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.
More Hot Stories For You

March 23, 2023
Closing out the 2022/23 season, Marin Theatre Company will present the West Coast premiere of Brian Quijada’s Where Did We Sit on the Bus?.

March 23, 2023
Pittsburg Theatre Company presents Ah, Wilderness! by Eugene O'Neill, America's only Nobel Prize winning playwright. This timeless story of love, family and youthful discovery will be performed at the California Theatre from April 21st to April 30th.

March 22, 2023
Due to popular demand, The Never Too Late Show starring Don Reed, an inspirational comic tale about never giving up, has been extended by The Marsh Berkeley for an additional month-long run.

March 21, 2023
San Francisco Playhouse will present the comedy Chinglish by Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist David Henry Hwang.

March 18, 2023
Bay Area Cabaret will present the highly anticipated cabaret debut of Julie Benko, Broadway's sensational Funny Girl standby-to-breakout star as Fanny Brice, and Jason Yeager, the highly praised jazz pianist-composer, in their new hit show, Hand in Hand, on Sunday, April 16 at 5 p.m., at the elegant Venetian Room.