Citadel Inaugurates New Theatre for Young Audiences with ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE'S 'WE ARE IN A PLAY!'

Citadel Theatre Company, an Equity-affiliated professional company performing in Lake Forest, will stage the first production of its new Theatre for Young Audiences with the musical ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE'S "WE ARE IN A PLAY!", based on the best-selling, award-winning children's' books written by Mo Willems. The musical, which was commissioned by the Kennedy Center, where it premiered in 2013, has its book and lyrics by Willems and music by Deborah Wicks LaPuma. The musical, recommended for audiences age 3 and up, will be directed by Joe Lehman and performed by a cast of adult professional actors.

In the musical, an elephant named Gerald and a pig named Piggie are best, best, "bestus" (a word Gerald and Piggie made up that means "very best") friends, but Gerald worries that something could go wrong that would end their friendship. Piggie is not worried at all. She's even happier and more excited than usual. That's because she and Gerald are invited to a party hosted by the Squirrelles, three singing squirrels who love to have a good time. And so begins a day when anything is possible.

The cast will include Ryan Dooley (Gerald, the Elephant), Britanni Moore (Piggie), and Lucy Shea, Catherine Athenson and Tuesdai B. Perry as the Squirelles. The production team will include Brenda Good (Choreographer), David Zizic (Musical Director), Ben Doylida (Scenic and Lighting Designer, Technical Director, Master Carpenter), Virginia Varland (Costume Designer), Mark Holley (Properties Manager), Robin M. Hughes, Metropolis Casting (Casting Director).

This hour-long musical will be performed twice daily, at 11 am and 1 pm, on the weekends of Saturday-Sunday, September 29-30 and Saturday-Sunday October 6-7 at Gorton Community Center, 400 East Illinois Road in Lake Forest. Tickets are $10.00 for all seats.

www.citadeltheatre.org