CAT KID COMIC CLUB: THE MUSICAL Comes to Oregon Children's Theatre

Oregon Children’s Theatre will present TheaterWorksUSA’s Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, based on the popular book series by Dav Pilkey. Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical will be presented November 1 though 17 at the Newmark Theatre.

Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog have started an epic club to teach 21 rambunctious baby frogs how to make their own comics! Their fishy father Flippy is overjoyed that his kids will learn to unleash their creativity, but when the frogs’ constant bickering and outrageous imaginations send their comics comically off the rails, Flippy flips out! Will the club survive? Will the frogs ever get along? And will creativity finally save the day? All will be answered in this madcap musical based on Dav Pilkey’s irreverently hilarious book series. The musical is recommended for ages 5 and up.

Cat Kid Comic Club: the Musical is the second TheaterWorksUSA production that has been presented by Oregon Children’s Theatre; the first, Dog Man: the Musical, performed at the Newmark Theatre in October 2022. TheaterWorksUSA’s Artistic Director Barbara Pasternack said, “Following the previous successful run of Dog Man: The Musical we’re thrilled to continue bringing joy to the Oregon Children’s Theatre community with the sequel, Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical! It’s gratifying to watch young people and families respond to these shows the same way they do to Dav Pilkey’s remarkable books which celebrate kindness, individuality and fearless creativity.”

In June Oregon Children’s Theatre announced a major fundraising campaign, asking the community for much-needed financial support to continue producing works and funding its education programs. “It is because of the generosity of our community—and the belief that OCT must continue providing the best programming for youth and families—that we are able to bring such a beloved title to Portland, one that celebrates originality and creativity, along with important themes of friendship, perseverance, and literacy,” explained OCT’s Producing Artistic Director Jenn Hartmann Luck. “Dav Pilkey’s stories can be really silly, but they also instill the desire for joyful creation in their young readers, and I just love that about Dog Man and Cat Kid. We are excited to partner with TheaterWorksUSA, once again, to bring this exceptional work to the stage!”  Donations are still needed to help OCT reach programming goals and can be made online at octc.org/donate.

Portland local David VanDyke, who spent much of his childhood and teen years in the Oregon Children’s Theatre Education program, will be reprising his role of Flippy in this touring production. VanDyke performed in OCT’s Mainstage production of Ivy + Bean: the Musical in 2014, as well as Jasper in Deadland, Shiver: a musical ghost story, Impulse, and In the Forest She Grew Fangs with the Young Professionals Company. In many ways, David attributes his current career successes to his experiences and lessons learned while growing up at OCT: “OCT shaped how I approached theatre and the performing arts,” VanDyke said. “They built the foundation that allowed me to grow into the artist I am now.” After graduating from Hillsboro High School, VanDyke earned his BFA from CAP21 Conservatory at Molloy University. Other credits include Pete the Cat’s Big Hollywood Adventure (TheaterWorksUSA), RENT (Madison Theatre), and Into the Woods (Jean’s Playhouse). “To know that David will be coming back to Portland with this show is really spectacular,” said Luck. “Live Theatre for Young Audiences experiences are more important now than ever before. Young people are struggling to connect and struggling with mental health issues, and coming together in community to laugh and to find joy through theatre is so critical. We know that live theatre increases literacy and empathy skills in our audiences, but it’s also simply a place to be happy and silly with family and friends like Dog Man and Cat Kid. What a declaration to the importance of our work with young people! We can’t wait to see David again on the Newmark stage.”

This musical adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man spin-off series, Cat Kid Comic Club, features a book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila and music by Brad Alexander—the team that brought you Dog Man: The Musical! Original direction and choreography is by Marlo Hunter. Set design is by Cameron Anderson, costume design is by Jen Caprio, lighting design is by David Lander, co-sound design is by Scott Stauffer and Jesse Desrosiers, puppet design/fabrication is by AchesonWalsh Studios, and orchestrations are by Brad Alexander.

Cat Kid Comic Club: the Musical opens on Friday, November 1 at 7:30 pm, and will run for three weekends with morning, afternoon, and evening performances.  Tickets range from $28–$62 and can be purchased by visiting octc.org/tickets or calling (503) 228-9751.

 

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