A YEAR WITH FROG & TOAD Comes To DeBaun Center 5/8-17

DeBaun Center for Performing Arts is proud to present The Theater Company's production of A Year with Frog and Toad. This is the final production during the 10th Anniversary season for DeBaun Center. The show will run for two consecutive weekends on May 8 & 15, 2009 at 8 p.m. and May 9, 10, 16 & 17, 2009 at 3 p.m. at DeBaun Auditorium, Edwin A. Stevens Hall, 5th & Hudson Sts. in Hoboken, NJ.

A Year With Frog and Toad is a musical written by brothers Robert Reale (music) and Willie Reale (book and lyrics), based on the "Frog and Toad" children's stories written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The musical follows the woodland adventures of two amphibious friends, a worrywart toad and a perky frog, with their assorted colorful hopping, crawling and flying companions, over the course of a year. The show broke new ground by bringing professional children's theatre to Broadway, sparking the interest of the age 3-to-10 set.

Arnold Lobel's daughter, Adrianne Lobel, commissioned the musical based on her father's characters. She also designed the set, based on her father's writings. Her husband, actor Mark Linn-Baker, adapted the stories into a theatrical script, and later played Toad in the musical's Broadway debut. The intimate, 5-actor piece is frequently played throughout the country. A Year With Frog and Toad opened on Broadway at the Cort Theater on April 13, 2003 and closed on June 15, 2003, after 73 performances and 15 previews. The musical was honored with 2003 Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.

The Theater Company's production of A Year with Frog and Toad is directed and choreographed by Billy Mitchell, 6-time director at DeBaun Center for Performing Arts. Mitchell is joined by Tom Berger as the Musical Director for A Year with Frog and Toad. These two directors lead the talented 5-member ensemble cast, which includes Evan Martin as "Frog", Robert Gonzales Jr. as "Toad" with Jake Ottosen, Louise Stewart and Carly Vernon. For cast and director biographies and pictures, please visit the show's webpage at www.stevens.edu/thetheatercompany/FrogToad.html.

With this production, DeBaun Center is offering a Children's Theater Workshop with the A Year with Frog and Toad cast and director on May 9, 10, 16 & 17, 2009 at 1 p.m. The workshop is geared for all different skill levels, children ages 7-12, where they can learn about performing musical theater alongside theater professionals in a relaxed, hands-on and fun atmosphere. During the workshop, the attendees will learn a song and dance number from the show taught by the director and a cast member. Then, after seeing the show, the participants will get onstage and perform what they learned for the audience with the entire cast. The cost is $20 per child and includes admission to the 3 p.m. performance of A Year with Frog and Toad. Register your child for any of the dates at www.debauntickets.org.

Tickets for A Year with Frog and Toad are $15 for adults and $10 for students, seniors and children under 12. Discover Jersey Arts members can present their membership card and receive a "buy one ticket, get another ticket free" on Friday evening performances or a 20% discount off the ticket price for all other performances. To purchase tickets online, visit DeBaun Center's online Box Office at www.debauntickets.org. For more information, contact DeBaun Center's Box Office at 201-216-8937 or BoxOffice@debaun.org.

 

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