ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY! Dances Into Sunnyvale

South Bay families can start the New Year with a smile at the Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) production of ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY, coming to the Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94088, for two weekends: January 6-7 and January 13-14, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

TICKETS: $15 - $27

BOX OFFICE: www.bactheatre.org or call (510) 296-4433

ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY bursts with music and rhyme as it explores the joys and trials of friendship. Directed by Hannah Dworkin, with music by Deborah Wicks La Puma and script and lyrics by children's author and illustrator Mo Willems, based on his wildly popular Elephant & Piggie series, this effervescent musical tells a story for all ages.

"We are delighted to have this opportunity to bring the antics of Gerald the Elephant and his best friend, Piggie, to the lovely Sunnyvale Community Center," said BACT Executive Director Nina Meehan. "We hope this production is the first of many we can share with families who may not always be able to attend our performances in the East Bay or San Francisco."

ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY features Alan Coyne as Gerald and Anne Norland as Piggie. Coyne last appeared on the BACT stage as the father in Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas, the Musical. Norland created the role of Fly Girl in BACT's original production of Fly Guy, the Musical. She was recently honored by Theatre Bay Area as an Outstanding Female Actor in a Principal Role in a Musical for her performance in Silence! The Musical at Ray of Light Theatre.

((high-res .jpg attached of, front row, l. to r., Anne Norland as Piggie and Alan Coyne as Gerald; 2nd row, l. to r., Liz Marsh, Shelby Stewart, and Charlotte Christien as the Squirrelles. Photo credit: Brett D'Ambrosio))

DIRECTOR'S BIO

Hannah Dworkin, director, is the casting director, Arts in Schools program director, and artistic associate director at BACT. Dworkin co-directed BACT's production of The Night Fairy, and she directed BACT's The Rainbow Fish Musical (nominated for Outstanding World Premiere Musical at the Theatre Bay Area Awards Celebration). Other recent BACT credits include Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas the Musical (director/choreographer), A Year with Frog and Toad (choreographer) Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site the Musical (choreographer, TBA Award nomination), and Elephant and Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY! (director/choreographer). Dworkin is a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and teaches music to children with special needs through Youth in Arts. She holds an MA in Music and Music Education from Columbia University, a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a Dance Certification from the University of California, Berkeley, Extension and a BA in Dance and Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition, she is a classically trained vocalist, a dancer, and a company member of Upswing Aerial Dance.

Established in 2004, Bay Area Children's Theatre, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, serves more than 110,000 children and adults throughout the Bay Area, with main stage performances in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco; programs and productions in local schools; and classes and summer camps in the East Bay and San Francisco.

Mission: To inspire young audiences with imaginative productions, introduce children of all backgrounds to the excitement of live theatre, and create an engaging, entertaining, and educational environment in which children and their families can explore and enjoy the arts.

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