SHREK THE MUSICAL Comes to Glasgow, April 29-May 17, 2015

Producers of SHREK THE MUSICAL today announced that the larger-than-life production will coming to the King's Theatre on 29 April Sunday 17 May 2015, direct from London, where it was seen live on stage by nearly a million people. SHREK THE MUSICAL will be directing by Nigel Harman who starred as Lord Farquaad in the west end production, winning him the 2012 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

King's Theatre General Manager, James Haworth said: "We are delighted to be hosting the Scottish Premiere of Shrek The Musical on this, its first ever tour. The King's has been attracting some large scale productions such as Dirty Dancing and Wicked and to host a show of this scale and profile is a huge reflection of the importance theatre producers place on the Glasgow audience."

Producers Caro Newling, Neal Street Productions, and Nick Salmon, Playful Productions say: "We are very excited to be bringing SHREK THE MUSICAL to the Kings Theatre in April 2015 as part of our tour of the best venues across the UK and Ireland. Many years of fun with some of the best talents working in theatre today have gone in to its making and as a result it has thrilled audiences all over the world with its boundless enthusiasm and fun- we know that the people of Glasgow will take SHREK to their hearts, just as we did at Drury Lane!"

SHREK THE MUSICAL, originally directed (in the west end) by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, is based on the story and characters from William Steig's book Shrek! and the Oscar-winning Dreamworks Animations feature film.

Bill Damaschke, Chief Creative Officer of DreamWorks says: "We are thrilled that Shrek and his fairy-tale friends will be heading out on tour across the UK and Ireland and delighted that our very own Nigel Harman will be directing SHREK THE MUSICAL on the road. It has been such a joy to bring this loved story to life and we can't wait for families up and down the country to experience their beloved swamp-dwelling ogre, Princess Fiona, Donkey and all their pals live on stage, as so many have on Broadway and in the west end."

Director of SHREK THE MUSICAL UK and Ireland Tour, Nigel Harman says: "I am delighted to be returning to Shrek as its director. This show is very special to me with its dizzying blend of great characters, a hilarious script and sublime music. This production is visually stunning, and the story has the magic ingredient of moving at great pace while still being surprisingly intimate. In short, there was no way I was going to say no to the challenge of realising the production for the UK and Ireland. I really can't wait to take this show on the road!"

SHREK THE MUSICAL opened on Broadway in 2008 before touring to nearly 150 cities in the USA and Canada. Productions of SHREK THE MUSICALhave played in Spain, Poland, France, Malaysia, China, Brazil, Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, Estonia, Israel and Turkey. The UK and Ireland tour will be presented by DreamWorks Theatricals, Neal Street Productions, Playful Productions, Lee Menzies, Ron Kastner, Robert G Bartner, Mark Cartwright, Gavin Kalin, Peter Clayton and Adam Blanshay.

Casting information will be announced in due course.

Nigel Harman is widely known as an actor and his work includes: Theatre: A Chorus of Disapproval (Harold Pinter), The School for Scandal (Theatre Royal Bath), Shrek - The Musical (Theatre Royal Drury Lane - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical, Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), Celebration (Gate Theatre, Dublin), True West (Sheffield Crucible), Public Property (Trafalgar Studios), Three Days of Rain (Apollo), The Common Pursuit (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Caretaker (Tricycle/Sheffield Crucible/UK Tour), Guys and Dolls (Donmar/Piccadilly), The Exonerated (Riverside Studios), Privates on Parade (Donmar), Three Sisters, My One and Only (Chichester), Lady in the Van (Birmingham Rep), Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Pirates of Penzance (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Signing Off (Jermyn Street), Mamma Mia (Prince Edward), Damn Yankees (Adelphi) and The Who's Tommy (Shaftesbury). Film: Patience, Telstar and Blood Diamond. Television: Downton Abbey, Mount Pleasant, Miss Marple - The Mirror Crack'd, Hotel Babylon, Plus One, Lark Rise to Candleford, City of Vice, The Outsiders, Eastenders, Red Cap and Doctors. Radio includes: The Big Broadcast and Friday Night - Is Music Night.

DreamWorks Theatricals, a division of Dreamworks Animation SKG, Inc., was established in 2007 to develop and execute live stage and arena show productions inspired by the Company's franchise properties of How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar and Shrek. Current Productions - including Madagascar Live!, How To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular and Kung Fu Panda Arena Spectacular - are high-quality, immersive entertainment experiences for the whole family, featuring larger-than-life elements such as acrobatics, pyrotechnics and special effects. DreamWorks Theatricals productions are guided by much of the creative leadership team that develops the studio's award-winning feature films. Dreamworks Animation creates high-quality entertainment, including CG animated feature films, television specials and series and live entertainment properties, meant for audiences around the world. The Company has theatrically released a total of 27 animated feature films and currently ranks #14 on the "100 Best Companies to Work For" by FORTUNE Magazine.

SHREK will run Wednesday 29 April 2015 - Sunday 17 May 2015 at KINGS THEATRE, GLASGOW. For tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com/glasgow or call 0844 871 7648. The King's Theatre and Theatre Royal are located at 297 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JN. For more information, call 0141 240 1305 or visit www.atgticket.com/glasgow.

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Pictured: The London cast of SHREK. Photo by Helen Maybanks.