Pushcart Players to Lure RED RIDING HOOD AND OTHER STORIES to Wolf Trap, 8/1-2

Pushcart Players, New Jersey's acclaimed touring theatre for young audiences presents Red Riding Hood and Other Stories on Friday August 1 and Saturday, August 2, 2014 at 10:30 am at Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Vienna, VA.

An enchanting collection of classic tales, Red Riding Hood and Other Stories explores the "once upon a time" world of 'The Princess and the Pea,' 'The Emperor's New Clothes,' 'All's Well That Ends Well,' and the title piece, 'Little Red Riding Hood.'

"These time-honored fables provide a perfect introduction to live theatre for young viewers," said Ruth Fost, Pushcart's co-founder, executive artistic director and playwright / lyricist for the production. "We've dressed the stories with a twinkle, a grin and a contemporary spin!"

The fast-paced production, while infused with lively musical numbers and brimming with humor, offers an opportunity to discuss values, ethics and moral considerations in a relevant and accessible platform.

The cast of Red Riding Hood and Other Stories includes Oscar Castillo, Christina Gordon, JD Lynch and Melissa Cox.

Castillo is a New York native, and a Pushcart Player for eleven years. Graduating from Kean University with a BFA in theatre, Castillo co-founded The Theatre Project and performs frequently throughout NYC with Peculiar Works Productions.

Christina Gordon received her Masters in Fine Arts from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and toured with the Pushcart Players throughout Northern and Southern California.

JD Lynch is a graduate of DeSales University who has performed in eight Pushcart shows, and with other companies throughout the country.

Melissa Cox is a recent graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University where she studied Musical Theater and received a Masters in Corporate and Organizational Communication. She was last seen on stage as Beth in "Little Women" in Maplewood NJ. Favorite roles include Martha in "Spring Awakening" and Sister in "Damn Yankees."

Paul Whelihan directs the production. Whelihan has performed, directed and stage-managed off-Broadway (47th Street Theater, 59 East 59 Theatres, NY Fringe Festival) and regionally (Royal Poinciana Playhouse, Broward Center for the Arts, Centenary Stage, The Growing Stage, Luna Stage Company, Forum Cultural Arts Center, Quillo Arts Center, Dreamcatcher Rep). He has directed the majority of Pushcart's productions throughout its history.

Sandi Zimmermann is Red Riding Hood and Other Stories' musical composer. Incidental music and orchestrations are by Larry Hochman, who won both the Tony and the Drama Desk awards for best orchestrations for "The Book of Mormon." He received Tony nominations for "The Scottsboro Boys," "Monty Python's Spamalot," (Hochman also received Drama Desk nominations for both), Fiddler on the Roof (2004 revival) and "A Class Act."

Pushcart Players celebrates its 40th anniversary season of presenting productions filled with fun, facts, magic and wonder. The company has traveled over 2 million miles to serve more than 8 million children and their families nationally and abroad. All performances come with innovative scenery, complete lighting and state of the art sound systems, making it adaptable to any location. Study guides and other supplemental materials support the educational benefits of the theatre piece.

Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods is Wolf Trap's beloved outdoor theatre for children, which has been a tradition for generations, located at 1551 Trap Road Vienna, VA 22182. At Children's Theatre-in-the Woods, summer is all about music, dance, puppetry, and storytelling. Tickets are $10 general admission and can be reserved by calling 877.WOLFTRAP or by visiting wolftrap.org. Detailed information about Wolf Trap's Theatre-in-the-Woods can be found at www.wolftrap.org/Education/TITW_Season/TITW.

For further information on this or any of Pushcart's programs and services, contact Pushcart Players at 973.857.1115 or visit Pushcart's website at www.pushcartplayers.org. Like Pushcart Players on Facebook to get up to date information on activities and events and follow us on Twitter @PushcartPlayers.

Pictured: Pushcart Players in Red Riding Hood and Other Stories. Photo by Robert S. Pytel.