What's All the Buzz? Bay Area Children's Theatre Debuts FLY GUY, THE MUSICAL

An insect for a pet? Flies are pests, not pets, right? Well, young Buzz and his new friend, Liz, know otherwise, and their adventures with their zippy, winged companions have the whole town, umm, buzzing!

Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) opens its world premiere production of Fly Guy, the Musical, Saturday, April 8, at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94703, where it will play weekends at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. through Sunday, May 7. The production then moves to San Ramon and San Francisco (see dates, venues, below).

Inspired by the popular Fly Guy books by author and illustrator Tedd Arnold, this rollicking new musical will have families cheering for Fly Guy and his pal, Fly Girl, and delighting in their antics, as their caring friendships help them overcome all the challenges they face.

Fly Guy, the Musical, is conceived and directed by BACT's Nina Meehan and features book, music and lyrics by Oakland-based playwright and composer Austin Zumbro, whose award-winning work for BACT includes Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical and The Day the Crayons Quit-the Musical. The show, a co-commission with Oregon Children's Theatre, is recommended for age 4 and up.

TICKETS: $25 adults, $23 seniors, $20 children, $15 groups (minimum 15)

BOX OFFICE: www.bactheatre.org or call (510) 296-4433

The Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse is easily accessible by BART, a BACT Community Partner.

Show Will Play in San Ramon, San Francisco

After its Berkeley run, Fly Guy, the Musical, moves to San Ramon, with performances on May 13-14 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, 10550 Albion Road, San Ramon, CA 94582.

Fly Guy, the Musical, completes its Bay Area debut in San Francisco at the Children's Creativity Museum Theater, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, where it will play weekends, Saturday, May 20, through Sunday, June 11, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Artists

Nina Meehan, executive artistic director of the Bay Area Children's Theatre, has directed numerous productions for the company, including, most recently, The Wheels on the Bus (Theatre for the Very Young); A Year With Frog and Toad; BACT's original production of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site-The Musical, which won six awards at the 2016 Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Awards Celebration, including Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Direction of a Musical, and Outstanding World Premiere Musical; The Day the Crayons Quit-the Musical, and James and the Giant Peach. She champions new works for young audiences and has produced original adaptations of BACT's award-winning Where the Mountain Meets the Moon; Ivy+Bean, the Musical; Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Musical, and many others. An award-winning youth theatre director, she has worked throughout the Bay Area as an actress, educator, storyteller, and director. Meehan serves on the Theatre Services Committee for Theatre Bay Area and the Board of Directors for TYA/USA. She received her BS in Theatre from Northwestern University and her Masters in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Austin Zumbro, playwright, lyricist, composer, and improv actor, is the creative force behind BACT's world premiere of Fly Guy, the Musical, the company's award-winning original production of Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site-The Musical, and its acclaimed original production ofThe Day the Crayons Quit-the Musical. For BACT, Zumbro has also created two comedies, Lemony Snicket's The Lump of Coal and Rudolph the Ugly Duckling. His BACT Productions for schools, including The Gold Rush Musical; Labcoats and Scapegoats: A Science Fair Musicalamity; andRock the Block: A Walk and Roll Musical, have been seen by more than 100,000 students in the Bay Area. An Oakland native, Zumbro graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Human Biology.