Paper Mill Announces Digital Scavenger Hunt for CHASING RAINBOWS

Paper Mill Playhouse recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, launched a digital scavenger hunt today centered around its new musical Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz. The app-based contest invites participants to "chase the rainbow" by completing a series of online challenges including trivia, puzzles, games, riddles, photo stickers and more. The winner of the contest will receive a $1,000.00 Visa gift card courtesy of the theater's arts education sponsor Harmony Helper, a new app that makes it possible to practice harmonizing anytime, anywhere. To participate, simply download the Social Scavenger app available on Apple and Android devices and enter the code "19rainbows". The contest runs from September 25-October 27. For official contest rules visit tinyurl.com/19rainbows.

Download the app, enter code "19rainbows" and chase the rainbow today...

Android Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socialscavenger.ss&hl=en_US

iOS Download: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/social-scavenger/id547037138

The New Jersey premiere of Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz with a book by Marc Acito, musical adaptation & additional music by David Libby and conceived by and additional lyrics by Tina Marie Casamento opens Paper Mill Playhouse's 81st season. Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz begins performances Thursday, September 26, 2019, and will continue through Sunday, October 27, 2019, at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ). Bank of America is the major sponsor for Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz. Paper Mill Playhouse's 2019-2020 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank. Opening Night is set for Sunday, October 6, 2019, at 7:00pm.

Directed and choreographed by Tony award nominee Denis Jones, Orchestrations by Larry Blank and David Libby with music direction by Lawrence Yurman, the principal cast features Ruby Rakos (Billy Elliot) as Judy Garland/Frances Gumm, Tony Award nominee Max von Essen (An American in Paris, Paper Mill's The Baker's Wife) as Frank Gumm, Olivier Award-winner Lesli Margherita (Matilda, Dames at Sea) as Ethel Gumm, Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!, And the World Goes 'Round) as Ma Lawlor/Kay Koverman, Stephen DeRosa (Into the Woods, HBO's Boardwalk Empire) as Louis B. Mayer, Michael Wartella (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tuck Everlasting) as Mickey Rooney, and Colin Hanlon (ABC's Modern Family, Paper Mill's Benny & Joon) as Roger Edens.

Rounding out the cast are Tia Altinay, Mackenzie Bell, Kristen Grace Brown, Lamont Brown, Joe Cassidy, Clara Cox, Tessa Grady, Sophie Knapp (Teaneck, NJ),Molly K. Lyons, Kimberly Immanuel, Christina Maxwell, Kevin B. McGlynn, Allsun O'Malley, Samantha Joy Pearlman, Drew Redington, Joshua J. Schwartz, Parker Slaybaugh, Sean Thompson, Violet Tinnirello and Kathy Voytko (Bloomfield, NJ).

Before she burst onto the big screen as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was a young vaudeville trouper named Frances Gumm. In this highly anticipated new musical chronicling Garland's early career from vaudeville baby to MGM teen star in the making, the road to Oz is paved with adversity. At its heart a story of love between a father and daughter, featuring such legendary songs as "Over the Rainbow," "You Made Me Love You," and "Everybody Sing," Chasing Rainbows is a poignant coming-of-age tale about "the little girl with the big voice," who went on to become one of the world's most beloved entertainment icons. The show has already earned praise fromLiza Minnelli, who said, "My mother said that her biography is in her music, and now a talented creative team is using that music to tell the story of her early years and her extraordinary rise to fame."

The production team includes scenic design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Matt Kraus,projection design by Peter Nigrini, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and makeup design by Dena Olivieri. John Fricke serves as creative consultant. The production stage manager is Bonnie Panson. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting.

Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Performance schedule: Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 1:30pm and 7:30pm, Friday at 8:00pm, Saturday at 1:30pm and 8:00pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm. Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by calling 973.379.3717. Individual tickets go on sale Monday, August 19, starting at $34. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.PaperMill.org. All major credit cards accepted. Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Students may order $23-$28 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office on the day of the performance.

"If you grew up watching The Wizard of Oz, it's almost impossible to imagine that movie with anyone else but Judy Garland as Dorothy," commented the show's conceiverTina Marie Casamento, a member of the theater faculty at New Jersey's Rider University. "But it is the iconic performance that almost didn't happen. Chasing Rainbows is about how, against all odds, the teenage Frances Gumm became the legendary Judy Garland, and it's a story I've wanted to tell as a musical for years, since first reading a Garland biography. It's the ultimate story of knowing there's something special inside of you and waiting for that chance to share your gifts with the world. I'm grateful we are able to include so many of the songs, recorded by or associated with Judy Garland in the telling of her early career, and the unprecedented support of the Garland Estate for this production."

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