neal Street Productions, Ltd (principals Sam Mendes and Caro Newling).

Other members of the Shrek the Musical creative team include Tony Award-winning set and costume designer, Tim Hatley (Monty Python's Spamalot, Private Lives, among others), three-time Olivier Award-winning lighting designer, Hugh Vanstone, whose Broadway credits include Monty Python's Spamalot, Bombay Dreams, The Blue Room and Art, and sound designer Peter Hylenski (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and upcoming Cry-Baby). The choreography is by newcomer Josh Prince, and Tim Weil (Rent) is serving as music director.

Visit www.shrekthemusical.com.

Shrek the Musical tickets are only available through 5th Avenue Theatre season subscriptions at this time. For information, call 206-625-1900 / toll free 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849), stop by The 5th Avenue Theatre box office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle, or visit www.5thavenue.org. Single tickets for Shrek the Musical go on sale Friday, June 13.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle's premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of nearly 24,000 and an annual attendance of more than 287,000. It ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon and Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.

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