Oregon Children's Theatre Presents FLY GUY

Buzz thinks he has the smartest pet in the world: a fly named Fly Guy! Fly Guy lovezzz to come to school with Buzz every day, and even makes his own fly friend, Fly Girl. Riding the bus to school is fun for the flies, but what happens when they find themselves on a field trip at a flyswatter factory? They'll have to outsmart the Super Swatter 6000 with their fancy fly movezzz to save the day!

Fly Guy: The Musical is based on the New York Times bestselling book series, Fly Guy, by Tedd Arnold. The musical is a combination of Hi! Fly Guy, Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl, and Fly Guy vs. Flyswatter. Hi! Fly Guy, and I Spy Fly Guy were both Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Books.

"I'm a huge fan of the Fly Guy series," says elementary school teacher Amanda Furman. "The books are cute and funny, Buzz and Fly Guy are great friends and nice to people, the words are easy AND there are chapters! [Fly Guy vs. Flyswatter] teaches us to be brave and help those who might not be able to help themselves."

Original music by Austin Zumbro will have hip-hop elements and accompanying breakdancing choreography by Broadway veteran Kemba Shannon. "Hip-hop and bug talk make Fly Guy a jammin' new musical. Austin Zumbro's poppin' music will delight audiences for years to come. In the words of Fly Guy, 'Wazzle wuzzle,' which means, 'Hot ticket, dude!'" -Director Stan Foote.

Reinforcing OCT's commitment to forging national partnerships, the play will be a simultaneous world premiere with Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) in California. Previous co-commissions between OCT and BACT include Bad Kitty: On Stage and The Magic School Bus Live: The Climate Challenge. In May of 2017, Fly Guy: The Musical will also be a featured presentation at One Theatre World, the most significant gathering of theater for young audiences in North America. BACT will host the event, which will include workshops, performances, classes, and other special events in the Bay Area.

The cast features Gerrin Mitchell as Fly Guy, Clayton Lukens as Buzz, Claire Rigsby as Fly Girl/Principal/Ensemble, Andy Haftkowycz as Roz/Fred the Fly/Ensemble, James Sharinghousen as Buzz's Dad/Factory Owner/Ensemble, Macy Pofahl as Liz/Ensemble, Lydia Ellis-Curry as Buzz's Mom/Liz's Mom, Marcelino Lauren Hernandez as Jamie/SuperSwatter 6000/Ensemble, Luisa Kashiwabara as Riley/Ensemble, and Allison Parker as Boots/Ensemble.

The creative team includes: Stan Foote (Director), Jeffrey Childs (Musical Director), Kemba Shannon (Choreographer), Tal Sanders (Scenic Designer), Emily Horton (Costume Designer), Kristeen Willis Crosser (Lighting Designer), John Berendzen (Sound Designer), and Emily Wilken (Props Master). Book, music, and lyrics by Austin Zumbro.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCE EVENTS
Before Every Performance: Come up to an hour early for a pre-show activity!

Following Every Performance: Meet the cast, take photos, and get your playbill autographed!

Saturday, January 14th, all shows: First Timer/First Saturday. $5 tickets for children attending theater for the first time. See www.octc.org for details.

Sunday, January 15th and February 12th: Grandparent Day. Join us for special senior (age 62+) ticket prices on the first and last Sunday of each show. Tickets are only $11 - $21.

Saturday, January 21st, 2:00 pm: Interpreted performance in American Sign Language.

Saturday, January 21st, all shows: Scout Day. Tickets for Girl and Boy Scouts are discounted 25%. Fun patches are available for sale for $2 each (order in advance!).

About Oregon Children's Theatre
Founded in 1988, Oregon Children's Theatre has served well over two million children, teachers, and families. Its mission is to create exceptional theater experiences that transform lives. OCT is Oregon's largest non-profit professional children's theater company and a resident company of Portland'5 Centers for the Arts. Performances are held weekdays for school audiences and on weekends for family audiences. OCT serves more than 120,000 children of all ages each year. OCT offers numerous school services including study guides, teacher professional development opportunities, in-school workshops, and an extensive outreach program. In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the Educational Theatre Program provides free touring productions that promote healthy living. OCT's year round Acting Academy offers theater classes for children ages 3-18 and Young Professionals Company, a mentoring program for teens.

Funding for Oregon Children's Theatre's 2016-2017 season is provided in part by the Shubert Foundation, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and Work for Art. Oregon Children's Theatre Company receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the State of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Book, music, and lyrics by Austin Zumbro. ™ & © Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, FLY GUY, and associated logos are trademarks of Scholastic Inc. Art © 2016 Tedd Arnold. Based on the book FLY GUY by Tedd Arnold. All rights reserved.

 

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