Elephant and Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY! Comes to Colorado Springs FAC Today

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (FAC) presents Elephant & Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY!, today, Oct 8, through Oct 18.

Mo Willems' popular "Elephant and Piggie" series for beginning readers goes musical. With a script adapted by Willems himself, the oddball friends (and their backup singers, the Squirelles) will have all of their little fans toe-tapping along. This production is appropriate for all ages, particularly the elementary school set.

Gerald the elephant is careful. Piggie just wants to play! In this vaudevillian romp, Elephant and Piggie sing and dance their way through plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense. Get ready for a musical experience ripped from the pages of Mo Willems's beloved, award-winning, best-selling children's books that will leave audiences doing the "Flippy Floppy Floory" dance all night long! Gerald and Piggie take to the stage in a one-hour rollicking adventure, heroically exploring the importance of friendship.

Mo Willems' works in children's books, animation, television, theater, and bubble gum card painting have garnered him 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Geisel Medals, 6 Emmy Awards, 5 Geisel Honors, a Helen Hayes nomination, and multiple bubble gum cards.

He is best known for his characters Knuffle Bunny, The Pigeon, and Elephant and Piggie and his work as a writer and animator for PBS's Sesame Street. He is worst known for his work on Cartoon Network's Sheep in the Big City and Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats. Mo also makes sculptures and writes plays. More information about Mo's past, present and future can be gleaned at www.mowillems.com.

The cast features Sam Prybl as Elephant, Arielle Miagkov as Piggie and Olivia English, Casey Fetters and Gabby Papa as the Squirrelles. Nathan Halvorson directs and choreographs.

The entire cast is comprised of alumni from the FAC's Youth Repertory Theatre program. The Youth Repertory Theatre program is the only professional training program for student actors and technicians in the Pikes Peak Region. The Fine Arts Center Theatre Company offers students interested in pursuing careers in performance and/or design & technical theatre a five-week intensive training program each summer. The serious theater student receives a comprehensive, hands-on training through a rigorous class schedule that combines master classes along with a structured rehearsal period and performance experiences.

IF YOU GO:

Elephant & Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY!
When: Oct 8 - 18; Thurs, Fri, Sat at 6p; Sat & Sun at 1p; Sun at 4p
Where: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St.
Tickets: Members $18; Non-members $20; Children 12 & under $10 by calling the box office at 719-634-5583 or online at www.csfineartscenter.org.

Something else: Group ticket discounts available for parties of 10 or more with advance notice. Photo and autograph opportunities available with the cast after every performance.

Even More: Did you know October is Arts Month? Each October, Colorado's Pikes Peak region celebrates Arts Month to elevate the visibility and value of arts and culture in our community.

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, established in 1936, is a privately funded, non?profit art museum, performing arts theatre and arts education center. Built on the foundation of the prestigious Broadmoor Art Academy, the FAC carries the legacy of Colorado's arts and cultural heritage. One of 16 charter members of the American Association of Museums, the FAC offers the best in the world of visual arts via its permanent collection and travelling exhibitions, performing arts through the FAC Theatre Company, and arts education with the Bemis School of Art. The FAC building is considered an architectural landmark in the Rocky Mountain region, designed by John Gaw Meem, and is listed on the National Register for Historical Places. For information, visit csfineartscenter.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.