DIRTY DANCING Comes to The Playhouse on Rodney Square

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is an unprecedented live experience, exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensational dancing. Seen by millions across the globe, this timeless love story features the hit songs "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby," "Do You Love Me?" and the heart-stopping "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." This dazzling adaptation of the worldwide smash-hit film, currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary, will make its Delaware debut at The Playhouse on Rodney Square for eight performances, April 3-8.

Tickets for Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage are on sale now and start at $40. Tickets are available online at ThePlayhouseDE.org or by calling The Playhouse box office at 302.888.0200. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more, and can be purchased by calling the box office.

It's the summer of 1963, and 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is on vacation in New York's Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents. Mesmerized by the racy dance moves and pounding rhythms she discovers in the resort's staff quarters, Baby can't wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle, the resort's sexy dance instructor. Passions ignite and Baby's life changes forever when she is thrown in to the deep end as Johnny's leading lady, both on-stage and off.

Launched in October 2017 at the Harris Center in Folsom, CA, the North American tour has new direction by Sarna Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George - Broadway; War Horse - North American tour).

Leading a company of 24 are Aaron Patrick Craven as Johnny Castle and Kaleigh Courts as Francis "Baby" Houseman. Aaron credits include Billy Elliot (Older Billy), The Rocky Horror Show (Rocky), Mamma Mia! (Pepper), West Side Story (Diesel), and Goodspeed's Oklahoma! He has also appeared as a Principle with Ballet Wichita, and has toured internationally with Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre. Kaleigh's credits include Maria in West Side Story Suite (Houston Ballet), Swan Lake (Wortham Theatre Center),Sleeping Beauty (Houston Ballet II), with training from Houston Ballet Academy, High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and North Harris Performing Arts.

They are joined by Anaïs Blake as Penny Johnson, Erica Lee Cianciulli as Marjorie Houseman, Nickolaus Colõn as Billy Kostecki/Singer, Ryan Cupello as Robbie Gould,Buddy Daniels Friedman as Mr. Schumacher, Rick Grossman as Max Kellerman, Demitra Pace as Lisa Houseman, Owen Russell as Neil Kellerman, Christopher Robert Smith as Dr. Jake Houseman and Torrey Linder as Tito Suarez.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage features an eight piece band that performs the timeless hits on stage, led by Conductor Jonathan Marro (Keyboard) and Associate Conductor Michael Hopewell (Keyboard). The band also includes Ethan Hack-Chabot (Guitar), Michael Bliss (Reeds), Adam Hradisky (Drums), Ryan McCausland(Percussion), Jared Pasimio (Bass) and Patrick Stouffer (Trumpet).

The production's book is written by Eleanor Bergstein, author of the original script of the film, and the North American tour is directed by Sarna Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George - Broadway; War Horse - North American tour) and choreographed by Michele Lynch based on the original choreography by Kate Champion. The creative team also includes Mikiko Suzuki (Scenic Design), Ken Billington (Lighting Design), Jennifer Irwin (Costume Design), Leon Rothenberg (Sound Design), Bernie Ardia (Hair Design), Conrad Helfrich (Music Supervisor and Orchestrations) and Jonathan Marro (Music Director). Stewart/Whitley is the casting director for this tour.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage was first performed at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, Australia, in 2004 before touring Australia and New Zealand. A new production opened in Hamburg, Germany, in 2006, breaking records for achieving the highest advance in European history. The production began performances on London's West End in 2006 with a record breaking £15 million advance and a complete sell-out for the first six months. Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage premiered in the Western Hemisphere in Toronto in 2007. The production's first North American tour began in Chicago in 2008. The show returned to Australia in 2014 in honor of the stage production's 10th anniversary. Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage has been performed across the world in markets as diverse as Hong Kong, Sweden, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.

PRODUCERS

Amber Jacobsen worked for Jacobsen Entertainment as the head of touring and executive producer from 1997 to 2009 in Australia. She was responsible for the research, procurement and presentation of many concerts for artists including Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, The Bee Gees, Shania Twain, Pearl Jam and Usher as well as being executive producer for theatre and arena productions such as Fame - The Musical, SHOUT!, The Man From Snowy River and Long Way to the Top. Amber was the executive producer for the first production of Dirty Dancing in Australia and has executive produced and subsequently produced all productions thereafter.

NETworks Presentations (Producer), from its inception over 20 years ago, has been an industry leading producer and manager of touring musical theatre productions and remains committed to delivering quality entertainment to audiences worldwide. Having toured over 70 productions internationally, NETworks current touring productions include Cameron Mackintosh's The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Elf the Musical, Finding Neverland, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Dirty Dancing, The Sound of Music and Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I.

Col Joye is an Australian show business phenomenon and a 'name' that is legendary in the Australian entertainment industry. He was the first Australian pop music artist to have a national number one single with successive number one hits and was the first to appear on the American Billboard music chart. Col recorded 15 Top10 albums and was the first inductee into the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. He has received numerous platinum, gold, and silver albums and hundreds of other industry awards including Australian television's Logie Award for Australia's Most Popular Television Performer. He has toured extensively throughout Australia and his concert performances are guaranteed sell-outs. Col involves himself with sound design and music development of the Jacobsen Group musicals and has produced all the cast recordings including the ARIA winning albums SHOUT! and Long Way to the Top. Col was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to music and charity which was presented by the Governor General of Australia on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. Col was chosen to run with the Olympic Torch as part of the Sydney Olympic celebrations and was recently honored by having his own postage stamp.

Lionsgate: The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate is a global content platform whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, gaming, virtual reality and other new entertainment technologies. Lionsgate's content initiatives are backed by a 16,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global licensing infrastructure. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the Company's worldwide consumer base. www.lionsgate.com

Magic Hour Productions was founded by Eleanor Bergstein in 1994 to develop and produce works by herself and others for print, film, and stage. Magic Hour Productions has been involved in the development and production of the stage musical of Dirty Dancing since its inception, including the first staged workshop in New York in 2001. Currently, Magic Hour Productions is working to bring Dirty Dancing to new territories around the world, including Greece and Japan. In addition to Dirty Dancing, Magic Hour Productions is developing a new musical by Ms. Bergstein set in late 1960s London, a film to be shot in Rome, and a romantic comedy film to be shot in Slovenia. Magic Hour's team includes Tomoko Minami, who has worked with Ms. Bergstein since 2001, and Robin Nahas. The company is based in New York City.

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