La Jolla Playhouse and Macy's to Fight Illiteracy

La Jolla Playhouse and Macy's join forces for the POP Tour Literacy Drive, a book drive benefiting San Diego's Monarch School. The drive begins February 1, 2007 and continues through the run of La Jolla Playhouse's POP Tour show, Honey Bo and the Gold Mine. Each child who sees the show at his/her school or community center will be given a bookmark that reminds them to donate a book at select Macy's locations.

"We reach over 14,000 students each year through the POP Tour," says Steve McCormick, the Playhouse's Director of Education and Outreach. "We have the potential to collect an amazing amount of books for some very deserving children!"

During the POP Tour Literacy Drive, customers are invited to bring a new or gently-used book (suited to children ages 7-18) to the select Macy's locations (Bonita, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Fashion Valley, Grossmont, Horton Plaza and University Town Center). All books will be donated to The Monarch School, an alternative school for homeless and at-risk children.

"The POP Tour is an amazing opportunity for the Playhouse to expand its tradition of creating imaginative and original theatre experiences for young audiences," says McCormick. "Thanks to this grant from Macy's, San Diego County residents further the cause and encourage a love of the arts among students in San Diego."

Each year La Jolla Playhouse commissions a playwright to write a 50-minute play geared toward young audiences in second through sixth grades. This new work is developed, rehearsed and toured through schools and theatres in the community for six to eight weeks. Over the past 18 years, the POP Tour has brought highly entertaining, professional performances to hundreds of thousands of children in San Diego.

"Using the arts to support literacy is a creative process that will not only enhance students' daily curricula, but will also teach them about the importance of helping others and, at the same time, will provide a much-needed resource to underserved students," says Laura Heffron, Macy's Director of Community Relations. "Macy's is proud to be a part of the San Diego community. Our local store teams are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the POP Tour Literacy Drive this season."

This year's POP Tour production, Honey Bo and the Gold Mine, was commissioned from Will Power, an award-winning actor, rapper, playwright and educator, and is directed by Rebecca Lynn Brown. It is the adventurous tale of a little girl who must save her neighborhood from destruction. Honey Bo rhymes, sings and dances her way into the Haunted Gold Mine, where she hopes to find enough money to buy her neighborhood before it's demolished by an unscrupulous developer. Once inside the mine, Honey learns that the "gold" is not money, but rather the riches inside herself waiting to be discovered. Returning home, she utilizes her wits and courage to save the neighborhood.

Honey Bo and the Gold Mine will tour schools and community centers around San Diego County January 22 – March 11, 2007. Public performances at La Jolla Playhouse will be held Saturdays, March 3 and March 10, 2007 at 10:30 am and 1:00 pm and Sundays, March 4 and March 11, 2007 at 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm.

Want to find out how you can make a difference in your community? La Jolla Playhouse's unique Adopt-A-School program allows donors to sponsor a performance for a needy school, remain in direct contact with them and even be there for their performance! To learn more, please contact Kristin King by phone at (858) 550-1070 x117 or visit www.lajollaplayhouse.com/educ/adoptaschool.htm online. To learn more or to book a POP Tour, please contact Johanna Range by phone at (858) 550-1070 x101 or visit www.lajollaplayhouse.com/educ/pop.htm online.

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE has received more than 300 awards for theatre excellence, including the 1993 Tony Award as America's Outstanding Regional Theatre. Located in La Jolla, California, the Playhouse is nationally acclaimed for its innovative productions of classics, new plays and musicals. Led by two-time Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff, Artistic Director; Steven B. Libman, Managing Director; and Shirley Fishman, Associate Artistic Director, the Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer. More than 30 Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, garnering 27 Tony Awards including Big River, The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Dracula, the Musical, as well as Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, both fostered as part of the Playhouse's Page To Stage New Play Development Program and the currently running Jersey Boys, the smash hit Broadway musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Visit www.lajollaplayhouse.com.

MACY'S, the largest retail brand of Federated Department Stores, Inc., delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at more than 800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Offering distinctive assortments including exclusive fashion and home brands, Macy's stores are operated by seven regionally based retail divisions — Macy's East, Macy's Florida, Macy's Midwest, Macy's North, Macy's Northwest, Macy's South and Macy's West — and an online store at macys.com.