CLASS OF 3000 Animated Play Premieres 3/7

Experience the hit animated series "Class of 3000" live on stage for the first time with the World Premiere Class of 3000 LIVE. This one-hour play based on the Emmy Award-winning Cartoon Network series created by André Benjamin of OutKast and Tommy Lynch is directed and adapted by the Alliance's Rosemary Newcott and features original songs by Benjamin. Opening Night is Saturday, Mar. 7, 2000 at 7 p.m. Tickets to shows Mar. 7 - 29 are available at the Woodruff Arts Center Box office by calling 404.733.5000 or online at www.alliancetheatre.org.

For the animated series, André Benjamin developed the story of international music star Sunny Bridges, who flees his own celebrity to return to Atlanta. In Class of 3000 LIVE, new musical inspiration is just around the corner for Sunny when he's discovered by a group of young middle school musical prodigies in desperate search of a music teacher. Though his students don't realize it, Sunny is about to teach them new forms of expression and creativity, and the kids are about to re-ignite his passion for music and his community.

Class of 3000 LIVE is a hometown Atlanta original, harnessing the power of self-expression to inspire all ages to live their dreams. Attracted to the Alliance's commitment to fostering arts in education, Benjamin chose Newcott to create this World Premiere, produced in association with Cartoon Network and Moxie.

The cast features nine local actors including Sinatra Onyewuchi as Sunny Bridges, Wendy Melkonian (Seussical the Musical) and Brandon O'Dell (Goodnight Moon). (Biographical information on the cast and creative team members may be found in the attached fact sheet.)

Members of the artistic team who will bring this story to life on stage include Iris Goode, choreographer; Kat Conley, set designer; Sydney Roberts, costume designer; Pete Shinn, lighting designer; Clay Benning, sound designer; Justin Ellington, music director; and Neeley Gossett, dramaturg.

Performances are Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on the Alliance Stage. FAMILIES Centerstage performances on Mar. 21 will be at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and $30 and are available at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office by calling 404.733.5000 or online at www.alliancetheatre.org. Discount rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 404.733.4690. Discount rates are also available for members of the military, seniors and students. The ALLIANCE THEATRE is located at the Woodruff Arts Center, corner of Peachtree and 15th Street, in Midtown Atlanta.

SPECIAL EVENT:
A benefit for the Alliance Children's Theatre
An annual festival putting families and great theatre in the spotlight!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Join the Alliance Children's Theatre for a great family fun fair showcasing Class of 3000 LIVE! Between two performances, the Woodruff Arts Center Galleria will be transformed into an interactive festival highlighting ways to harness the power of self-expression. Sing, dance, move and create your own art with Atlanta's favorite children's organizations and businesses while supporting the Alliance Children's Theatre!

Woodruff Arts Center
Performances: 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Festival: 2 - 4 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for children and $35 for adults (includes performance and festival).

To purchase tickets, call 404-733-5000 or visit alliancetheatre.org. For additional information call 404-733-4613.

Class of 3000 LIVE is presented by Publix Super Markets Charities and is supported by Chrysalis Music Group USA and Kraft Foods.

Additional Sponsors: Class of 3000 LIVE is sponsored by Delta Air Lines - Official Airline of the ALLIANCE THEATRE; Marriott Residence Inn - Official Hotel of the ALLIANCE THEATRE; and The Home Depot - Set Construction Sponsor of the ALLIANCE THEATRE.

Production of Class of 3000 LIVE is made possible with grants from the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, the Fulton County Arts Council, the Georgia Council for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Now in its 40th season, Atlanta's nationally acclaimed ALLIANCE THEATRE, recipient of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, is the leading professional resident theatre of the Southeast, creating the powerful experience of shared theatre for diverse people on two stages for youth and adult audiences. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Managing Director Thomas Pechar, the ALLIANCE THEATRE is a national theatre with a local address, reaching out annually to almost 200,000 patrons and members of the community. Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance launched three Tony Award-winning hits to Broadway: Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida and Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo. And, in a rare event for a regional theatre, it originated the national tour of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The theatre has premiered 60 works including adaptations of Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Pearl Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky. Further evidence of the Alliance's commitment to new work is found in its nationally recognized Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition, a cutting-edge program introducing student playwrights to professional networks while producing the world premiere of the winning student's work. The ALLIANCE THEATRE also offers extensive education and outreach programs such as the Institute for Educators and the Collision Project for high school students. The Alliance continuously brings Atlanta the finest talent and finest art-proving once again that the Alliance is where great theatre lives. 404.733.4650 or www.alliancetheatre.org

The ALLIANCE THEATRE is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which also includes the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art, Young Audiences and the 14th Street Playhouse.