The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts and The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour Presents ACOUSTIC ROOSTER'S BARNYARD BOOGIE: Starring Indigo Blume

The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour comes to Pepperdine with Acoustic Rooster's Barnyard Boogie Starring Indigo Blume on Saturday, April 15 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander brings two of his beloved children's books-Acoustic Rooster and Indigo Blume-to the stage.

Alexander teams up with his longtime musical collaborator Randy Preston to tell a story about being scared, being brave, and believing in yourself. With special guests like Duck Ellington and Ms. Dairy Parton-plus Preston appearing as Acoustic Rooster-this musical adaptation will grace Smothers Theatre this spring.

This show is recommended for ages 5 and up.

Tickets, starting at $10 for children and adults, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or visiting arts.pepperdine.edu.

Kwame Alexander is a renowned poet, educator, producer, and author, some of his most popular books being An American Story, The Door of No Return, Becoming Muhammad Ali and, Rebound. With over 35 books published, Alexander has earned quite the reputation in the literary world, as some of his books, such as Acoustic Rooster and Indigo Blume have been adapted into a musical and The Crossover, which won a Newbery Medal, is currently being adapted into a TV series, exclusively on Disney+.

Based in London, Kwame Alexander also enjoys reading to children by virtually visiting schools and libraries across the globe. Outside of his work as an author, Alexander is passionate about making literacy and education accessible to all. In 2006, Alexander founded an organization called Book-in-a-Day, which brings authors, artists, and educators into schools to work with students to write a book in a single day. This program has been immensely successful as it has served thousands of students and received popular recognition for its work in literacy advocacy.

Alexander's work for education and literacy continued when he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of an international literacy program he co-founded called LEAP for Ghana. In 2019, Alexander was appointed the inaugural Poetry Ambassador for the Young People's Poet Laureate in 2019, which enabled him to continue visiting schools and libraries to speak about the importance of poetry, inspiring creativity amongst young people.

As a dedicated advocate for youth, Alexander's book Acoustic Rooster engaged children, combining history, music, and storytelling. Now a musical adaptation, Acoustic Rooster has received positive feedback from its audiences for inspiring creativity amongst children.

Tickets may be purchased by calling the Center for the Arts Box Office at (310) 506-4522 from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and two hours prior to curtain time. Tickets to all events are also available online at: arts.pepperdine.edu/tickets/

The Center for the Arts is located on the Pepperdine University campus at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA. Parking is available during performances next to Smothers Theatre for a fee and in the Theme Tower lot with a shuttle service at no charge. All programs and artists are subject to change.

For more information about this performance and other Center for the Arts performances and exhibitions, visit arts.pepperdine.edu. For information about current health and safety protocols at the Center for the Arts, visit: arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from over 1,000 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.

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