Barry Pearl & Michelle Elkin Will Co-Direct FOOTLOOSE: The Musical At Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center

Barry Pearl and Michelle Elkin, two powerhouse talents in Los Angeles Theatre, gear up to co-direct the energetic musical FOOTLOOSE - Produced by Panic! Productions & BarCinBoo Productions. The show will open April 22 - May 14, 2023 at Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center. Tickets go on sale soon. For more information about the show: http://www.panicproductions.org.

Footloose: The Musical book by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford and Kenny Loggins, will return to California for 13 performances. Footloose is all about fun, dancing & the carefree nature of being a teenager. The indelible music, created from the 1998 musical, is based on the 1984 film and has truly stood the test of time.

Not only is Footloose a coming of age story or a struggle to fit in, but one that digs far deeper into the impact of death on people's lives and how they choose to move on from it, or in this case, how they choose not to move on from it. The show tells the story of a city-slicker outsider Ren McCormack and his mother Ethel as they move from fast-paced Chicago to a much slower Bomont, Texas in search of a change of pace and hopefully a better life.

Barry Pearl (DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER) wears several hats: actor, director, producer and teacher. Hailing from Lancaster, PA, and best known for his portrayal of "Doody" in Paramount's iconic hit film, GREASE, he began his professional acting career at the tender age of 11 years old co-starring as Randolph McAfee in the original Broadway production of BYE BYE BIRDIE. Since then he's not looked back. Hardly stopping to take a deep breath, his varied career has taken him these last 61+ years from stage to TV to film, as an actor, producer, director, and, since 2014, to working with Joey Travolta (one of John's older brothers) teaching film arts to special needs communities all across the country via Joey's Inclusion Film Company.

Some of Barry's stage directorial assignments include: the St. Louis MUNY's production of OLIVER! starring the late Sid Caesar and Karen Morrow, the late Sam Bobrick's CRAZY TIME for Vagabond Players, GIFT OF THE MAGI, GREASE for Mt. Gretna and Cabrillo Music Theatre (now 5 Star), (the later with film co-star, Kelly Ward ("Putzie") choreographing), POP (now REWIND), three productions of 13 ( 2 for Panic and 1 for The Norris PVPA), CAMP ROCK and ALL SHOOK UP both for Panic. With bestie Kenny Morse, he created and directed three of LA's very successful Improvisation / Sketch Comedy Troupes: MILKNOSE FOR THE PROSECUTION, SHORTRIBS and the critically acclaimed, THE ALLEY OOPS, for Actor's Alley Rep. In the mid 90's he directed two cable TV shows entitled IN THE BIZ and ASK MR. TRAFFIC. Barry also opened his own acting school in 1979, The Acting Lab, where he taught The Spolin Theatre Games technique. Through the years he's given master classes in this process all over the US.

His acting credits include Broadway's BYE BYE BIRDIE, OLIVER! A TEASPOON EVERY FOUR HOURS, starring the late Jackie Mason, LENNY'S BACK, both the Broadway production and national tour of THE PRODUCERS, playing the "Genie" in Disney's California Adventure's production of ALADDIN, lots of regional theatre, the national tour of HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL, starring opposite Tony Award winner, Beth Leavel, in Broadway's BABY IT'S YOU!, as well as associate producing HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL for Cabrillo Music Theatre. TV credits include CRIMINAL MINDS, HOUSE, ER, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, EVEN STEVENS, BAYWATCH NIGHTS, BAYWATCH HAWAII etc..

Barry and his wife, Cindy, who are co-producing this production (BarCinBoo Productions, Inc.), dedicate their work to young performers everywhere who aspire to bring their love and light to audiences through the talent that shines through them. www.barrypearl.com/resume

Michelle Elkin (DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER) Michelle Elkin's select Choreographic credits include: "Sutton Foster Live" with Jonathon Groff (PBS), "Young Sheldon" resident choreographer (CBS), "Younger" (TV LAND), "The Wonderful Mrs. Maisel" (AMAZON), "Me And My Grandma" with Rhea Perlman, "Baby Daddy" (ABC FAMILY), TNT pilot "Dawn" directed by Sam Raimi, Lifetime's reality show "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Kristin" starring Kristin Chenoweth, and tap sequences in ABC Family's "Bunheads". Theater : Live musical numbers featuring Tony Award winner Sutton Foster with special guest Joshua Henry for the NSO at Kennedy Center, New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and the Houston Symphony. Theater: Something Rotten (Broadway World Nominee) Sister Act The Musical (Broadway World Nominee), Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Broadway World Nominee) Children Of Eden (Broadway World Nominee); Little Shop Of Horrors (Straz Center), The Goodbye Girl (MTG). Feature films "Wild Hogs", "What Just Happened". Associate Choreographer credits include; "Dancing With The Stars", "Sister Act" at Pasadena Playhouse, "Emmy Awards" with Jane Lynch, "Academy Awards" with Hugh Jackman and the Broadway show, Wonderland (Marquis Theater). www.michelleelkin.com

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