IRT Program: "Elephant & Piggie's "We Are in a Play!""

Original artwork by Kyle Ragsdale

THE IRT CABARET | FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 24 | WELCOME TO THE IRT! Elephant and Piggie are the best of friends.

They make every day a special day full of adventure—even when they disagree.

Elephant and Piggie show us how to be a great friend: they listen, they share, and they show each other how much they care.

—Director Benjamin Hanna

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT ELEPHANT & PIGGIE?

These two pictures look the same, but look closer—the picture on the right has ten things that are different from the picture on the left. Circle the things that are different in the picture on the right.

Art © Mo Willems except where indicated. Visit pigeonpresents.com for more Elephant & Piggie activites you can do at home! Elephant & Piggie is a trademark of the Mo Willems Studio, Inc.

PIGGIE MAZE

Help Piggie get ready for the party by helping her get everything she needs. Be sure to pick up all of the items needed along the way!

SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS

SUPPORTER SEASON SPONSOR

SUPPORTER

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

COLOR IRT’S ELEPHANT & PIGGIE

Using the letters found in “ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE” spell words to finish the sentences.

You have to __ __ __ __ an orange before you eat it.

Preliminary costume sketches for Gerald and Piggie by costume designer Guy Clark.

The Earth is a __ __ __ __ __ __ in space.

An __ __ __ __ __ a day keeps the doctor away.

The U.S. national bird is the __ __ __ __ __.

It’s fun to play __ __ __ __and seek.

If it’s not day, it’s __ __ __ __ __.

A cat has a long __ __ __ __.

Can’t guess it? I’ll give you a __ __ __ __.

FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What did Gerald and Piggie do that made them friends? What do you think makes a good friend?

2. In the play, Piggie had a favorite new toy. What is your favorite toy? What makes it special?

3. What was it like seeing a book come to life on stage? What other books would you like to see as a play?

THE ACKERMAN FOUNDATION SUPPORTER

THE JERRY L. BURRIS & BARBARA J. BURRIS FOUNDATION SUPPORTER

GARY BRACKETT’S IMPACT FOUNDATION

THE ELBA L. & GENE PORTTEUS BRANIGIN FOUNDATION

SUPPORTER

SUPPORTER

JANET ALLEN, Executive Artistic Director SUZANNE SWEENEY, Managing Director

THE IRT CABARET FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 24 MO WILLEMS HAS WRITTEN MORE THAN 60 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN, INCLUDING 25 ELEPHANT & PIGGIE BOOKS. DEBORAH WICKS LA PUMA HAS WRITTEN A DOZEN MUSICALS.

based on the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems published by Hyperion Books for Children

CAST JADDY CIUCCI SQUIRRELLE & DOG

Hometowns: Chicago, Illinois, & Shawano, Wisconsin Favorite School Subjects: Art & Swimming Favorite Childhood Books: D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths & The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“My sister and I used to go on canoeing adventures when we were kids and imagine we were mermaids.”

TIFFANY GILLIAM SQUIRRELLE

Hometown: Indianapolis Favorite School Subjects: Music & English Favorite Childhood Books: The Berenstain Bears series

“My best friend and I made up our own dance routines and performed them for our families.”

DEVAN MATHIAS PIGGIE

BRIANNA MILAN SQUIRRELLE & PENGUIN

Hometown: Whitehouse, Ohio Favorite School Subjects: Art & Choir Favorite Childhood Book: Koko’s Kitten by Francine Patterson

Hometown: Buford, Georgia Favorite School Subject: Math Favorite Childhood Books: anything

by Roald Dahl

“My best friend and I would write wacky TV news shows, dress up in crazy colors, and video-record them.”

CARLOS MEDINA MALDONADO GERALD

Hometown: Gurnee, Illinois Favorite School Subject: History Favorite Childhood Book: Jackie & Me

by Dan Gutman

“My best friend and I made up songs! He would play guitar and I would play the piano.”

SHARE YOUR REVIEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH @IRTLIVE, #IRTLIVE, OR #IRTELEPHANTANDPIGGIE

“My best friend and I loved running through garden sprinklers when it was hot outside.”

CREATIVE TEAM BENJAMIN HANNA | DIRECTOR

Hometown: Barrett, Minnesota Favorite School Subject: Choir Favorite Childhood Book: There’s a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss “My best friend and I built forts in the woods and made up magical worlds using only what we could find in the forest.”

BRENT E. MARTY | MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Hometown: born in Louisville, Kentucky, raised in South Bend, Indiana Favorite School Subject: Music Favorite Childhood Book: Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman “My brother and I spent hours playing with our Star Wars characters.

I liked to create unique stories about them that had nothing to do with Star Wars.”

KERRY LEE CHIPMAN | SCENIC DESIGNER

Hometown: Sandwich, Massachusetts Favorite School Subject: Art Favorite Childhood Book: Little Monster’s Bedtime Book by Mercer Mayer First Play: I played the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz Childhood Dream Job: Marine Biologist

BETH NUZUM | LIGHTING DESIGNER

Hometown: Hobart, Indiana Favorite School Subject: Ancient History—the Incas, Mayans, & Aztecs Favorite Childhood Book: The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien “My best friend and I were huge Chicago Cubs fans (still are), and we would watch or listen to every Cubs game together.”

GUY CLARK | COSTUME DESIGNER

Hometown: Indianapolis Favorite School Subject: Art Favorite Childhood Book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott “My best friend and I have been friends for 40 years, and counting....”

JILLIAN GODWIN | CHOREOGRAPHER

Hometown: Indianapolis Favorite School Subjects: Writing & Dance Favorite Childhood Book: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown “During recess, my best friends and I would walk around the playground and sing songs instead of playing.”

BRITTANY COWGILL | STAGE MANAGER

Hometown: Texas & Missouri Favorite School Subject: Science Favorite Childhood Book: Matilda by Roald Dahl “My brother and I would rollerblade, pretend we were Power Rangers, and play with pogs (milk caps).”

TODD MACK REISCHMAN | SOUND DESIGNER

Hometown: San Diego, California Favorite School Subjects: Music, Theatre, & Art Favorite Childhood Book: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss “My best friend and I played sports and made up games and rode bikes and went on adventures. Our neighborhood was as diverse as it gets.

We were all different, but we all got along.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This play was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was first produced at the Kennedy Center during the 2013-2014 season.

Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. MTIShows.com

Production Assistant: Crystal Johnson Understudy for Piggie: Jaddy Ciucci Educators & Swings: Shawnté Gaston & Josiah McCruiston

Photos of the set without actors on it and with proper credit (see below) is permitted.

Scenic Designer Kerry Lee Chipman | Lighting Designer Beth Nuzum Due to union agreements, photography, video, and audio recording are not permitted during the performance. The videotaping of productions is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable Federal Offense.