CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION Selects Local Performer for Hobby Center Run

CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION and Gexa Energy Broadway Across America-Houston have teamed up to make one aspiring local performer's dream come true. On Saturday, February 6, local Houston contestants auditioned to "Run Away with Cirque Dreams" during an open casting call held at the Houston Galleria Mall. Today, Neil Goldberg, the shows creator and director, surprised Kyle Cragle of Missouri City, Texas during a school assembly at Westbury Christian School, announcing he has been chosen to perform with CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION when the show plays at the Hobby Center in Houston, TX February 23rd - March 7th, 2010.

Kyle is a flexible 14 year old self-taught acrobatic performance artist who has dreamed of being in a cirque show his entire life. CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION will now make his dreams come true in a highly entertaining Broadway style theatrical debut. Kyle will perform in a featured role showcasing his contortion and acrobatic skills during the CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION engagement in Houston at the Hobby Center. He will train, rehearse and perform in a customized costume along with some of the best athletes, gymnasts and artists in the world. Additionally, Kyle has received 6 complimentary tickets to the show to share his experience with others.

"Kyle's skills have enabled us to create a unique role for him in the show" said Broadway producer and Cirque Dreams creator Neil Goldberg. "His performance at the Hobby Center will captivate audiences as it did our creative team when he auditioned at the Houston Galleria Mall. It's just passing the dream forward". Goldberg added, "I too was once that dreamer who imagined one day being part of a professional Broadway experience...now it's Kyle's turn". Kyle will be performing in the company of 30 other dreamers from around the world including the very flexible "So You Think You Can Dance" phenomenon Robert Muraine along with world class contortion graduates from the State School of Contortion in Mongolia.

As a student at Westbury Christan School, Kyle has entertained with his acrobatic skills during school talent shows. He plays the trumpet in his school band, has been studying gymnastics since the age of 6 and currently trains at the Gymnast Factory in Houston. He can manipulate a circus diablo, contort his body, hula hoop and hand balance. Kyle has won USA Gymnastics State, Regional and National Championships.

CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION is an out of this world, all-new, street smart spectacle from the creators of the groundbreaking hit CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY the only show of its kind to ever perform on Broadway. "Vaudeville meets the future in Cirque Dreams Illumination" raves the Norwich Bulletin and proclaimed, "Dazzling! A reason to stand up and cheer", by the New York Daily News, CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION will ignite Houston when it performs at the Hobby Center beginning February 23rd for sixteen performances.

Audiences of all ages will marvel as city dwellers reinvent familiar objects, balance on wires, leap tall buildings and redefine the risks of flight in a story filled with astounding occurrences. One of a kind artists populate the streets of this magical metropolis and breathe energy into its landscape with urban acrobatics and never before seen phenomenal thrills of disbelief. Over 1,000 Cirque Dreams critically acclaimed dazzling costumes come alive to the sounds of jazz, ballroom, pop and more in this original score. CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION will surely live up to the Cirque Dreams brand of notoriety proclaimed "The grandest circus spectacle east of Vegas" by New York Magazine.

Created and directed by Neil Goldberg, CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION is the latest brainchild of Goldberg's theatrical imagination and the Cirque Dreams brand of entertainment, creators of international performance, touring and Broadway sensations CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY, CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE, CIRQUE DREAMS PANDEMONIA, CIRQUE DREAMS COOBRILA, CIRQUE INGENIEUX and the first show of its kind at sea...CIRQUE DREAMS & DINNER on board the Norwegian Cruise Line EPIC. Over 10 million fans have experienced the phenomenon of a Cirque Dreams show in the past decade.

CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION is the company's 14th production since originating in 1993. "The Cirque Dreams brand of quality, originality and value combined with Broadway theatrics and international circus artistry continues to transcend imagination and appeal to audiences of all ages" says Goldberg. Critics and audiences alike have praised Cirque Dreams shows as "A whiz-bang family friendly spectacle" (LA Times), "Pure talent on a stage" (New Yorker) and "Executed to perfection."(Chicago Sun Times).

CIRQUE DREAMS ILLUMINATION is affordably priced from $24-$73 and will perform 16 shows at the Hobby Center Tuesday, February 23 through Sunday, March 7 with performances Tuesday - Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 pm & 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm & 7:30 pm. Tickets are available at the Hobby Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-982-ARTS (2787) or www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com. Group discounts for 20 or more are available by calling (888) 451-5986 or e-mail Houston.groups@broadwayacrossamerica.com.

For more information, visit: www.cirqueproductions.com

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Broadway Across America is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring Broadway musicals and plays, family productions and other live events throughout a network of 43 North American cities. Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse live theatre for productions on Broadway, across America and throughout the world. Broadway Across America most recently produced the Broadway productions of HAIR, WEST SIDE STORY and Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS. Upcoming productions include MINSKY'S, PROMISES, PROMISES, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET and the West End production of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S. Touring productions include Nickelodeon's STORYTIME ADVENTURES featuring Dora the Explorer and DREAMGIRLS. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

About the Hobby Center: The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts operates as the Houston Music Hall Foundation, a non-profit organized as a 501-c-3 corporation. It's mission is to serve the community as a privately operated and maintained institution that will provide premier venues for resident companies and other professional and community attractions; to broaden the range, quality and accessibility of cultural fare available to the public; to encourage distinctive arts education and outreach programs; and to contribute to the cultural quality of life in Houston and the region. The complex houses two performance chambers, a five star restaurant, and an 800 car capacity on-premise parking garage. Built entirely with private money and then gifted to the City of Houston, the Foundation operates the Hobby Center without municipal or taxpayer support.

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