Rodman Theatre for Kids Sends 800 Boston-Area Youth to THE JUNGLE BOOK Today

Marsh & McLennan Agency has partnered with several local businesses to donate a performance of the Huntington Theatre Company's hit production of The Jungle Book to the Marilyn Rodman Theatre for Kids. Thanks to the generosity of the presenting sponsor and others, over 800 Boston-area at-risk-youth will have the opportunity to attend free of charge what for many of them will be their first live theatrical performance.

Tickets to today's October 17 performance of The Jungle Book have been distributed through more than 20 local non-profit organizations and schools, including South Shore YMCA's Germantown Neighborhood Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester, Brockton, and Waltham, Boston Police Athletic League, Epiphany School, the ARC of South Norfolk Family Autism Center, and the South Boston Neighborhood House.

The evening's sponsors are: Marsh & McLennan Agency (Presenting level); Joe Corcoran and Bob's Discount Furniture (Director level); andCommodore Builders and Joe D'Arrigo (Thespian level).

To deepen the experience those attending will have at the theatre, Huntington-created curriculum guides for The Jungle Book were shared with all participating organizations and students from select organizations will participate in pre-show educational workshops led by Huntington Theatre Company staff and teaching artists. Every student who attends will receive the Huntington's Dramatic Returns card entitling them to complimentary admission with a parent or guardian to a future Huntington production in the 2013-2014 Season.

Through partnerships with Boston's premiere arts organizations, Marilyn Rodman Theatre for Kids introduces the wonder of Live Theatre to at-risk children in need of positive experiences, exposing them to new possibilities and inspiring a lifelong appreciation of performing arts. The Marilyn Rodman Theatre for Kids program began in 2003 and was renamed for Marilyn Rodman in 2007. An arts and education enthusiast and the late wife of Ride for Kids president, Don Rodman, Marilyn strongly believed in the impact theatre can have on a child. Thanks to her influence, over 40,000 children have been exposed to live professional theatre.

ABOUT THE JUNGLE BOOK: Great seats, especially for weeknight performances, are still available for The Jungle Book through October 20. See ticket information below. The new musical production wholly reimagined for the stage by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman (Candide) is based on Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling's 1893 collection of stories set in the Indian jungle and Walt Disney's 1967 animated film. The Jungle Book is produced in association with Goodman Theatre and by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions.

Tickets for all start at $25 with great seats and best value tickets available midweek are available: online at huntingtontheatre.org; by phone at 617 266 0800; and in person at the Box Offices at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre (264 Huntington Avenue) and South End / Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont Street).

Recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award and named Best of Boston 2013 by Boston magazine, the Huntington Theatre Company has developed into Boston's leading professional theatre and one of the region's premiere cultural assets since its founding in 1982. Bringing together superb local and national talent, the Huntington produces a mix of groundbreaking new works and classics made current to create award-winning productions, runs nationally renowned programs in education and new play development, and serves the local theatre community through its operation of the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. Under the direction of Artistic Director Peter DuBois and Managing Director Michael Maso and in residence at Boston University, the Huntington cultivates, celebrates, and champions theatre as an art form. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.

Disney Theatrical Productions proudly partners with Goodman Theatre and the Huntington Theatre Company to bring Mary Zimmerman's vision to theatrical life. A division of The Walt Disney Studios, DTP was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. With 15 productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day. Worldwide, its eight Broadway titles have been seen by over 124 million theatergoers and have, cumulatively, run a staggering 195 years. The company's inaugural production,Beauty and the Beast, opened in 1994, playing a remarkable 13 year Broadway run and produced in 28 countries worldwide. In November 1997, Disney openedThe Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony Awards including Best Musical and is now the highest grossing show in Broadway history. In its 16th smash year, it has welcomed over 70 million visitors worldwide and can currently be seen on Broadway; on tour across North America, the U.K., and Japan; and in London's West End, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, and Sao Paulo. Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida opened on Broadway next, winning four 2000 Tony Awards and spawning productions around the world. Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, opened in London in 2004 and established itself as one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge in recent years, playing more than six years on Broadway and produced around the world. Tarzan, which opened on Broadway in 2006, is now an international hit with an award-winning production in its sixth year in Germany. In January 2008, The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway and was the #1-selling new musical of that year. Its success continues with regional productions across the US and new productions on three other continents. Newsies and Peter and the Starcatcher, its two most recent Broadway productions, received seven 2012 Tony Awards between them and continue their smash New York City runs. In addition, DTP licenses stage performance rights to more than a dozen Disney musicals around the world through Music Theatre International. Its new musical, Aladdin, will open in Toronto in fall 2013.

Pictured: Timothy Wilson (ensemble), Thomas Derrah (Kaa), and Akash Chopra (Mowgli) in Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman's new musical adaption of The Jungle Book. Photo by Liz Lauren.

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