WICKED to Turn Orlando Into the Emerald City; $25 Ticket Lottery Announced!

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held for Wicked, which is returning to Orlando with performances from January 11 - 29, 2017 in the Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center.

Two and one-half hours prior to each performance, people who present themselves at the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office will have their names placed in a lottery drum; 30 minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Lottery participants must have a valid photo I.D. when submitting their entry form and, if chosen, when purchasing tickets.

Additionally, in celebration of Wicked flying back to Orlando, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is partnering with the City of Orlando, LYNX, the Grand Bohemian and Aloft Hotels to turn the City Beautiful into the Emerald City on Thursday, January 12, 2017, the engagement's official opening night.

The following buildings, monuments and public art are set to turn green that evening:

· Dr. Phillips Center's Wave Wall and Towers

· Amway Center Spire

· City Venues Orlando Sign

· Tower of Light

· Lake Eola Fountain

· LYNX Central Station

· Grand Bohemian Hotel

· Aloft Orlando Downtown

· Astrogenesis II Sculpture

· Global Convergence Sculpture

· Take Flight Sculpture

· Union Sculpture

· Cedar of Lebanon Sculpture

The surprising tale of an unlikely friendship between two women in the Land of Oz, Wicked tells the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, long before Dorothy drops in. Elphaba, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. Glinda is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. The remarkable odyssey of how these unexpected friends changed each other's lives for good has made Wicked one of the world's most popular musicals.

Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked is the winner of over 100 international major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Godspell, Academy Award-winner for "Pocahontas" and "The Prince of Egypt" and book by Winnie Holzman ("My So Called Life," "Once And Again" and "thirtysomething"), Wicked is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...).

Wicked has been performed in over 100 cities in 14 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico and Brazil) and has thus far been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese.

FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando is presented in partnership with Broadway Across America and Florida Theatrical Association. FTA is a non-profit civic organization with a volunteer board of trustees established to ensure the continued presentation of quality touring Broadway productions and the promotion of arts education throughout the state of Florida. For more information, visit FloridaTheatrical.org.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization operating the state-of-the-art performing arts center in downtown Orlando, Florida. With its opening in November 2014, the performing arts center launched its vision of Arts for Every Life by being a gathering place for creativity and discovery; a vibrant urban destination where artists, audiences and students come to experience, explore and learn. The two-block community destination features the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater, 300-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts, the DeVos Family Room, and other event rental spaces. Future expansion includes Steinmetz Hall, a 1,700-seat acoustical theater, along with rehearsal, classroom, office space and commercial development spaces. The Dr. Phillips Center is a private non-profit collaborating with the City of Orlando, Orange County, the State of Florida and generous donors.