Chicago Children's Theatre

For Immediate Release
January 3, 2005

CHICAGO CHILDREN'S THEATRE CELEBRATES THEIR INAUGURAL PRODUCTION, A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, WITH A FESTIVE GALA SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2006

CHICAGO - Chicago Children's Theatre celebrates the opening of A Year With Frog and Toad with an Inaugural Production Gala Saturday, January 21, 2006. The Tony Award-nominated musical written by Robert and Willie Reale and directed by Henry Godinez will run at the Goodman's Owen Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street, through March 5, 2006. Opening Gala festivities include two performance time options, a gala dinner and an after-party for premier table and ticket sponsors with the cast and artists.

Children and adults are invited to attend a family-friendly evening full of elegance and whimsy as the Chicago Children's Theatre celebrates their inaugural production, A Year With Frog and Toad. The Inaugural Production Gala festivities will begin with a performance of A Year With Frog and Toad at 3 p.m. at the Goodman's Owen Theatre. This performance will be followed by a festive reception at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. at Union Station's Burnham Great Hall, 210 South Canal Street. After dinner, guests will be treated to gourmet cookies provided by Hot Chocolate. Gala guests who did not see the matinee performance will be shuttled to the Goodman Theatre following dinner to enjoy the 8:30 p.m. performance of A Year With Frog and Toad. A VIP cast party will begin at 10:30 p.m. at Petterino's Restaurant, next to the Goodman Theatre. Complimentary valet parking at the Goodman Theatre and shuttle services to and from Union Station will be available.

Gala tickets begin at $500 for individual tickets and a gala table for 10 can be reserved for $5,000. Gala table reservations include acknowledgement in the event program book and a signed poster or photo of A Year With Frog and Toad for the table host.

Premier Tickets are $1,000 for individual tickets and a Premier Table for 10 with VIP seating is $10,000. Premier table and ticket sponsors receive a special invitation to the Cast Party to meet the cast and artists at Petterino's Restaurant, 150 N. Dearborn St. at the end of the evening beginning at 10:30 p.m. in addition to acknowledgement in the event program book and a signed poster or photo of A Year With Frog and Toad.

The Inaugural Production Gala Host Committee is chaired by Barbara Leland. Committee members include Stephanie and Dana Arnett, Alison Balis, Elise Paschen and Stuart Brainerd, Emily and Michael Cavanagh, Bess and Steven Cook, Les Coney, Julia and Sonny Garg, Lynne Remington and Geoff Goldberg, Dedrea and Paul Gray, Deborah and Elzie Higginbottom, Julie and Will Hobert, Rupal and Neeraj Jain, Susan and Tom Koltun, Michael Leavitt, Barbara and Todd Leland, Mary Beth and Kevin Malone, Gail and Andrew Marks, Lucy and Matthew Moog, Karen and Jordan Mozer, Alicia and Tim Mullen, Lynn and Barrett Murphy, Lori and J. Scot Pepper, Gigi Pritzker Pucker and Michael Pucker, Jeaneane and John Quinn, Cindy Moelis and Robert Rivkin, Carolyn and David Rosenberg, Kitty and David Rothschild, Sandy and David Saltiel, Amy and Charlie Scharf, Jacqueline and Glenn Tilton, Lisa and Charles Tribbett, Michelle Sakayan and Michael Wilkinson, Susan and Bob Wislow and Susan and Victor Venturi.

Chicago Children's Theatre is grateful to acknowledge the following sponsors: Boeing, Charter One, Chase, Chicago Sun-Times Foundation, ComEd, Arie & Ida Crown Memorial, Goldman Sachs, Illinois Tool Works, The Irving Harris Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, Kirkland and Ellis LLP, The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Louis R. Lurie Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Northern Trust, Nuveen Investments, Prince Charitable Trusts, The Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation, Target and United Airlines.

A Year With Frog and Toad follows the adventures of two best friends, Frog and Toad, as they grow through four fun-filled seasons collected from Arnold Lobel's classic, award-winning series of children's books. The charming Frog and "worry-wart" Toad leap off Lobel's pages, along with Snail, Mouse and the rest of the animal gang for some kite-flying, sled-racing and cookie-munching fun. Each amphibian comes to life with hilarious and heart-warming songs inspired by jazzy '40s style music, as they explore the challenges, rewards and tenderness of friendship. The New York Times applauds the musical for its ability to "[provide] children with plenty of stimulating visual clues, while encouraging them to fill in the blanks with their imaginations." A Year With Frog and Toad gloriously celebrates the idea that having a very best friend is about as good as life gets.

Acclaimed Chicago-based director Henry Godinez will stage A Year With Frog and Toad. The cast includes Joseph Anthony Foronda as "Frog," Bradley Mott as "Toad," and ensemble members La Shawn Banks, Julie Ruth and Ora Jones. Other members of the creative team for A Year With Frog and Toad include Jonathan Mastro, musical director, and choreographer Marla Lampert. CCT Associate Artistic Director Geoffrey M. Curley is the scenic designer and props will be designed by Scott Pondrom. Ray Nardelli and AndrÉ Pleuss will design the sound for the production.

Chicago Children's Theatre is proud to present A Year With Frog and Toad, book and lyrics by Willie Reale, music by Robert Reale and directed by Henry Godinez, in the Goodman's Owen Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street. Chicago Children's Theatre will hold an Inaugural Production Gala to celebrate the opening of A Year With Frog and Toad Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006. Previews begin Friday, Jan. 14 and the press opening will be Friday, Jan. 20, 2006. A Year With Frog and Toad will run through March 5, 2006.

For tickets and complete performance schedule call the Goodman Theatre box office at 312.443.3800 or visit www.goodman-theatre.org. Groups of 20 or more, call GroupTix: 877-4-GRP-TIX (877-447-7849).

About Chicago Children's Theatre

Chicago Children's Theatre (CCT) aspires to enrich the Chicago community through diverse and significant theatrical programming that engages and inspires the child in all of us. CCT focuses on the production of first-rate children's theatre in Chicago, with top writing, performing and directorial talent and high-quality design and production expertise. Led by Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell, Executive Director Claude Binder and Board Chair Todd Leland, the company is supported by a Board of Directors comprised of dedicated individuals from the fields of entertainment, philanthropy and business, and a committed Artistic Council of Chicago-based actors, directors, musicians and designers.

CCT strives to provide affordable and accessible theater for families and area school children. To enhance the impact of any given production's themes, CCT offers educational materials and programs for families and educators.

For more information on Chicago Children's Theatre visit www.chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

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