NY Premiere of 'POLKADOTS' Musical Opens Tonight at the Altantic

Atlantic for Kids' 2017-2018 Season opens today, September 16, with the family musical Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, inspired by Ruby Bridges and the Little Rock Nine featuring music by Greg Borowsky and Douglas Lyons, lyrics and concept by Douglas Lyons, book by Melvin Tunstall III and direction by Tamilla Woodard.

Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the "Squares Only" small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. From daily bullying, to segregated drinking fountains, Lily's quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polka dot skin blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Inspired by the events of The Little Rock 9 Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson for children, reminding them that our individual differences make us awesome, not outcasts. Polkadots is recommended for ages 5 and up!

Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical will feature an ensemble cast of young actors including Latoya Edwards (Lily Polkadot), Chris Renalds (Sky Square), Brooke Sweeney (Penelope Square) and Stephanie Toups (Ms. Square/Mama Square).

In addition to Tunstall, Lyons, Borowsky and Woodard, the creative team showcases musical direction by Ted Arthur, choreography by Shea Sullivan and Orchestrations by Ethan Pakchar. Additional team members include Ryan Howell (Scenic Design), Nicole Slaven (Costume Design), Amith A. Chandrashaker (Lighting Design), Brian Strumwasser (Wig/Makeup Design) and Emily Roth (Production Stage Manager).

Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical received its world premiere at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut, April 2016, Jacqueline Hubbard, Artistic Director, where it received the Bully Free Communities Spotlight Award.

Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical performances are Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30am, beginning September 16 through October 8 at Atlantic Theater Company's Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20 Street between 8 and 9 Avenues).

Check out a music video of "Sticks and Stones," a number from Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical with special featured artist Alex Newell (Glee) below!

Single tickets to Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical are $15 for kids (ages 10 and under) and $20 for adults. Group tickets are also available. Tickets are $10 for kids and $15 for adults for A-Plus and A-Flex level Atlantic Season Passport holders. To purchase, visit atlantictheater.org or call Ovation Tix at (866) 811-4111. To learn more about Atlantic's Passport program, visit atlantictheater.org/passport. Visit atlantictheater.org/atlantic-for-kids-2/polkadots for more about the show.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Douglas Lyons (Music, Lyrics, Concept) is a composer-lyricist and actor who has originated roles on Broadway in The Book of Mormon and Beautiful. As a writer Douglas was awarded the Bully Free Communities Spotlight Award for Polkadots at Ivoryton Playhouse. Upcoming world premieres: Five Points at Theater Latte Da and Peter, Darling at Casa Mañana Theatre. With composer Ethan Pakchar his lyrics have played Lincoln Center, The Old Globe, Seattle Rep and morE. Douglas is currently in residence at The Directors Company and under commission with Seattle's 5th Ave Theatre and Premieres' Inner Voices.

Greg Borowsky (Music) is a songwriter and producer from South Africa, signed to Sony ATV. He is the creative producer and writer behind some of South Africa's biggest SAMA (SA Grammy) winning artists. His debut album, signed to Universal Music SA, was nominated for a Metro FM Best RnB Award and his single Chocolate Vanilla was nominated for a Best RnB Channel O Africa Award. After co-writing and producing the official "20 Years of Freedom" song for the South African Government, Greg moved to New York to complete his next producer album, "The Greg Dean Project" featuring soul and Broadway artists, which reached #1 on the UK Soul Chart and remained on the USA Billboard RnB chart for 6 weeks in 2016.

Melvin Tunstall III (Book) is thrilled to be making his Atlantic Theater Company debut as playwright! Melvin began his writing career while still a student at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music as a founding member of the AMP Theatre Company. A proud participant in the Yale Institute for Musical Theater, Melvin took a small break from writing to make his Broadway debut in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical after originating the role of "Ja'Keith" in the Toronto Company of the Broadway smash Rock of Ages. The acting bug now quenched, Melvin returned to writing with commissioned adaptations of the Broadway musicals Wonderland and The Wiz. His original musicAl Bloom! was a finalist in the renowned NAMT Festival in New York City. Peter, darling..., his highly anticipated new musical version of the classic Peter Pan, was commissioned by and will premiere at Casa Mañana Theatre in TX, Spring 2018. Melvin currently resides in New York City where he is hard at work writing the book, music and lyrics to Higgins In Harlem: a new musical Pygmalion.

Tamilla Woodard (Director) is co-founder of PopUp Theatrics, a partnership creating site-specific theatrical events internationally and the Artistic Director of The Five Boroughs/One City Project, a multi-year initiative of The Working Theater. She is a past Time Warner Directing Fellow at the Women's Project Theater, a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, alumnus of The Lincoln Center Directors Lab and artistic affiliate with New Georges. She graduated from The Yale School of Drama's Acting program and is the recipient of The Josephine Abady Award from The League of Professional Theatre Women. For the 2016-17 season, Tamilla's work includes Fit for a Queen by Betty Shamieh at The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Harbur Gate by Kathleen Cahill at Salt Lake Acting Company in Utah, PopUP theatrics immersive, INSIDE at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, James Scruggs 3/Fifths at Three Legged Dog/3LD and Beto O'Byrne's Loving and Loving at Stella Adler.

Ted Arthur (Musical Director) is a New York-based music director/pianist who currently works at Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked and Miss Saigon. He works closely with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and has music directed and assisted on a number of productions with Royal Caribbean and Busch Gardens. Ted has worked on earlier productions of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical and is thrilled to see this heart-filled show make its Atlantic debut.

Shea Sullivan (Choreographer). Select credits include: Off-Broadway: PAGEANT! (Drama Desk Nomination Best Revival), I'll Say She Is. For Cape Playhouse: The Drowsy Chaperone, Sweet Charity, Legally Blonde, Crazy For You, Kiss Me Kate. For Maltz Jupiter Theatre: The Producers, The Will Roger Follies, The Music Man (Carbonell Award), Crazy For You (Carbonell Award). For Barrington Stage: Ragtime, Southern Comfort. "Pan Am" (ABC), White Christmas (ACCC), A Christmas Carol (Fords Theater), Dames at Sea (Bay Street Theatre), DanceBreak '08. Proud member of SDC and a board member of the Musical Theater Factory and the Ziegfeld Club.

Ethan Pakchar (Orchestrations) has played guitar for the Broadway productions of Hamilton, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King and more. He is half of the songwriting team "Lyons & Pakchar," who have been heard at Lincoln Center's Broadway Songbook Series, Joe's Pub at The Public Theater, Goodspeed's Johnny Mercer's Writing Colony, The Old Globe, Seattle Rep, The Musical Theatre Factory and more. Commissions: Seattle's 5th Ave Theatre ('64). He holds a B.M. from NYU.

Latoya Edwards (Lily Polkadot) is excited to join the Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical family, and make her Atlantic debut at the same time! Last seen in Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat, her other credits include: "The Get Down," "Want a Cookie?," "Law & Order: SVU" and Carefully Taught. Pace MT '15.

Chris Renalds (Sky Square) Atlantic Debut! Originally from Northern California, Chris received a BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson College before moving to NYC. Some of his selected credits include Blatantly Blaine (The PIT NYC), Spring Awakening (Gloucester Stage, MA) as well as many shows performed in rep with Disney Cruise Line, including the premiere of Frozen: A Musical Spectacular. Most recently, Chris was lucky to be involved with Prospect Theater Company's New Musical Theatre Lab, World Views.

Brooke Sweeney (Penelope Square) is thrilled to be making her Atlantic Theater Company debut with Polkadots! Select theater credits include: Regional: Avenue Q (Kate Monster/Lucy) at A.R.T.'s OBERON. Harvard: Noises Off (Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett), Gypsy (June), [title of show] (Heidi), Dogfight (Marcy). She is a proud alumnus of Atlantic Acting School's Summer Intensive and The Second City's Comedy Studies. Brooke recently graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University.

Stephanie Toups (Ms. Square/Mama Square) was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some favorite credits include: Off-Broadway: Lili Marlene at the St Luke's Theatre; Tour: Miss Nelson is Missing (Miss Nelson/Miss Viola Swamp) with Two Beans Productions; Regional: South Pacific at Lyric Stage Irving, Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown) and Into the Woods (Cinderella) with Summer Stock Austin, Big River (Mary Jane Wilkes) and Joseph...Dreamcoat at Tulane Summer Lyric. Thank you to Atlantic Theater Company for this opportunity and the whole Polkadots team for making something so special. BFA Musical Theatre/Texas Christian University. EMC.

Atlantic for Kids has presented fun, quality children's theater for more than 15 years. In addition to its weekend performances for families, Atlantic for Kids has welcomed thousands of NYC public school children to see weekday performances. These performances include talkbacks with cast members and discussions about the themes of the play.

Atlantic Theater Company AND ATLANTIC ACTING SCHOOL (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director; Mary McCann, School Executive Director) Inspired by the Group Theater, Stanislavski and a passion for ensemble acting, David Mamet and William H. Macy formed the Atlantic Theater Company with a select group of New York University Undergraduate Drama students. Since its inception in 1985, Atlantic has produced more than 150 plays and garnered numerous awards including 12 Tony Awards, 24 Obie Awards, 21 Lucille Lortel Awards, 10 Drama Desk Awards, 8 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 4 New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards, 3 Drama League Awards, 3 Theater World Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Atlantic also operates the internationally acclaimed Atlantic Acting School, which has helped aspiring actors fulfill their dreams for over 30 years by creating a student ensemble that allows emerging actors to hone their craft in a safe yet challenging environment. Atlantic has the only conservatory program in the world that offers in-depth training in Mamet and Macy's unique and influential approach to the acting profession: Practical Aesthetics. Atlantic Acting School offers a full-time, two-and-a-half year conservatory program, three-semester evening conservatory, and part-time adult acting classes, and is proud to be one of the professional studios included in the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University Drama Department. Atlantic partners with schools and teachers throughout the greater metropolitan area offering in-school teaching artist workshops and semester long theater residencies. Additionally, Atlantic offers a variety of acting and theater programs for ages 4 - 18 in an after school and summer camp setting.