POLKADOTS: THE COOL KIDS MUSICAL to Play at Waldron Auditorium

This spring, Constellation Stage & Screen is presenting the world premiere of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical with puppets. Constellation is working directly with writer and two-time Emmy nominee Douglas Lyons (Chicken and Biscuits, Table 17, Fraggle Rock) and puppet maker Matthew Lish (Sesame Street at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop) to bring this story to life in a new way.

Running April 25 - May 11 at the Waldron Auditorium, this Constellation for Kids
show is a fun-filled story of friendship, acceptance, and celebrating what makes
you unique!

The musical follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the small, “Squares
Only” town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an
almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. Lily’s quest seems
hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her polkadot
skin blooms into an unexpected friendship. Inspired by the events of The Little Rock
9, Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson that reminds us that our individual
differences are what make us cool.

Constellation’s world premiere puppet version will be co-directed by Emmy winner
& Tony nominee John Tartaglia and co-directed and choreographed by Melanie
Tojio Lockyer. John Tartaglia began his professional career at the age of 16 as a
puppeteer for Sesame Street. He earned a Tony award nomination for his
Broadway debut in the dual roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q. He also
played Lumiere in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and originated the roles of
Pinocchio and the Magic Mirror in Shrek the Musical on Broadway. Most recently,
he finished filming the second season of the EMMY-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to
the Rock where he performs and serves as an executive producer, writer, and
puppet captain. Co-director Melanie is a performer and director, having directed
the national tours of Nickelodeon/VStar/Cirque du Soleil’s Baby Shark Live and
Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues & You. She also served as the associate director for
Allegiance on Broadway. Joining the creative team are Music Director Rashad
McPherson, Puppet Maker Matthew Lish, Stage Manager Mitchell Ward, Scenic
Designer Shane Cinal, Lighting Designer Michelle Mann, Costume Designer Becky
Underwood, and Sound Designer David Sheehan.

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