CCPA's Holiday Offerings to Include A YEAR WITH FROG & TOAD & Cabarets

City Circle Acting Company of Coralville and Hills Bank will present the Broadway hit musical A Year with Frog and Toad for six performances December 12-21 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Adapted from the beloved books by Arnold Lobel by Willie Reale and Robert Reale, this heartwarming musical tells the story of a year in the life of forest neighbors Frog and Toad and their many woodland friends.

Lobel's stories of the worrywart Toad and the perky Frog are brought to life in lively songs and charming scenes. Through the course of their year, Frog and Toad awake from hibernation, plant gardens, swim, have picnics, bake cookies, fly a kite, rake leaves, tell stories, and celebrate Christmas before hibernating again. They have comic interactions with Birds, Moles, a Mouse, a Snail, and a Squirrel. The New York Times calls the script, "bright, bouncy, altogether lovable."

The cast features Joe Mosher as Frog, Ken Van Egdon as Toad, Brett Boden as Snail, and Renee Zukin, Heidi Bibler, Katherine Boothroyd, and Kristina Rutkowski as the forest animals. This production is directed by Liz Tracey, who previously directed the hit production of Jesus Christ Superstar for City Circle. Wesley Habley serves as music director. Lead sponsorship is provided by Hills Bank and Trust.

Performances are Fridays at 7pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm December 12-21 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets ($12-$27) are available at coralvillearts.org, by phone at 319.248.9370, and in person at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts box office (1301 5th Street) and Coralville Recreation Center (1506 8th Street). ACT is sponsoring 100 free tickets for youth under 18 for the December 12 performance; these free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis by calling or visiting the box office.

Holiday Cabaret - Sugar & Spice

City Circle is again presenting a Holiday Cabaret featuring music, dance and comic performance by local artists celebrating the season. Performances are Saturdays, December 13 and 20, with a "Nice" cabaret of warm family fare at 7:30pm, and a "Naughty" show at 10pm featuring more mature material. Performs include Broadway veteran Kristen Behrendt DeGrazia, Christopher Okiishi, Ryan Shellady, Ellen Stevenson, Carrie Houchins-Witt, Elijah Jones, Paula Grady, Young Footliters, and more. Tickets are $10 for one performance, or $15 for both, and are available at coralvillearts.org, by phone at 319.248.9370, and in person at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts box office (1301 5th Street) and Coralville Recreation Center (1506 8th Street).

City Circle Acting Company is the community theater program of the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Since 1997, City Circle's mission has been the production of high quality dramatic, musical, and performing art pieces for the enjoyment of the public. Upcoming City Circle productions Black Comedy and The Real Inspector Hound (February 13-15), and Into the Woods (April 24-May 3).

Owned and operated by the City of Coralville, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to enriching the community and contributing to the vitality of Coralville by offering an accessible, affordable venue for a variety of performances, presentations, and public and private events. The 472 seat theater opened August 26, 2011 and has hosted performances from City Circle Acting Company, Orchestra Iowa, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Dan Knight, Lola Astanova, Lorie Line, Judy Carmichael, Jim McDonough, Nolte Academy of Dance, and many others. Coralville schools are also able to use the Center free of charge up to three times per year; 15 school events took place at the Center in the 2013-2014 school year. The Center was named 2012 Member of the Year by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.