Play!, Elephant and Piggie sing and dance their way through plenty of pachydermal
peril and swiney suspense, facing fundamental questions like: What do you wear to a
fancy costume pool party? Should you share your ice cream? And how can two friends
play with one toy? Backed by nutty back-up singers The Squirrelles and the bop-along
band of Dr. Cat and the Bear-a-Tones, Elephant and Piggie will have you doing the
“Flippy Floppy Floory” dance all night long!
Elephant & Piggie's We Are in A Play! is directed by Jerry Whiddon and
choreographed by Jessica Hartmann. Evan Casey and Lauren Williams, who received a
Helen Hayes award nomination for her performance, originated the roles of Elephant
Gerald and Piggie and will reprise their roles for the production’s Off-Broadway
Premiere at The New Victory Theater. Jamie Eacker (Squirrelle, Delivery Dog), Julia
Klavans (u/s Squirrelles), Jennie Lutz (Squirrelle, Ice Cream Penguin), Justine “Icy”
Moral (Squirrelle) and Christopher Michael Richardson (u/s Elephant Gerald) complete
the cast. Dr. Cat and the Bear-a-Tones includes Steven Landau on piano, Mike
Livingston on reeds, Kevin McNaughton on percussion and Joseph Wallace on double
bass.
The Elephant & Piggie book series received Geisel Honors in five consecutive years
from 2011-2015 with the Geisel Medal awarded to There is a Bird on Your Head in 2008
and Are You Ready to Play Outside? in 2009. Both Today I Will Fly and Elephants
Cannot Dance! were listed on Time magazine’s Top 10 Children’s Books of the Year in
2007 and 2009, respectively.
Author Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator for Sesame Street, where
he earned six Emmy awards for writing. He later created two animated television series,
The Off-Beats for Nickelodeon and Sheep in the Big City for Cartoon Network. Since
2003, Willems has authored children’s picture books, earning three Caldecott Honors
for Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and Knuffle
Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. Composer Deborah Wicks La Puma has been
honored with a Jane Chambers Playwriting award, the Robert M. Golden award, a
National Endowment for the Arts’ New American Works grant and two Helen Hayes
award nominations for Outstanding New Play.
The musical was commissioned in 2012 by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in Washington, D.C., where it had a sold-out run in the Family Theater in 2013. The
Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour brings original Kennedy Center
productions for students and families into communities and performing arts centers
around the country. Artistic teams consist of carefully selected professionals from all
corners of the nation who possess extensive experience with both youth and adult
theater. As one of the largest incubators of theater for kids and families, the team strives
to create shows that are delightful, educational and provide a foundation for a life-long
appreciation of the performing arts for audiences of all ages.
Learn more about Elephant & Piggie's We Are in A Play! on the New Victory website.