Northern Stage Presents MR. POPPERS PENGUINS 5/14-23

Northern Stage, the region's professional theater, concludes its 2009 - 2010 Family Theater Series with a brand new musical adaptation of the beloved Newbery Honor book Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater. The book was adapted for the stage by Jody Davidson, who also wrote the lyrics; the music is by Brett Schrier.

The show will be performed on Fri., May 14 at 7:00 p.m.; Sat., May 15 at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.; Sun., May 16 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.; Sat., May 22 at 3:00 p.m.; and Sun., May 23 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m., at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction, VT. Weekday matinee performances have also been scheduled for school groups. The play is recommended for ages 4 to adult.

Northern Stage's Family Theater Series provides an opportunity for area families to enjoy great live theater together, with family-friendly fare at family-friendly prices.

The School Matinee Program is sponsored in part by Hypertherm. For information about school matinees, contact the Department of Education at 802-291-7029.

Mr. Popper's Penguins is produced and performed by the Northern Stage Ensemble, a group of the most talented young theater artists in the region, along with special guest adult artists.

Tickets are on sale now by calling the Northern Stage Box Office at 802-296-7000. Tickets can also be purchased anytime via the secure Northern Stage Web site, www.northernstage.org. Tickets range from $12-$23 for adults and $6-$15 for children.

The cast includes student performers from Hanover, Plainfield and Lebanon, NH; and Brattleboro, Norwich, Sharon, South Royalton and White River Junction, VT, among many other towns. The cast also features a number of adult guest artists, including Scott Davidson and Catherine Doherty as Mr. and Mrs. Popper. Both have performed multiple times with Northern Stage.

About the Play
Mr. Popper's Penguins, based on the 1938 book, follows the exploits of Mr. Popper, a house painter and armchair explorer who dreams of travel and adventure but lacks the means. After Mr. Popper writes in admiration to Antarctic explorer Admiral Drake, the admiral surprises the Popper family by shipping them a penguin. One penguin turns into many, and Mr. Popper suddenly has a lot of extra mouths to feed. So he decides to teach them to perform and take them on the road. The result is mischief, hilarity and fun.

Mr. Popper's Penguins, published in 1938, was named a Newbery Honor Book in 1939.

About the Book's Author
Richard Atwater (1892 - 1948) was a Chicago journalist. He wrote for the Chicago Evening Post, the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Tribune and the Herald-Examiner. He also contributed to the literary and arts magazine The Chicagoan and taught Greek at the University of Chicago. In 1932, after watching a documentary about Richard E. Byrd's Antarctic expedition, Atwater began writing Mr. Popper's Penguins. A stroke suffered in 1934, however, forced him to stop writing. His wife, Florence Hasseltine Atwater, completed the book. Other books by Richard Atwater include Rickety Rhymes of Riq (1925) and Doris and the Trolls (1931).

About the Stage Authors
JODY DAVIDSON (Stage Adaptation, Lyrics) has the unique distinction of being the only person to ever found and lead three separate companies each named "Best New Children's Theatre in the United States." She has served as advisor and theater education specialist for the Kennedy Center, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Committee*Arts for the Handicapped, and the national and international Very Special Arts Festivals and was featured in PEOPLE magazine for her work as a theater educator. She is a published playwright and has authored several books on the subject of theater and the disabled, as well as a novel for young readers about getting started in professional theater. Rounding out her résumé in the industry, Ms. Davidson worked as a theatrical agent and personal manager for young actors in film, television, commercials and theater. Throughout her career, Ms. Davidson has taught acting and creative drama to more than 50,000 individuals, from pre-school to college age.

Brett Schrier (Music) has an extensive musical theatre resumé which includes composing, musical directing, conducting, vocal coaching, acting and directing. He wrote the music for Northern Stage's World Premiere musical Take Two. Brett attended The Boston Conservatory, where he pioneered a program and graduated with an individualized degree in Musical Direction for the Musical Theatre. Since graduation, Brett has worked in venues across the world. Some of his most recent credits include I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, 42nd Street (National Tour), Hairspray (National Tour), Les Misérables, CATS, Miss Saigon, The Will Rogers Follies, Fiddler On The Roof, Disney's Beauty And The Beast, and A Chorus Line. As a director, his work has come to life at some of the most reputable regional theaters throughout the country and includes The Fantasticks, Grease and Forever Plaid. His arrangements are continually performed at distinguished New York City venues including Ars Nova, Joe's Pub, The Duplex, and The Knitting Factory. Brett also serves as Music Director for Broadway In South Africa. He currently resides in New York City, where he continues to write and develop original musicals, in addition to working as a private vocal coach to some of Broadway's most gifted stars. His newest original work, Substitute Dreams: A New Musical, is currently in development - and recently premiered with a successful AEA Staged Reading in New York City. Brett is a proud member of ASCAP - The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

About Northern Stage

Northern Stage is a professional regional theater company that operates under a LORT-D Actors' Equity contract, presenting a mainstage season of seven shows and a Family Theater Series of three shows per year. The performers, designers and technicians are selected from the finest talent in New York and around the country, and many have Broadway or National Tour credits. Founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Brooke Wetzel Ciardelli, the company has produced over 80 productions, including World Premieres such as Take Two, The Shrew Tamer, The "O" Myths and A Christmas Carol: The Musical, as well as numerous regional premieres. Other highlights include a staged reading of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Patrick Stewart and Lisa Harrow and a reading of Resurrection Blues, with the playwright, Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Miller, in attendance. The company has won Moss Hart Awards for Excellence in Theater from the New England Theatre Conference three times, for productions of To Kill A Mockingbird (1999), All My Sons (2004) and Les Miserables (2008). The production of The Shrew Tamer picked up an Addison Award in 2004 from Theater Mirror.

The company's acclaimed production of I Am My Own Wife traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Harare (Zimbabwe) International Festival of the Arts, and numerous productions have featured actors from around the world. Northern Stage offers a fully professional Theater Arts Education Program, including school residencies and workshops, The Ensemble and Project Playwright, which brings professional playwrights into elementary schools to guide students in writing their own plays.

The company sells over 30,000 tickets per year. Patrons enjoy entertaining and thought-provoking professional theater and theater education at the crossroads of northern New England.

For information or tickets, call 802-296-7000, e-mail boxoffice@northernstage.org, or log on to www.northernstage.org. The Box Office at the Briggs Opera House is open beginning two hours before every performance; tickets for all shows are available by phone or at the Northern Stage administrative office at 28 Gates Street, White River Junction, Monday-Friday from 10 am.-6 p.m. MasterCard and VISA are accepted.

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