John Tartaglia to Direct World Premiere of Duncan Sheik's BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE at Arkansas Rep this December

As BroadwayWorld previously announced, BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, with a book and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and music by Duncan Sheik, and based on the popular 2000 novel by Kate DeCamillo, will have its word premiere this winter at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, with AVENUE Q's John Tartaglia at the helm. The production is set to run Dec. 6 - Dec. 29, 2013.

BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE tells the story of lonely young girl who moves to Florida with her father. She goes into the Winn-Dixie supermarket and comes out with a large stray dog who helps her rekindle an almost lost relationship with her father.

Taran and Cally, two Irish Wolfhounds, have been cast in the title role of "Winn-Dixie," trained by Broadway's foremost animal trainer, Bill Berloni. This will be the first pre-Broadway musical starring a live dog as the central character.

As of now, no other additional casting has been announced.

Since the show's inception, the creators have had an eye on Broadway, staging a reading in early 2012. BroadwayWorld will keep you updated on WINN DIXIE's developments as the world premiere approaches.

DiCamillo's New York Times best-selling novel was made into a successful film in 2005 with a cast that included Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Dave Matthews and Eva Marie Saint.

Advance Season Subscriptions for the Arkansas Rep are on sale now and will range from $180 - $260 through March 31, making subscribing to The Rep the best way to get the best seats at the best price ahead of sellout shows. Subscription pricing will go up in April. Single ticket sales open to the public in August. Call The Rep's Box Office at (501) 378-0405 for more information on Season Subscriptions or visit www.therep.org.

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