Young People's Theatre Of Chicago to Present Chicago Premiere Of DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!

The Young People's Theatre of Chicago's inaugural 3-Play 2022-23 season will continue with the Chicago premiere of Mo Willems' high-spirited and hilarious Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Originally produced by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" features a script by Mo Willems and Muppet Babies executive producer Mr. Warburton, with music by longtime Willems collaborator, Deborah Wicks La Puma. The Chicago production is directed by artistic director Randy White, with choreography by Matthew Weidenbener and musical direction by Sam Shankman.

YPT's Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus features puppets designed and handmade by Rick Lyon, creator of the original Avenue Q puppets on Broadway.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus runs February 4 - February 26 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. For tickets or info, visit yptchi.org or call the Greenhouse Theater Box Office at 773 404 7336.

Adapted by Willems from his own 2004 Caldecott Honor Award-winning book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is the story of an irrepressible Pigeon who wants everyone to know that he never gets to have any fun! But one day the neighborhood Bus Driver is running late (gasp!) and Pigeon believes his dream to drive the bus might actually come true! But... can Pigeon actually drive a bus?? And more importantly, should we let Pigeon drive the bus? Willems' innovative and high-octane theatrical adaptation of his own NY Times bestselling book turns into an interactive romp about finding your own special, feather-filled place in life!

Featuring a beguiling mix of Avenue Q-style hand-and-rod puppets and some old-fashioned vaudeville comedy stylings-Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus features the exceptional cast of Brade Bradshaw as The Pigeon, Karla Serrato as The Bus Driver, Adam Shalzi as Hot Dog Vendor/Business Man/Ensemble, Chamaya Moody as Little Old Lady/Ensemble, Tamsen Glaser as Duckling/Bus Engine/Ensemble, and Marquis Bundy as The Teenager/Ensemble.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS

The Chicago Premiere - Feb 4 - 26. 2023

Press Performance: Saturday, Feb 4 @ 10am
Performance Schedule: Saturdays at 10am & 1pm; Sundays at 1pm (added Friday at 7pm & Sunday at 10am performances on final weekend)

Book by Mo Willems and Mr. Warburton
Lyrics by Mo Willems
Composed by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Directed by Randy White
Set Design by Jacqueline Penrod
Lighting Design by Eric Watkins
Costume Design by Cindy Moon
Props Design by Saskia Bakker
Sound Design by Kurt Ottinger
Choreography by Matthew Weidenbener
Musical Director by Sam Shankman
Stage Managed by Jordan Large

Tickets: $25 / $19 (under 12)
Appropriate for all Ages

@ The Greenhouse Theater Center
Upstairs Mainstage
2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago 773 404 7336

CREATIVE TEAM

MO WILLEMS

(playwright) is an author, illustrator, animator, and playwright. Best known for his #1 New York Times bestselling picture books, Willems has been awarded three Caldecott Honors, two Theodor Geisel Medals, and five Geisel Honors. Willems began his career as a writer and animator on PBS' Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards. Over the last decade, Willems has been the most produced playwright of Theater for Young Audiences in America, in large part thanks to his continued collaboration with Deborah Wicks La Puma. Willems is overjoyed to have written Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! with his longtime collaborator and friend, Mr. Warburton. Banana!

DEBORAH WICKS LAPUMA

(composer and orchestrator) composed Willems' Elephant and Piggie's We Are in a Play! (The Kennedy Center), and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience (Seattle Children's Theatre). One of the most produced artists in Theater for Young Audiences today, La Puma's honors include the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, an NEA New American Works Grant, two Parents Choice Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Adaptation. A proud Mexican-American, La Puma is Mother to three daughters and lives in Southern California.

Randy White

(director) was founding artistic director of Cardinal Stage Company in Bloomington, IN. where he inaugurated the extraordinarily successful "Cardinal for Kids" series. In NYC, Randy directed the off-Broadway/national tour of the TYA musical Max and Ruby, the 15-month run of Glen Berger's Underneath the Lintel, assisted on Disney's The Lion King, and was resident director at New Dramatists. Regionally, Randy has directed at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Portland Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, etc. As an educator, Randy has directed and/or taught at Yale, Penn, IU, University of Minn/Guthrie, Fordham, and NYU Tisch.

In Chicago, Randy directed The Wizard of Oz at the Children's Theatre of Winnetka and Curious George and Knuffle Bunny at Northbrook Theatre. For the Greenhouse, Randy directed Truman and The Birth of Israel and was nominated for an Equity Jeff award for his critically acclaimed production of Midsummer (A Play with Songs). He also directed YPT's inaugural production of Knuffle Bunny in the fall of 2021 and the world premiere of Peabody, the Science Musical, in the fall of 2022. Randy holds an MFA in directing from the University of Alberta in his native Canada.

THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S THEATER OF CHICAGO

The Young People's Theatre of Chicago is a professional children's theatre company offering highest-quality Theater for Young Audience (TYA) productions and performance/education opportunities for children of all ages and backgrounds.

Housed in the historic Greenhouse Theater Center in Lincoln Park, YPT launched in the fall of 2021 with an extraordinarily successful production of Mo Willems' Knuffle Bunny. "Last year's Knuffle Bunny was a hugely successful first outing for YPT," says YPT's Managing Artistic Director Randy White. YPT followed up with Peabody, a world premiere science musical for gradeschoolers. "Now, as we get continue our first full season of work, the company is excited to partner with community organizations, parents, impassioned educators, and local business leaders to make it possible for local children of all ages and backgrounds to experience and participate in a wide range of transformative theatrical experiences!" White noted that these include "established children's classics, commissioned new works by celebrated American Playwrights, and extraordinary performance and educational opportunities."

YPT'S 2022-2023 SEASON

PEABODY

OCT 28 - NOV 20, 2022

A world premiere S.T.E.M.-themed musical comedy for school-aged kids.

DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS

FEB 4 - FEB 26, 2023

The Chicago premiere of Mo Willems' latest musical comedy for the entire family.

DORY FANTASMAGORY

MAY 6 - MAY 28, 2023

A world premiere adaptation of Abby Hanlon's beloved early reader book series.

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