Summit Playhouse's Kaleidoscope Theater for Youth Premieres CHILDREN OF EDEN, JR.

Kaleidoscope Theater for Youth at The Summit Playhouse presents the world premiere of "Children of Eden, Junior!" beginning with preview performances tonight, July 17, at The Summit Playhouse.

This epic musical tells the story of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and the story of Noah and the flood. With incredibly beautiful and moving music by acclaimed Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz ("Pippin," "Godspell," "Wicked," and Disney films including "Enchanted" and "Pocahontas") this production features a talented cast of young performers who tell these timeless stories about parents, children, and their endlessly complex relationships. Featuring well-known songs such as "The Spark of Creation," "Lost in the Wilderness," and "Stranger to the Rain," this 65-minute adaptation is the perfect family musical!

Lindsay Maron, founder of Pixie Dust Players, is the director and choreographer and features musical direction by Alex Ratner.

This production will be the first ever of a junior version of "Children of Eden" and is a major achievement for Kaleidoscope and The Summit Playhouse. Earlier this year Maron, currently studying at Northwestern University, contacted Stephen Schwartz about the possibility of turning the full length "Children of Eden" production into a shorter version appropriate for schools and community theater companies. Intrigued by the concept, Schwartz contacted Music Theater International (MTI), who reached out to Maron to learn more about her work at the Summit Playhouse. Within a week she was granted the rights for this special adaptation.

After staging a successful reading at Northwestern she submitted her proposed script detailing her changes and edits. After talking with Schwartz, MTI approved Maron's script and it is now the working script for "Children of Eden, Jr."

"It's been so rewarding working with the performers to make this adaptation even better before we present it for MTI, the creators, and our audiences this summer," Maron said. "I have always loved 'Children of Eden' because of the wonderful storytelling and the beautiful music. I think there is something extra special about these well-known stories being told by children and teenagers. I am thrilled to have the chance to make this show more accessible for other youth theaters and school groups and look forward to seeing its future."

PREVIEW PERFORMANCES:
TONIGHT, July 17 (7:30pm), Saturday, July 18 (7:30pm), Sunday, July 19 (2:00pm)

PERFORMANCES:
Friday, July 24 (7:30pm), Saturday, July 25 (7:30pm), Sunday, July 26 (2:00pm)
Friday, July 31 (7:30pm), Saturday, August 1 (7:30pm), Sunday, August 2 (2:00pm)

All performances will be held at The Summit Playhouse, located at 10 New England Ave, Summit, NJ 07901

Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1707762, and for more information visit www.pixiedustplayers.org.

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