Catch Little Amal Drifts Off To Sleep Saturday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Maggie Daley Park

 

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival invites Chicago to help Little Amal drift off to sleep at her final Chicago tour stop, Saturday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Maggie Daley Park

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival invites Chicago to meet Little Amal, the 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, at the final stop on her upcoming Chicago tour, Saturday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Maggie Daley Park, 337 E. Randolph St. in downtown Chicago. The free outdoor show, a Chicago Puppet Studio-built spectacle performance titled Little Amal drifts off to sleep, imagines Amal finding a place to sleep for the night. When she curls up under the night moon, dreams of her journey awaken in Amal as she battles visions of storms and unruly cities in her dream of finding a safe and happy home. Little Amal drifts off to sleep is the final Chicago stop in the Amal Walk Across America Tour. The piece is conceived, co-designed and co-directed by Blair Thomas, Artistic Director, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Jerrell L. Henderson is co-director, and Tom Lee, Co-Director of the festival’s Chicago Puppet Studio, is co-designer. Original live music is by Mark Messing.

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is one of more than 300 artists, museums and cultural institutions nationwide hosting welcome events on the current Amal Walks Across America Tour, one of the largest free public festivals ever created.  Starting in Boston on September 7 and culminating on November 5 in San Diego, Amal will visit more than 37 towns and cities on a 6,000-mile journey through the nation’s capital, the Midwest, the South and along the Southern border. Little Amal has already traveled across 13 countries meeting more than a million people, and watched by tens of millions more online. She walks for the hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people roaming the world in search of safety, half of whom are children. Amal does not speak, but she does give voice to marginalized people, and she is welcomed by ordinary people and people of power. Her walk unites communities and refocuses attention on the urgent needs of refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers, and highlights the rich cultures and contributions immigrants bring with them.  For more information and Amal’s U.S. tour schedule, visit walkwithamal.org.

Watch the Amal Walks Across America trailer 

(left) Chicago Puppet Studio Coordinator Zach Sun in one of the cars designed by  Tom Lee that Little Amal will encounter in Little Amal drifts off to sleep. (right) Chicago Puppet Studio builder Emilie Wingate holds two prototypes of the deer puppets that  Little Amal will meet in Little Amal drifts off to sleep.

Chicago Puppet Studio builder Averly Shelstraw paints the native Illinois species of fish that Little Amal will encounter in Little Amal drifts off to sleep.

Amal was designed and built by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, creators of the award-winning puppets for the hit show War Horse. Amal is inspired by a character in Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s play The Jungle, about a refugee camp in Calais, France.  Amal Walks Across America is produced by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company. The Walk Productions is led by David Lan and Tracey Seaward. Playwright/Director Amir Nizar Zuabiserves as Artistic Director, Sarah Loader is Executive Producer, and the Associate Artistic Directors are Khadijat Oseni and Enrico Dau Yang Wey.  The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival’s free spectacle is made possible by support from Kristy and Brandon Moran, with in-kind support from Spoke & Bird Cafe. Other local organizations hosting welcome events for Little Amal during her Chicago visit, September 28-30, include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and local community partners Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Chicago Refugee Coalition, Literacy Volunteers of Illinois, Madonna Mission, MedGlobal and New American Welcome Center University YMCA.

About the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest of its kind in North America, attracting more than 14,000 audience members annually to dozens of Chicago venues large and small to enjoy an entertaining and eclectic array of puppet styles from around the world.  Mark your calendar: the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is January 18-28, 2024.  Festival offices are in Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., where the Chicago Puppet Studio also creates puppets for theaters and special events around the U.S., and the Chicago Puppet Lab incubates Chicago artists creating new, original puppetry work through workshops and residencies.  For more, visit chicagopuppetfest.org. Sign up for the festival’s e-newsletter to receive first notice on special events, festival updates, exclusive offers, and behind-the-strings scoop. Or, follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram, hashtag #ChiPuppetFest.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Presents THE WALK WITH LITTLE AMAL a Free Event on September 28, in Partnership with Navy Pier

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List THE WALK WITH LITTLE AMAL Featuring Uniting Voices, with A.B.L.E. (Artists Breaking Limits and Expectations), Chicago Children’s Museum,  and the Syrian Community Network The 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child has travelled over 5,500 miles to nearly 100 cities and will make her first Chicago appearance at Chicago Shakespeare

Chicago Shakespeare Theater welcomes The Walk with Little Amal, the internationally celebrated 12‑foot‑tall puppet of a 10‑year‑old girl, as part of her epic 6,000‑mile journey across the United States this fall. Amal will make her first appearance in Chicago at the Theater’s iconic marquee on Navy Pier, proceeding from Lake Michigan toward the city’s skyline, in a free event for all ages on September 28 at 5:30 p.m. Presented in partnership with Navy Pier, the event will feature a performance by Uniting Voices (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir), along with appearances by A.B.L.E. and Chicago Children’s Museum, in collaboration with the Syrian Community Network. As she arrives in Chicago, Amal will ask, “What city, friends, is this?”—echoing Shakespeare’s poignant line from Twelfth Night—and explore belonging in a new place through the vibrancy and joy of art and expression. Audiences of all ages will join performers and partners to welcome Amal, helping her turn an overwhelming arrival in an unfamiliar place into a celebration of her own capacity for creating beauty and finding community. Her journey on the Pier will begin in front of Chicago Shakespeare and will conclude at Polk Bros Park. At the event, audiences will have the opportunity to learn more about and donate to local groups working to support asylum seekers in Chicago. Amal’s visit to the Pier will begin outside Chicago Shakespeare with a traditional welcome by the Syrian Community Network, followed by an invitation to engage with performers from A.B.L.E. near Navy Pier's Wave Wall. During a stop outside Chicago Children’s Museum, Amal will greet the 16‑foot‑tall “Flyboy” sculpture by Chicago artist Hebru Brantley, a tribute to the importance of childhood for all to realize every child’s potential. The event coincides with a puppet-themed Free Family Day at the Museum from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In Amal’s final stop at the Pier, more than 70 members of the youth choir Uniting Voices will perform their original song “We All Live Here” in Polk Bros Park. Amal’s time in Chicago is part of her Walk Across America, for which more than 35 towns and cities from Boston to San Diego and more than 1,000 artists and arts organizations will create hundreds of events to welcome her. Amal’s journeys of art and hope celebrate the rich stories of refugees, immigrants and displaced people, and the communities that welcome them. Everyone is welcome to walk with Amal. The Walk with Little Amal is part of Chicago Shakespeare’s WorldStage Series, which has featured more than 1,300 artists in 97 productions from 22 countries spanning six continents to date. The series has welcomed some of the globe’s most exciting theatrical events, affording theatergoers prime opportunities to experience different cultural traditions and must‑see international shows without leaving Chicago. This free event, presented in partnership with community organizations, is also a component of Chicago Shakespeare CoLab, the Theater’s ongoing engagement initiatives that include cornerstone program Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks; co-created workshops and events with arts partners and community-based organizations; and opportunities for partner arts organizations to share Chicago Shakespeare’s stages. More information about this event can be found at www.chicagoshakes.com/littleamal or on social media at @chicagoshakes and @walkwithamal. The Walk with Little Amal will be presented September 28, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. beginning outside the Chicago Shakespeare Theater marquee on Navy Pier (800 E. Grand Avenue). Free admission for audiences of all ages; no tickets or advance reservations required. For more information, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com. ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, the Theater’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. Chicago Shakespeare is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, the Theater works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On the Theater’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire. www.chicagoshakes.com. ABOUT OUR PARTNERS Little Amal Little Amal is the 12‑foot‑tall puppet of a 10‑year‑old Syrian refugee child at the heart of The Walk. She has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees. Since July 2021, Amal has travelled over 5,500 miles to nearly 100 towns and cities in 15 countries and been welcomed by more than a million people on the street, including hundreds of artists and civil society and faith leaders, as well as by tens of millions online. Her journeys are festivals of art and hope that draw attention to the huge numbers of children fleeing war, violence and persecution, each with their own story. Her urgent message to the world is “Don’t forget about us”. Learn more at www.walkwithamal.org. Navy Pier Navy Pier is the People’s Pier, Chicago’s lakefront treasure, welcoming all and offering dynamic and eclectic experiences through partnerships and programs that inspire discovery and wonder. Since its reopening in 1995, more than 180 million guests have come to enjoy the Pier’s 50 acres of unparalleled attractions and experiences. In 2023, Navy Pier continues to evolve into an accessible, year-round centerpiece for Chicago’s diverse arts and cultural treasures. Learn more at www.navypier.org. Uniting Voices Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir) is a nonprofit organization that empowers and unites youth from diverse backgrounds to find their voice and celebrate their common humanity through the power of music. Founded in 1956 and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, Uniting Voices Chicago provides accessible music education to youth ages 6-18 from every zip code of Chicago. With hundreds of choirs across 80+ Chicago schools; achievements that include international tours and collaborations with world renowned artists; and, a network of more than 50,000 alumni around the globe, Uniting Voices is taking the next step to empower a new generation of changemakers. More information at www.unitingvoiceschicago.org. A.B.L.E. (Artist Breaking Limits and Expectations) A.B.L.E.—Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations—is celebrating their 7th anniversary of creating theatre and film projects for, with, and by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A.B.L.E. engages actors ages 13 and up through performance ensembles, specialized workshops, and outreach programming. Whether in person or online, all A.B.L.E. programs strive to foster agency, and nurture lifelong skills like communication, collaboration, and creativity. A.B.L.E.’s ensembles have produced more than 25 projects for the stage and screen, ranging from adaptations of theatrical classics by Shakespeare, Dickens, and Gilbert & Sullivan, to original pieces. A.B.L.E.’s feature films have been recognized by several local and international festivals. By placing people with disabilities in the spotlight, A.B.L.E.’s work strives to shift societal preconceptions, and build more inclusive, empathetic communities. For more information about A.B.L.E., please visit www.ableensemble.com and find them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Chicago Children’s Museum The mission of Chicago Children's Museum (CCM) is to improve children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect. CCM is dedicated to young children and the important adults in their lives. Play-filled experiences, including more than 15 interactive exhibits and daily programming, tap into how kids learn, and engage from ages 0-10 to develop the foundation for a lifelong love of learning. In its last fiscal year, CCM hosted more than 400,000 visitors. For more information, please visit www.ChicagoChildrensMuseum.org. Syrian Community Network The Syrian Community Network is a refugee and immigrant support organization that builds community and serves families by addressing their evolving needs. SCN envisions a United States that is welcoming to all immigrants and refugees. We define this as a United States that unapologetically advocates for the safety, autonomy, and agency of all — extending to the most marginalized in our communities. More at www.syriancommunitynetwork.org.

FREE 125th Anniversary Celebration at Chicago’s Fine Arts Building Friday, October 13 from 5-9 p.m.

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List: Free Family Friendly Fun 

Chicago’s Fine Arts Building hosts 125th Anniversary Celebration

including a free concert in the renovated Studebaker Theater

Friday, October 13 from 5-9 p.m.

Photo credit for all, Bonnie Kenaz-Mara unless otherwise noted

Mayor Brandon Johnson declares 

Fine Arts Building Day on Oct. 13th

Spend your Friday the 13th this year with a bit of history, a dash of mystery, and rides in some of the last manually operated elevators in Chicago. Within the next two years, modern elevators will replace the ornate Otis cars and another slice of history will disappear from the public eye. 

Photo credit for all, Bonnie Kenaz-Mara unless otherwise noted

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've seen so many fabulous shows and events at Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building and we still notice artistic flourishes in the architecture that we've never seen before. Check it out. 

Come explore this art immersions event featuring dozens of artistic tenants, including Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Opera Theater, Exile in Bookville, Jazz Institute of Chicago, Liederstube, Monsieur Pamplemousse, Natya Dance Theatre, Press Here Studio and the Second Floor Art Gallery exhibiting Don Yang

Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building (410 S. Michigan Avenue) marks its 125th anniversary with a major public celebration on Friday, October 13 from 5-9 p.m. that activates all ten floors of this Chicago Landmark, an artist haven since its founding in October 1898. Mayor Brandon Johnson has declared Oct. 13 Fine Arts Building Day in Chicago “in recognition of [this] milestone 125th anniversary” and to “encourage all residents to support this historic landmark.”

The Fine Arts Building is a home for art in all forms: from pioneers like Poetry magazine’s founding publisher Harriet Monroe, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, sculptor Lorado Taft and the Chicago Little Theatre, to the ongoing legacies of painters, musicians, booksellers, puppeteers, dancers, photographers and craftspeople who inhabit the building today, the Fine Arts Building is buzzing with more than a century of Chicago creativity and innovation.

The 125th Anniversary Celebration on October 13 will include a free concert at 7:30 p.m. in the newly renovated Studebaker Theater from Dr. Yulia Lipmanovich, a distinguished concert pianist and piano teacher based in the Fine Arts Building. The Studebaker originally opened with a piano recital by Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler in 1898, and Dr. Lipmanovich will be recreating some of Zeisler’s original setlist to commemorate the theater’s 125th anniversary. Advance registration for the concert program is free and recommended at fineartsbuilding.com/events/125.

An expanded version of the building’s monthly Second Fridays open studios events, the 125th Anniversary Celebration highlights artistic tenants throughout the building, ranging from music, dance and puppetry to literature, fine art and jewelry—illustrating the full range of art forms that fill the halls of the Fine Arts Building today.

Photo credit for all, Bonnie Kenaz-Mara unless otherwise noted

Programming highlights of the October 13 celebration include (with event locations):

Chicago Human Rhythm Project (Studio 300) will present a “Taste O’Tap” with opportunities for visitors to learn the first steps of the Shim Sham (national tap dance anthem) as well as demonstrations of lesser-seen tap choreographies to classical music, swing and old standards such as “I've Got You Under My Skin.”

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival (Studio 433) will present an overflowing display of handmade puppets and flowers, created for a special public spectacle in Maggie Daley Park to welcome Little Amal to Chicago.

Chicago Opera Theater (Studio 404) will present a series of live musical performances in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Exile in Bookville (Studio 210) will highlight an all-star group of authors as guest booksellers throughout the evening.

Jazz Institute of Chicago (lobby) will present performances from a jazz combo 5-7 p.m.

Liederstube (Studio 721), which presents classical music in intimate and informal settings, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. They will perform selections of their greatest hits, inviting visitors to gather around the piano and sing art songs.

Monsieur Pamplemousse custom jewelry by Alex Agudo (Studio 702) will walk guests through the making of a bracelet or key chain pendant with a special 125th anniversary message. Limited edition for the first 100 guests.

Natya Dance Theatre (Curtiss Hall) will perform the dance theater of India known as Bharatanatyam, which combines percussive footwork, geometrical body movements, hand gestures and facial expressions to convey profound messages.

Press Here Studio (Studio 419) will present the Center for Mad Culture’s interactive exhibition “It’s Not Art Therapy” by Sandie Yi and Katie O’Neill, as well as a reading and book signing with MV Perry, who will read from his new novel A Revolution of the Mind.

The Second Floor Art Gallery (2nd Floor), curated by Stanley Smith of Oak Street Design, will open a new show featuring the plein air paintings of fellow Fine Arts Building tenant and artist Don Yang, showcasing the architectural icons of Chicago and the surrounding areas.

New historic exhibits Art Alone Endures and Staging Ground (5th Floor) offer “windows into history,” sharing stories of the artists and companies that have called the Fine Arts Building home over the past 125 years. The exhibits are free and open to the public daily during normal business hours. A self-guided walking tour of historic sites and artists’ studios throughout the building is available online at fineartsbuilding.com/map. 

Additional tenants participating in the 125th Anniversary Celebration include: Ann Pickett Studio and Gallery; portrait artist Lou Ann Burkhardt; Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras; painter, illustrator and editorial cartoonist Richard Laurent; Patrice Olsen Fine Art, presenting drawing, painting and photography for social justice; Ossia Musical Forum, a musical academy and chamber music concert booking specialist; and abstract artist James Tansley.

Second Fridays open studios are free to attend at the Fine Arts Building on the second Friday of every month from 5-9 p.m., and include gallery openings, special performances and artistic demonstrations. For more information, visit fineartsbuilding.com/second-fridays.

The Fine Arts Building is a home for art in all forms: from pioneers like Poetry magazine’s founding publisher Harriet Monroe, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, sculptor Lorado Taft and the Chicago Little Theatre, to the ongoing legacies of painters, musicians, booksellers, puppeteers, dancers, photographers and craftspeople who inhabit the building today, the Fine Arts Building is buzzing with more than a century of Chicago creativity and innovation. A Chicago Landmark since 1978, the building features original manually-operated elevators, Art Nouveau murals from the late 19th century and the recently renovated Studebaker Theater, one of the city’s oldest and most significant live theatrical venues.

 

Final 2 photos by Alexander Utz and Mikel Pickett

Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas November 14-December 31, 2023 at Chicago’s historic Studebaker Theater

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

Complete casting announced for the live theatrical adaptation of

Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas

Music and Lyrics by Academy Award Winner Paul Williams,

Book by Timothy Allen McDonald and Christopher Gattelli,

Directed and Choreographed by Tony Award Winner Christopher Gattelli

Starring Andy Mientus as Emmet Otter with Kathleen Monteleone as Ma

TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR THE LIMITED RUN

November 14-December 31, 2023

at Chicago’s historic Studebaker Theater

Casting for the live theatrical adaptation of “Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas” is now set for the Chicago premiere production, November 14-December 31, 2023, at the Studebaker Theater at the historic Fine Arts Building, 410 South Michigan Avenue. Based on the beloved television special originally created by the legendary puppeteer Jim Henson, this family-friendly musical features music and lyrics by Paul Williams (The Muppet Movie), with book by lead producer Timothy Allen McDonald (Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach) and director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli (Newsies). Packed with puppets created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and starring Andy Mientus (Broadway’s Spring Awakening, Les Misérables) in the title role and Kathleen Monteleone (Broadway’s Hands on a Hardbody) as Ma, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas is a heartwarming celebration of the true spirit of the holidays. I'll be out for the press opening on November 20th so check back shortly after for my full review.

Tickets, starting at $43, are now on sale at the Studebaker Theatre box office (410 South Michigan Avenue), fineartsbuilding.com/studebaker/, and 312-753-3210. Private balcony boxes for up to 6 people are available for family-friendly pricing of $300, including fees. Group reservations (8 or more people) are currently available through Group Tix and Tours at www.grouptixandtours.com.

Direct from its triumphant New York City run, Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas brings the beloved television special to life, live on stage. Hailed by The New York Times for its “enchanting puppets” created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and “superb score” by Academy Award®–winning songwriter Paul Williams, this 75-minute tale takes us to Frogtown Hollow, where Ma and Emmet Otter risk what little they have to make each other’s holiday dreams come true. Directed by Tony Award® winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, SpongeBob: The Musical, “Schmigadoon”), this very merry musical is a heartwarming celebration perfect for the entire family.

Leading the cast are Andy Mientus (Broadway’s Spring Awakening, Les Misérables, TV’s “Smash” and “The Flash”) in the role of Emmet Otter, and Kathleen Monteleone (Broadway’s Hands On A Hardbody, TV’s “Good Behavior”) as Ma. The cast also includes Jordan Brownlee (Puppeteer/Doc Bullfrog), Nick Cearley (Charlie Muskrat), Kevin Covert (Mayor Fox), Adam Fane (Understudy), Matt Furtado (Puppeteer/Stan Weasel), Sharriese Hamilton (Mrs. Mink), Steven Hunyn (Wendell Porcupine, u/s Emmet Otter), Ben Mathew (Harvey Beaver), Leah Morrow (Swing), Anney Ozar (Puppeteer/Old Lady Possum), Emily Rohm (Gretchen Fox), James Silson (Puppeteer/Snake), Sawyer Smith (Madame Squirrel), and David Stephens (Puppeteer/Yancy Woodchuck).

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas is a theatrical adaptation of Jim Henson’s television special and is based on the illustrated book Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban. The acclaimed musical premiered at Goodspeed Opera House in 2008 and played Off-Broadway at the New Victory Theater in December of 2021.

This Production of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas was Licensed by Music Theatre International.

The music and lyrics for Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas are written by the legendary Paul Williams, the recipient of an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three Grammy Awards. His songs "The Rainbow Connection" and “Evergreen" are included in the American Film Institute's List of Top Movie Songs of All Time. The New York Times called Williams’s score for Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas “as playful as it is heart-whole beautiful.”

The book is co-written by lead producer Timothy Allen McDonald (Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, Between The Lines, and The Book Thief) and director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli (Tony Award Winner for his Newsies choreography, and choreographer of SpongeBob the Musical and AppleTV+’s Schmigadoon!). Of the 2021 run, The New York Times hailed “the message, which celebrates fellow feeling and mutual care, is especially welcome right now,” while Hollywood Soapbox called it “an important staple of any holiday season.”

Puppets are created by the iconic Jim Henson’s Creature Shop (My Neighbor Totoro, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock). Scenic design for Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas is by three-time Tony nominee Anna Louizos (In The Heights, High Fidelity, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood), with costume design by two-time Tony winner Gregg Barnes (Follies and The Drowsy Chaperone), lighting design by Obie Award winner and Tony Nominee Jen Schriever (Death of a Salesman and A Strange Loop), and sound design is by Emmy Award winner Matt Kraus (“Disney's Broadway Hits at Royal Hall”). The New York Times raved of the production “the sets are charming and transporting, the costumes elegant.” The orchestrations are by Dan DeLange (Oliver nominated production of Showboat, Goodspeed Musicals) and the music supervisor is Larry Pressgrove (Tony nominated production of [title of show]). Two-time Tony nominee Alexander Robertson (The Wiz; New York, New York; and The Piano Lesson) is Senior Associate Producer.

Follow Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok at EmmetOtterLive. The official website is www.EmmetOtterLive.com.

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

PAUL WILLIAMS (he/him, Composer/Lyricist) – Lyricist and composer Paul Williams has won an Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards, three Grammys, an Ivor Novello, and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. "The Rainbow Connection" and “Evergreen" grace the American Film Institute's List of Top Movie Songs of All Time. His song scores include The Muppet Movie and The Muppet Christmas Carol, Bugsy Malone, Ishtar, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, and Phantom of the Paradise. Writing with Gustavo Santaolalla for the animated film, The Book of Life, Williams received a World Soundtrack Award for their “Apology Song" and the pair recently co-wrote "If It's To Be" for “Maya and The Three.” As President and Chairman of the Board of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Paul Williams is also a leading spokesman for music creators in the digital age.

TIMOTHY ALLEN MCDONALD (he/him, Lead Producer/Co-Book Writer) – Librettist credits: Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach (Benj Pasek, Justin Paul), Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (Paul Williams, Christopher Gattelli), Between The Lines (Elyssa Samsel, Kate Anderson), Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley), The Big One-Oh! (Dean Pitchford, Doug Besterman), The Book Thief (Jodi Picoult, Elyssa Samsel, Kate Anderson) and Breathe (inducted into the Library of Congress representing musical theatre authors' response to the COVID-19 pandemic). Tim is also the Founder of Junior Theater Festivals and Founder and CEO of iTheatrics, which adapts musicals for performance by young people all over the globe. 36 million people attend performances of these adapted musicals annually in North America - three times the annual audience for Broadway shows. iTheatrics adaptations are licensed by Concord Theatricals (Youth Edition musicals) and Music Theatre International (Broadway Junior musicals).

CHRISTOPHER GATTELLI (he/him, Director/Choreographer/Co-Book Writer) received the 2012 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his choreography of Newsies. Additional Broadway choreography credits include The King and I, SpongeBob the Musical, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Sunday in the Park with George, The Cher Show, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Casa Valentina, Amazing Grace, Godspell, The Ritz, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, 13, and High Fidelity. Christopher choreographed South Pacific and My Fair Lady at the Sydney Opera House, directed and choreographed Silence! The Musical Off-Broadway, Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (Goodspeed), Departure Lounge (The Public Theater) and In Your Arms (New York Stage and Film and The Old Globe). Other select Off-Broadway credits: Altar Boyz, Bat Boy: The Musical, and Dogfight. West End and London credits include South Pacific, Sunday in the Park with George, and tick, tick...BOOM! Christopher's choreography is currently featured on the Apple TV+ musical comedy series “Schmigadoon!”, and TBS' “Miracle Brothers.” Christopher choreographed the Coen brothers' film Hail, Caesar! as well as Warner Brothers' Isn't It Romantic. Upcoming: the Netflix animated feature film The Monkey King, and Wonka.

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ provides digital puppetry, animatronic creatures, animation, and soft puppets to the international film, television, theater, live event and advertising industries. Recent credits include My Neighbor Totoro, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (Apple TV+), Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time (discovery+), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix), Word Party (Netflix), and Earth to Ned (Disney+). Based in Los Angeles and New York with satellite shop capabilities internationally, the Shop is known for designing and building some of the world’s best-known characters including the Sesame Street puppets and the classic Muppets, as well as the iconic characters from Dinosaurs, Farscape, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and many more. Other feature film credits include the highly anticipated Five Nights at Freddy’s, Where the Wild Things Are, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Five Children and It.

The shop is also known for its live performance work with artists like Coldplay, Cee Lo Green, Lady Gaga and Deadmau5. A recipient of more than 9 Emmy Awards for its outstanding work building puppets for Sesame Street, the Shop also received an Academy Award for its visual effects work on the film Babe. Other awards include a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for the Henson Performance Control System, a powerful custom-based interface for puppeteers, and an Emmy Award for its work in developing the Henson Digital Performance Studio, a patented control system technology that enables puppeteers to perform computer-generated characters in real time. www.creatureshop.com

ANDY MIENTUS (he/him, Emmet Otter) is an actor and writer best known for his work on Broadway and television. He recently starred in the live action television adaptation of “Grendel” based on the award-winning Dark Horse comic book. Also on Netflix, he can be seen in “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: Two Doors Down” (GLAAD Media Award) and in the series recurring role of Hartley Rathaway (aka The Pied Piper) on the hit CW series “The Flash.” Andy made his television debut as composer Kyle Bishop on the NBC musical drama “Smash” and was also a series regular on the NBC/Universal series “Gone.” Other recurring roles include “Anger Management” (FX) and “Chasing Life” (Freeform). On Broadway, Andy starred as “Marius” in the revival of Les Miserables, and as Hanschen in Deaf West Theater’s revival of Spring Awakening, which he also co-conceived with director Michael Arden. Other stage credits include the National Tour of Wicked, the title role in Tommy at The Denver Center, Moisés Kaufman’s revival of Bent at Mark Taper Forum, the Off-Broadway revival of Carrie at MCC and recently tick, tick…BOOM! at Bucks County Playhouse. Andy made his London stage debut in the new musical The View Upstairs at Soho Theatre. He is a founding company member of The Forest of Arden and was associate director of their first commission, ALIEN/NATION, at Williamstown Theatre Festival. As a writer, he made his debut with the book and lyrics to Burn All Night at American Repertory Theater (ART), and with the middle grade fiction series The Backstagers from Amulet/Abrams. Andy’s YA novel, “Fraternity” was published in September 2022 by Amulet/Abrams and he is at work on a screen adaptation for Sony Pictures Television and RuCo. He can be heard on “The Jonathan Larson Project” (Ghostlight Records) and “R&H Goes Pop.” Andy trained at the University of Michigan immediately prior to making his professional debut in Spring Awakening, directed by Michael Mayer. IG: @AndyMientus

KATHLEEN ELIZABETH MONTELEONE (she/her, Ma) kick-started her career when she competed for the role of Sandy on NBC’s GREASE: You’re the One That I Want. Soon after, she landed the role of Elle Woods in the national tour of Legally Blonde The Musical and made her Broadway debut originating the role of Heather Stovall in Hands On A Hardbody. She’s been seen in TNT’s Good Behavior alongside Michelle Dockery and Comedy Central’s Goatface with Hasan Minhaj.Monteleone currently stars in the feature film American Reject (1091 Pictures), which she also wrote and produced. The film is inspired by Kathleen’s true story as a singing reality show hopeful. It features original music with a soundtrack including performances by Angelica Hale, Rebecca Black, Keala Settle and Juvenile. In 2022, Kathleen teamed up with Grammy Award-winning record and songwriting duo The Jam (Jordan Omley and Michael Mani) to release the EP titled “Look At Me Now.” Monteleone and her husband Frank co-own Full Armor Films, a development and producing company. They split their time between New Orleans and New York City with their four children. @kmontleon

ANNA LOUIZOS (she/her, Scenic Design) is a three-time Tony Award nominated set designer. Broadway: School of Rock (sets and costumes), In the Heights, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Avenue Q, Holiday Inn, Honeymoon in Vegas, Cinderella, Dames at Sea, It Shoulda Been You, White Christmas and Holiday Inn, High Fidelity, Curtains, and others. Selected Off Broadway: Roundabout, Public, MTC, Is There Still Sex in the City?, tick tick... Boom, Altar Boyz, and others. Art Director: Sex and the City.

GREGG BARNES (he/him, Costume Design) – Broadway: Some Like It Hot (Tony nomination), Pretty Woman, Mean Girls (Tony nomination), Tuck Everlasting (Tony nomination), Something Rotten! (Tony nomination), Aladdin, Kinky Boots (Tony nomination, Olivier Award), Follies (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award), Legally Blonde (Tony nomination), The Drowsy Chaperone (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Olivier nomination), To Be Or Be Not To Be, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Flower Drum Song (Tony nomination), Side Show. Other: Dreamgirls (Olivier nomination), Pageant (Olivier nomination). TDF Young Master Award. Faculty NYU Undergraduate Drama 1983-2002.

JEN SCHRIEVER (she/her, Lighting Design) – Broadway: Death of a Salesman, 1776, A Strange Loop, Birthday Candles, Lackawanna Blues, What the Constitution Means to Me, Grand Horizons, Lifespan of a Fact, Eclipsed, Ghetto Klown. Off-Broadway: Selling Kabul, A Strange Loop (Playwrights); Power Strip (LCT3); Superhero (2ST); What the Constitution Means to Me (NYTW); Thom Pain, Night is a Room (Signature); Collective Rage, School Girls…. (MCC); Usual Girls, Bobbie Clearly, On the Exhale (Roundabout); Dan Cody’s Yacht (MTC). Opera: Die Fledermaus (MET); Pearl Fishers (ENO). Adjunct: Purchase College.

MATT KRAUS (he/him, Sound Design) – Broadway: Liza's at the Palace..., Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony. Off Broadway: Caucasian Chalk Circle, 50 Shades! The Musical, Fat Camp, Lone Star Love, Cam Jansen, Voca People. Audio Coordinator for remote shoots of “The Tonight Show” and NBAs “2020 Bubble.” Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Walnut Street, Ogunquit Playhouse, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Sound Designer for the iTheatrics Junior Theatre Festival 2008-2022. Matt has won an Emmy Award for his work as Sound Designer on “Disney's Broadway Hits at Royal Hall” which he has toured around the world.

iTheatrics is the world’s leading authority on educational musical theater. It develops new family friendly musicals (The Book Thief currently in production in the U.K.) iTheatrics also adapts Broadway and West End musicals which are licensed by Music Theatre International and Concord. An estimated 36 million people attend its shows annually in North America alone, which is triple Broadway’s attendance numbers. iTheatrics achieves its mission of making the world a better place one musical at a time by building sustainable musical theater programs in under-served schools with partners including the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, New York City’s Department of Education, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, McGraw-Hill Education, Educational Theatre Foundation, and NBC Universal. It also produces Junior Theater Festivals Worldwide, which the New York Times hailed as "a rousing celebration of theatre." iTheatrics.com, JuniorTheaterFestival.com 

The Jim Henson Company has remained a leader in family entertainment for over 65 years and is recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation. Henson’s most recent credits include the Oscar®-winning Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix, the Emmy®-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock for Apple TV+, and the feature film The Portable Door for MGM+. The Company is currently in post-production on a new reimagining of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day starring Eva Longoria and Cheech Marin for Disney+. Other television credits include Slumberkins, Harriet the Spy and Fraggle Rock: Rock On, all for Apple TV+, Word Party for Netflix, Earth to Ned for Disney+, and the Emmy-winning Netflix Original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.