Oregon Children's Theatre Presents DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL

Oregon Children's Theatre (OCT) will present TheaterWorksUSA's NY Times Critic's Pick, Dog Man: The Musical based on the popular book series by Dav Pilkey. Dog Man: The Musical will be presented at the Newmark Theatre, located at Portland'5 Center for the Arts, October 23 through November 20. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased by visiting octc.org/dog-man or call (503) 228-9571. In addition to public performances, OCT will welcome schools back for field trips: daytime performances of Dog Man: The Musical will be offered Thursdays & Fridays, October 27 through November 18. Field trips can be booked online or by calling the OCT box office.

Based on the worldwide bestselling hit series by Dav Pilkey, Dog Man: The Musical is a hilarious and heartwarming new production following the chronicles of Dog Man, who with the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, loves to fight crime and chew on the furniture. But while trying his best to be a good boy, can he save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish and his army of Beasty Buildings? Can he catch Petey, the world's most evil cat, who has cloned himself to exact revenge on the doggy do-gooder? And will George and Harold finish their show before lunchtime?? Find out in this epic musical adventure featuring the hilarity and heart of beloved characters from Dav Pilkey, the creator of Captain Underpants. Recommended for ages 6-10.

"Dog Man: The Musical surpasses my highest expectations. It is the 'Perfect Mash-up' of memorable music, humor, and love." Dog Man creator Dav Pilkey

Dog Man: The Musical has a book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila (Two-time Emmy Award-winning writer of the PBS show Peg + Cat), and music by Brad Alexander (Drama Desk Nominated See Rock City & Other Destinations), with original direction and choreography by Jen Wineman (NY: Less Than 50%),scenic design by Timothy R. Mackabee (Broadway's The Elephant Man; Guards at the Taj, Lucille Lortel Award), costume design by Heidi Leigh Hanson (Regional: The Addams Family Musical, How I Learned to Drive), lighting design by David Lander (Broadway's The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical; Benghal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo, Drama Desk Award) and sound design by Emma Wilk (NY: The Waiting Game, Regional: The Heiress).

Dog Man: The Musical's current touring cast includes Génesis M. Freytes Álvarez as Li'l Petey, Brandon James Butorovich as Dog Man, Da'Zaria Harris as Flippy, Kadesh Lewis as George, Edwin Perez as Harold and Will Sippel as Petey. Giancarlo Osorio and Zuly Pagán Cabrera join the cast as understudies. Jen Wineman returns to direct and choreograph the Fall 2022 production, and is joined by Steve MacKinnon as music director and Whitley Body as stage manager.

The decision to bring the touring production of Dog Man: the Musical to Portland was an intentional choice by OCT's leadership: "As we focus on rebuilding and strengthening our organization, bringing this production to the Newmark stage offers us an opportunity to deliver a great theatrical performance to our community," explained OCT's Artistic Director Marcella Crowson. Crowson made the decision to retire from OCT this summer, and the organization is currently undergoing a national search for her replacement. "We knew we wanted to bring a well-known-and well-executed-production to our families and give them a performance they can be excited about."

The show was also selected with an eye toward social justice. "While we celebrate Dog Man's achievements and root for him, we also acknowledge that police reform is still needed across our country," commented Michael Hammerstrom, Director of Marketing & Development at OCT. "We hope that by lifting up a law-abiding, effective, empathetic police officer such as Dog Man as the example, we can help teach our next generation to hold the system accountable when it fails their community."

TheaterWorksUSA has led the Theater for Young and Family Audiences movement in New York City and across North America for over half a century. At TWUSA, we believe that access to art-and theater, in particular-is vital for our youth. Since 1961, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit has captured the imaginations of 100 million new and veteran theatergoers with an award-winning repertoire of over 140 original plays and musicals. Acclaimed alumni include Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Disney's Frozen), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Jerry Zaks (The Music Man), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen), Miguel Cervantes(Hamilton), Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America), and Chuck Cooper (Tony award winning actor, The Life). Prior to suspending live production due to the pandemic, TWUSA's 2019-2020 season included touring eleven shows around the country, the Broadway premiere of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and three world premieres: Warriors Don't Cry, based on the autobiography of Melba Pattillo Beals; Dog Man: The Musical Off-Broadway; and The Pout-Pout Fish which opened the New Victory Theater's season in October 2019. Visit www.TWUSA.org for more information.

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