Puget Sound Native Joins Seattle 'Shrek' Cast

 DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions, Ltd. are pleased to announce that Puget Sound native Keaton Whittaker has joined the cast of SHREK THE MUSICAL for the Seattle engagement. Eleven-year-old Whittaker will be playing the role of Young Fiona at certain performances of the world premiere at The 5th Avenue Theatre.
 
Whittaker lives in Bothell, WA with her family and attends King's Elementary School in Shoreline. She played the role of 'Susan' in The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of White Christmas and appeared in the children's ensemble of Whistle Down the Wind. She starred as 'Scout' in Intiman Theatre's production of To Kill a Mockingbird and appeared as 'the Narrator' in Village Theatre's Kidstage production of Aladdin.
 
SHREK THE MUSICAL will play an exclusive pre-Broadway engagement at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre August 14 – September 21. The production will officially open at the Broadway Theatre in New York on December 14, 2008. Preview performances begin November 8.
 
SHREK THE MUSICAL features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize® winner, David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), music by Olivier Award-winner Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie & Caroline, or Change), and is directed by Tony Award® nominee Jason Moore, who staged the Tony Award®–winning Best Musical, Avenue Q and Jerry Springer - The Opera in Concert at Carnegie Hall.
 
SHREK THE MUSICAL will star Tony Award® nominee Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek, Tony Award® winner Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, Tony Award® nominee Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquaad, Chester Gregory II as Donkey, Tony Award® nominee John Tartaglia as Pinocchio and Kecia Lewis-Evans as The Dragon.
 
Joining these actors onstage will be Haven Burton (Legally Blonde, Rent), Jennifer Cody (Urinetown, The Pajama Game), Bobby Daye (The Color Purple, The Lion King), Ryan Duncan (Altar Boyz), Sarah Jane Everman (The Apple Tree, Wicked), Aymee Garcia (Avenue Q), Justin Greer (The Producers), Lisa Ho (A Chorus Line), Chris Hoch (Spamalot, Die Mommie Die!), Danette Holden (Jackie Mason's Laughing Room Only), Jacob Ming-Trent (Epic Theatre Center's Widowers' Houses), Carolyn Ockert-Haythe (The Pajama Game, Wonderful Town), Marissa O'Donnell (Annie in 30th Anniversary tour of Annie),  Denny Paschall (Chicago, Beauty and the Beast), Greg Reuter (Spamalot), Noah Rivera (Wicked), Heather Jane Rolff (Wanda's World), Jennifer Simard (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Rachel Stern (High Fidelity, Tarzan), Dennis Stowe (The Apple Tree, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), David F.M. Vaughn (Doctor Doolittle National Tour). Full casting will be announced soon.
 
SHREK THE MUSICAL is an entirely new musical based on the story and characters from William Steig's book Shrek!, as well as the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter of the Shrek movie series. 
 
SHREK THE MUSICAL is DreamWorks Animation's first venture in legitimate theater. The production was initiated when Sam Mendes, a big fan of the first Shrek film, suggested the idea of creating a musical to DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg around the time the second film was in production. The musical is being produced by DreamWorks Theatricals (Bill Damaschke, President) and Neal Street Productions, Ltd (principals Sam Mendes and Caro Newling).
 
Other members of the SHREK THE MUSICAL creative team include Tony Award®-winning set and costume designer, Tim Hatley (Monty Python's Spamalot, Private Lives, among others), three-time Olivier Award-winning lighting designer, Hugh Vanstone, whose Broadway credits include Monty Python's Spamalot, Bombay Dreams, The Blue Room and Art, and sound designer Peter Hylenski (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and upcoming, Cry-Baby).
 
The choreography is by newcomer Josh Prince, and Tim Weil (Rent) is serving as music director.
 
SHREK THE MUSICAL is based on a popular 1990 book by William Steig. The characters of Shrek, Donkey and Fiona, and the other inhabitants of "Far, Far Away," have been featured in three major animated films and a popular television special to date. The first Shrek feature film hit theaters in the summer of 2001, and went on to win the first-ever Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. The 2004 sequel, Shrek 2, remains the third highest grossing movie of all time and highest grossing animated film of all time. The latest chapter of the Shrek story, Shrek the Third, is the 2nd highest grossing film of 2007. Shrek the Halls, the recent ABC television special, was one of the most watched TV programs of 2007.
 
SHREK THE MUSICAL tickets are only available through 5th Avenue Theatre season subscriptions at this time. For information, call 206-625-1900 / toll free 888-5TH-4TIX (584-4849), stop by The 5th Avenue Theatre box office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle, or visit www.5thavenue.org. Single tickets go on sale Friday, June 13, and range in price from $25 - $90. Higher-priced prime seating may be available for select performances.
 
The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle's premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of nearly 24,000 and an annual attendance of more than 287,000. It ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon and Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.

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