MainStreet Theatre Company to Present California premiere of ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY

MainStreet Theatre Company, celebrating its 10th season, is delighted to announce the California premiere of Elephant & Piggie's "We are in a Play!" Art Manke is the Director/Choreographer, with Musical Direction by the show's composer, Deborah Wicks-La Puma. The production will play eight school performances from October 5th - 9th, and open to the public on Saturday, October 10th at 4pm. The strictly limited engagement will run through Sunday, October 25th only.

The musical, adapted from Mo Willem's popular book series, celebrates the friendship of a melancholy elephant and an optimistic pink pig, and gives kids of all ages simple but valuable life lessons - helped along by terrific music and some contagiously silly audience participation. Fans of the series will recognize iconic moments from books such as "I Am Invited to a Party!", "I Love my new Toy!", "Should I Share My Ice Cream?" and "We are in a Book!".

Author Mo Willems' work in children's books, TV, theater, and bubble gum card painting have garnered 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Geisel Medals, 5 Geisel Honors, 2 Carnegie Medals, and 6 Emmys. In addition to the "Elephant & Piggie" Books, he's also well known for his "Pigeon" series and "Knufflebunny" series.

Composer Wicks-La Puma's many musicals for young audiences include Frida Libre and Einstein is a Dummy (with playwright Karen Zacarias), and a bilingual musical in English and American Sign Language, Nobody's Perfect (based on the book by Marlee Matlin), with playwright Doug Cooney. Her musicals Ferdinand the Bull and Sleeping Beauty: The Time Traveler, were produced by MainStreet in previous seasons.

The excellent cast of Los Angeles based Equity actors includes Jeffrey Landman as Elephant Gerald, Sydney Blair as Piggie, and Ivory Doublette, Heather Ensley and Jane Noseworthy as a trio of back-up singing squirrels called "The Squirrelles". Ms. Wicks-La Puma will play piano and lead the band, which includes Art Pacheco on Percussion, and Jon Stehney on Reeds.

MainStreet is thrilled to welcome back award-winning director Art Manke, who is well known to Southland audiences, most recently for his staging of Peter and the Starcatcher at South Coast Repertory Theatre. He previously directed Sleeping Beauty: The Time Traveler for MainStreet.

MainStreet is known for its imaginative physical productions, and we think audiences will be charmed by the vaudeville-inspired set for the Elephant & Piggie's "We are in a Play!" designed by Tom Buderwitz. The rest of the creative team includes Lighting Design by Josh Epstein, Costume Design by Angela Calin, and Sound Design by Paul Hemauer. William Coiner is Production Stage Manager. Mireya (Murry) Hepner serves as producer of the City of Rancho Cucamonga's MainStreet Theatre Company.

The MainStreet Theatre Company is the resident Equity Company at the Lewis Family Playhouse, producing innovative shows specifically for children and family audiences. MainStreet's unique interpretations of classic and contemporary children's literature are performed for school groups as well as the general public, and introduce many children to the wonder of live theatre for the very first time.

Elephant & Piggie's "We are in a Play!" will play performances on weekends for family audiences (Saturdays at 1pm and 4pm and Sundays at 1pm, except for opening weekend when there is only one performance on Saturday, October 10th at 4pm), and on weekday mornings for school groups, through October 25th.

During the run of Elephant & Piggie's "We are in a Play!" there are many opportunities for families to interact more with the theatre company. Every public performance will include pre-show activities and lobby displays, and children can meet the cast in the lobby for autographs after the show. As a special bonus, MainStreet will be partnering with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District for a Pancake "brunch" on Sunday, October 18th, and there will also be a short "talk-back" after that day's 1:00 PM performance.

Adults are encouraged to leave the kids at home for a special fundraising event the evening of October 10th. "For the Love of Wine" includes wine-tasting, savory appetizers, a live and silent auction, and more. Proceeds from the event will support MainStreet's programming.

Learn more about all of these special events, and check out the affordable ticket prices and family discounts by visiting the Lewis Family Playhouse's website: www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone or in person at the Playhouse Box Office: 909-477-2752. The box office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

The Lewis Family Playhouse, an intimate 550-seat venue, is located in the 89,000-square-foot Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. The complex is located off the I?15 at Foothill Boulevard, at 12505 Cultural Center Drive in Rancho Cucamonga. Free Parking is available.

For press tickets please contact Cristina Gorka at Cristina.Gorka@cityofrc.us or at 909.477-2775 x3707. For more information about the show or any of the special events, contact Murry Hepner at Mireya.Hepner@Cityofrc.us or at 909.477-2775 x3734.