AVENUE Q to Celebrate World Puppetry Day in Times Square Next Week

AVENUE Q - the Tony Award-winning Best Musical that features a cast comprised of people and puppets - will celebrate WORLD PUPPETRY DAY on Monday, March 21 at 8:30 a.m. with an unprecedented large gathering of professional and amateur puppeteers and their puppets in Times Square (on the Red Steps at 47th St. and Broadway), it has been announced by Avenue Q's co-stars, puppets Kate Monster and Rod.

This WORLD PUPPETRY DAY event is open to the public: kids and adults are welcome to join the throng with their own puppet and be part of a large photo opportunity and press event.

Joining the Avenue Q cast will be puppets from other Broadway and Off-Broadway shows past and present, and by puppet troupes from all around NYC, along with kids and adults and their puppets from across NYC and beyond.

WORLD PUPPETRY DAY - first celebrated in 2003 and sanctioned by the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA) - was begun by Iranian puppet artist Javad Zolfaghari and is marked by puppet lovers around the world each year, including the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, which this year will mark the occasion with events on March 19.

Hosting the Times Square event on March 21 will be Avenue Q's co-stars Kate Monster, who plays a love struck kindergarten teaching assistant in the musical, and Rod, the show's beloved, closeted Wall Street investment banker.

Winner of 3 Tony Awards in 2004 - including Best Musical - Avenue Q is the hilarious and heartwarming tale of young people fresh out of college - people and puppets alike - who live as neighbors on a rundown street in NYC. Together they learn important life lessons about love, romance, sex, dating, unemployment, racism, schadenfreude and porn.

Effective now, Avenue Q has a special ticket offer for $45 for the March 21 performance. (Available by phone, at the box office or via Telecharge 212 -947-8844 with code AQWPD16). As well, Avenue Q is offering a $25 ticket on March 21st only (available only in person at the box office) to patrons who come to the theater with a puppet.

Featured in the current cast of Avenue Q: Elizabeth Berg, Katie Boren, Kerri Bracken, Grace Choi, Ben Durocher, Imari Hardon, Jason Jacoby, Nicholas Kohn, Michael Liscio, Jr., Jed Resnick and Danielle K. Thomas.

AVENUE Q has music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, book by Jeff Whitty, and is directed by Jason Moore with choreography by Ken Roberson. The musical is produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, Vineyard Theatre and The New Group.