AMERICAN IDIOT Takes The Stage With Backyard Playhouse

Backyard Playhouse, a non-profit theatre company based in Thousand Oaks is presenting their Treetop Production of Green Day's American Idiot at the Studio Theater in the Simi Valley Town Center, running from October 9-18. The production takes a unique visual approach to the material, incorporating original video, animation, and multimedia elements into the live performance.

What makes the production particularly unusual is its director: four-time Emmy Award winner and Peabody Award winner, and Thousand Oaks local, Steve Loter, best known for his work directing and producing animated Disney projects including Kim Possible, Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast, and Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Steve is also currently executive producing an original animated series with Higher Ground, the production company founded by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.

This is Steve's first time directing a live musical, and he has brought his background in animation and visual storytelling into the theater in some unexpected ways. The production features original video work that interacts with the performers throughout the show, as well as an entirely animated sequence created specifically for the production.