Kimmel Center to Launch Bucks County Playhouse Partnership with BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY

The Kimmel Center and Bucks County Playhouse have announced the creation of a new partnership designed to further the producing initiatives of both organizations and foster a cultural exchange of new works.

The partnership debuts this summer with a joint venture to restage the Bucks County Playhouse's record-breaking production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. The musical will first run at the Bucks County Playhouse from May 27 through June 17 and will then transfer to the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater on June 24 for previews, with the official opening June 28. The show will run at the Kimmel Center through July 9.

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is one of the most popular rock musicals in history and has been seen by more than 22 million people worldwide. The show broke box office records when Bucks County Playhouse produced it in 2016.

Buddy marks the beginning of a cultural exchange between the two established organizations - one that will bring the best of Broadway to Broad Street and then beyond. Leadership from both organizations are in talks about incubator programs that can benefit from associated artists and programs that can reach new audiences through shared presentations.

Already immersed in the producing world, the Kimmel Center has built a vast network of emerging and established artists. Producing credits and project range from the Tony Award-winning musical, An American in Paris, and the bi-annual Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA); to two residency programs - one each for Jazz and Theater - designed to foster the creation of new works by local artists.

Since a lavish renovation and reopening in 2012, New Hope's Bucks County Playhouse, under the direction of Tony winning producers, Producing Director Alexander Fraser (The Normal Heart) and Executive Producer Robyn Goodman (Avenue Q, In the Heights) and their producing partners Joshua Fiedler and Stephen Kocis, The Playhouse has reestablished itself as one of the region's premier producing organizations. Through new works by emerging theater artists and new productions of favorites and that have featured stars from Hollywood and Broadway, including Christopher Durang, Marilu Henner, Marsha Mason Patricia Richardson, Susan Sullivan and Jessica Walter, The Playhouse has restored luster to what was nationally known as one of the country's most revered stages.

"We are thrilled to launch this new initiative with Bucks County Playhouse, the esteemed theatre that has risen from the ashes through a multi-million-dollar renovation to become the gorgeous jewel of the Delaware Valley," said Anne Ewers, President & CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. "After only four seasons, The Playhouse is now an important producer of great theatre in our region. It is imperative to our mission to showcase extraordinary talent, and we look forward to working with The Playhouse to bring their record-breaking production of Buddy to the Perelman this summer, and to future collaborations."

"We are deeply honored that the Kimmel Center has chosen our production of Buddy to initiate this new summer season at the Perelman," said Alexander Fraser, Producing Director of Bucks County Playhouse. "As a producing team, we have worked on Broadway, but in many ways, Broad Street is a bigger deal. We are very excited to introduce our work to Philadelphia audiences who already trust the Kimmel Center to bring the best of the performing arts to the region. We look forward to working with the Kimmel on Buddy and on creating new ways to share innovative work in the coming seasons."

From his meteoric rise to fame in 1957 through his tragic death less than two years later, Buddy Holly influenced modern music like no other performer of his generation. Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story features more than 20 of Holly's greatest hits, including "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue," "Oh Boy," and many more. The show features a book by Alan Janes and music and lyrics by Buddy Holly. It opened in London's West End, where it ran for over 10 years, and premiered on Broadway in 1990.

The production is helmed by director Tony nominee Hunter Foster (director of BCP's Company, Ain't Misbehavin' and the upcoming Clue On Stage), and choreographer Lorin Latarro (Waitress, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), both of whom serve as Bucks County Playhouse Artistic Associates. The design team includes Adam Koch as scenic designer with lighting design by Gina Scherr, costume design by Nicole V. Moody, and sound design by Matthew Given.

IF YOU GO:

BUDDY: THE Buddy Holly STORY

Bucks County Playhouse

New Hope, PA

May 27-June 17, 2017

Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater

Philadelphia, PA

June 24 - July 9, 2017

Tickets for the Bucks County Playhouse presentation are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-862-2121 or online at www.bcptheater.org or at the Bucks County Playhouse Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more.

Tickets for the Kimmel Center presentation will go on sale to the general public on January 23, 2017. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling (215) 790-5883. More information at kimmelcenter.org.

Bucks County Playhouse, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is the oldest and largest professional Equity performing arts center in Bucks County. Under the direction of Tony Award-winning producers, Alexander Fraser and Robyn Goodman, The Playhouse provides first class professional theatrical entertainment as well as community events, partnerships and arts education programming for visitors and residents of New Hope, Doylestown, Lambertville and the Delaware Valley.

Located between Philadelphia and New York, Bucks County Playhouse?opened in 1939 in a converted 1790 gristmill after a group of community activists, led by Broadway orchestrator Don Walker, rallied to save the building. ?The Playhouse quickly became one of the country's most famous regional theaters, featuring a roster of?American theatrical royalty including Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, George S. Kaufman, Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Bert Lahr, Walter Matthau, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Alan Alda, Tyne Daly, Liza Minnelli and Audra McDonald and remained in continuous operation until December 2010. In 2012, The Playhouse re-opened thanks to the efforts of the Bridge Street Foundation, the nonprofit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty, and Broadway producer Jed Bernstein.

Since its renovation, significant productions include Terrence McNally's Mothers and Sons starring Tyne Daly, which moved to Broadway and was nominated for two Tony Awards, and Misery by William Goldman based on the Stephen King novel which also went on to a Broadway run in the 2015-16 season. Two of The Playhouse's recent productions -- Company starring Justin Guarini, and William Finn's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -- were named by The Wall Street Journal to its "Best of Theatre" list for 2015.

Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, The Kimmel Center's mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience through diverse programming, arts education, and community outreach. The Kimmel Center campus is comprised of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, SEI Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center), the Academy of Music (owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association), and the Merriam Theater. The Kimmel Center is also home to eight Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly Pops, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Curtis Institute of Music. TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is the season sponsor of the Kimmel Center's 2016-2017 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.

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