ROCK THE PRESIDENTS to Play the Orpheum Theatre This February

From rockin' Sons Of Washington, the groovy/psychedelic I'm Not All Bad to the twangy country western style of Ronald Reagan, Childsplay Theatre brings its smash-hit musical ROCK THE PRESIDENTS to the Orpheum Theatre on Friday, February 3, 2017 at 6:30 PM. Embarking on its second North American Tour, ROCK THE PRESIDENTS brings the history of our top executive office to life in this high-energy, multi-media extravaganza.

Tickets are available for purchase online at the official Orpheum Theatre website, www.orpheum-memphis.com, the Orpheum Box Office (901.525.3000), and Ticketmaster (901.743.ARTS). The Orpheum's 2016-2017 Family Series is made possible by the following generous sponsors: Tennessee Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts, AutoZone, and the First Tennessee Foundation ArtsFirst.

In the genre of the musical history lessons of "Schoolhouse Rock," Childsplay brings all 223 years of 44 presidents to life in this rocking, musical revue for kids and families. Songs include Hail To The Chiefs, Who in the World is Millard Filmore?, More Than Four Years, Here Come the Generals ,The Buck Stops Here, Shake America and The Sons of Washington.

The non-partisan show takes a look at the legacies, the one-termers, the mistakes, the triumphs and even the presidential pets!

Set amongst a presidential backdrop framed by a bald eagle and stars and stripes, the innovative scenic design from Holly Windingstad features a large screen center stage to showcase the multi-media aspects of the production. Phoenix-based Limitrophe Films created the video aspects to bring a high-voltage, interactive element to the show. Presidential portraits, paintings and historical footage stream throughout the "concert."

During the performance, the cast interacts with the video screen in such engaging segments as a video game battle in Sons of Washington, a Game Show called "The Pres-i-Tron," a '60s psychedelic lava lamp technique for I'm Not all Bad to the neon sign of the Lonely Presidents Lounge.

Childsplay has released the original cast recording of the ROCK THE PRESIDENTS soundtrack. The CD is available for download on iTunes and CDBaby.com. You can also listen to the album on Spotify.

ROCK THE PRESIDENTS was created by Dwayne Hartford (Book & Lyrics), Tempe composer Sarah Roberts (Music) and is directed by Anthony Runfola.

Childsplay, Inc. is a nonprofit theatre company of professional, adult artists who perform for and teach young audiences and their families. The mission of Childsplay is "to create theatre so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium, thus preserving imagination and wonder, the hallmarks of childhood which are keys to the future." For more information, visit www.childsplayaz.org.

The mission of the Orpheum Theatre Group is to enhance the communities we serve by utilizing the performing arts to entertain, educate, and enlighten while preserving the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education. For more information, visit www.orpheum-memphis.com.

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