BTG Announces Touring Show Based on THE MAGIC TREE HOUSE Book Series

Berkshire Theatre Group announces BTG PLAYS! 2018-2019 Touring Show, Showtime with Shakespeare: A Magic Tree House Adventure, based on Magic Tree House: Stage Fright on a Summer Night by Mary Pope Osborne, book and lyrics by Jenny Laird and Will Osborne, music and lyrics by Randy Courts and directed by Travis Daly. BTG PLAYS! 2018-2019 Touring Show is sponsored by Lead Sponsor, Berkshire Bank; Massachusetts Cultural Council; and The Shubert Foundation.

BTG PLAYS! Touring Show is a part of Berkshire Theatre Group's year-round theatre program, which reaches 13,000 school children annually. Beginning in October and running through the school year, this production is appropriate for elementary and middle school aged children and family audiences, and is designed to introduce students to the excitement of live theatre. Touring to schools and venues all throughout Berkshire County and surrounding towns with a local company of artists, a question and answer session with the actors follows each performance.

The show must go on, in this new hip-hop musical, Showtime with Shakespeare: A Magic Tree House Adventure. That's what Jack and Annie learn when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to Elizabethan England. There they meet William Shakespeare himself-one of the greatest writers of all time! But, Mr. Shakespeare is having a hard time with some of the actors in his latest show. Are Jack and Annie ready to make a big entrance? Or, will it be curtains for Shakespeare?

Mary Pope Osborne, award-winning author of the best-selling children's book series, Magic Tree House, says, "I'm thrilled that BTG will be touring Showtime with Shakespeare this year! Stage Fright on a Summer Night has long been one of my favorite titles in my Magic Tree House series, and I love the way Randy Courts, Jenny Laird, and Will Osborne have adapted the story and added a hip-hop element to the show. Live theatre is a wonderful tool for stimulating children's imaginations, and this show will introduce them to the lively world of Elizabethan England-and the person many consider to be the greatest writer of all time!"

Through her Classroom Adventures Program, Mary Pope Osborne will provide every student who sees the show with a free copy of Magic Tree House Book #25, Stage Fright on a Summer Night. "We are thrilled to provide books and inspire children not only to read, but also to make the important connection between literacy and the arts," Osborne said.

Mary Pope Osborne is an ardent advocate and supporter of children's literacy, and the award-winning author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, including novels, retellings of mythology and folklore, picture books, biographies, mysteries, and the best-selling children's book series, Magic Tree House. From 1993 to 1997, Ms. Osborne served as president of the Authors Guild. She has traveled extensively in the US and abroad, visiting schools and speaking on issues related to children's literacy. She recently spoke at the United Nations regarding the importance of worldwide literacy and was profiled on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams for her continued efforts. Mary's personal contributions have put hundreds of thousands of books in the hands of children in need through her own "Classroom Adventures, Gift of Books" Literacy Program. She resides between Connecticut and Massachusetts with her husband, Will.

Widely regarded among parents, teachers, and librarians for its power to instill a passion for reading, Mary Pope Osborne's award-winning Magic Tree House series is an international phenomenon that has sold over 143 million books worldwide since its debut in 1992 and has been translated into 33 different languages in over 30 international markets. Magic Tree House Fact Trackers is a best-selling series of nonfiction companion books to the Magic Tree House fiction books. Mary Pope Osborne's sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, is the author of over thirty Fact Trackers. All Magic Tree House books are available in print, as e- books, and as Listening Library audio books, which are all narrated by Mary Pope Osborne. Visit MagicTreeHouse.com and Magic Tree House's Facebook page for more information about the series, activities, and more.

About Mary Pope's Osborne's Classroom Adventures Program
Mary Pope Osborne's Classroom Adventures Program is Mary's gift to teachers who have supported her over the years. The program includes free online resources for the Magic Tree House (MTH) fiction and nonfiction Fact Trackers as well as an opportunity for Title 1 educators to be awarded an individual Gift of Books grant. Mary's program is also responsible for the coordination of widespread book giveaways to schools in conjunction with MTH shows. Through Classroom Adventures and Gift of Books, Mary and Will Osborne have placed hundreds of thousands of books in the hands of underserved children across the country. Visit MTHClassroomAdventures.org for more information.

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