TheatreworksUSA Performs Junie B. Jones Musical April 6 at Eisenhower
March 17, 2008
Junie B. Jones, the pint-sized protagonist of a series of popular children's books, is the star of an energetic musical based on several Barbara Park stories. The hour-long show, produced and performed by New York City's TheatreworksUSA, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6, in Penn State‚s Eisenhower Auditorium.
Junie B. Jones, set to music in styles ranging from gospel to Motown, highlights several stories from the collection of more than two dozen titles. Tag along as Junie B. captures the excitement of first grade in her top-secret beeswax journal. Adventures include Junie B. as the boss of the lunchroom and the performer in a one-girl band. Young readers will be delighted as their favorite secondary characters, including Junie B.'s best friend Herb and her first grade teacher Mr. Scary, also appear.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $15 for an adult, $10 for a University Park student and $10 for a person 18 and younger. Buy tickets online at www.cpa.psu.edu or by phone at (814) 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at four State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays), Penn State Tickets Downtown (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday), HUB-Robeson Center (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays when Penn State classes are in session) and Bryce Jordan Center (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays).
The musical is based on four volumes–Junie B., First Grader (at Last!); Junie B., Boss of Lunch; Junie. B., One-Man Band; and Top-Secret Personal Beeswax: A Journal by Junie B. (and Me!)–in Park's series of books illustrated by Denise Brunkus and published by Random House.
"I had a friend come and see a dress rehearsal once who said,"Oh, I remember all of those kids when I was little." That's a testament to the show," says Nandita Shenoy, who directs Junie B. Jones. "I think both boys and girls and men and women can relate to that character. Even as an adult, when you walk into a room where you don't know anybody, you feel like Junie B. Jones."
Park has won more than 40 honors, including 25 Children's Choice Awards. The first book in the Junie B. Jones series appeared in 1992.
For more than 40 years, TheatreworksUSA has toured the nation with children's and family productions selected from its extensive repertoire of more than 117 musicals and plays. It is the only children's theater to receive both the Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel awards.
McQuaide Blasko Attorneys at Law sponsors the performance. Kidz Connections, which begins one hour before the show and is free to ticket holders, includes activities for young audience members. Children can decorate their own beeswax journals and receive glow-in-the-dark glasses.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814-863-6379