CONTACT: Brad White
Marketing and Publicity Manager
Center for the Arts, Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90263
(310) 506-4055
brad.white@pepperdine.edu
BOX OFFICE: (310) 506-4522
http://arts.pepperdine.edu/

Note to editors: Downloadable images of Rock the Presidents are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/childsplayinc/sets
Media contact for Childsplay:
Samantha Johnstone: (480) 921-5703 or SJohnstone@childsplayaz.org



PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY
CENTER FOR THE ARTS

presents Childsplay's production of

ROCK THE PRESIDENTS

Saturday, September 22, 2012, at 11 a.m.
Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA

Childsplay's all-new musical Rock the Presidents, which brings to life the 44 men who have risen to America's highest office, comes to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Saturday, September 22, at 11 a.m.

>From the rockin' "The Sons of Washington" to the groovy/psychedelic "I'm Not All Bad" to the twangy, country-western style of "Ronald Reagan," Rock the Presidents highlights the history of our top executive office in a high-energy, multimedia extravaganza. The show is recommended for ages 7 and up.

Tickets, priced at $15 for adults and $10 for children, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787. More information: http://arts.pepperdine.edu/ or http://www.childsplayaz.org

In the genre of the musical history lessons of Schoolhouse Rock!, the hits just keep coming as the Arizona-based children's theatre company Childsplay brings all 223 years of 44 presidents to life in this musical revue. Songs include "Hail to the Chiefs," "Who in the World is Millard Fillmore?," "Here Come the Generals," "The Buck Stops Here," "More Than Four Years," and "Shake America!" Celebrated throughout are the legacies, the one-termers, the mistakes, the triumphs, the generals, the first ladies, even the presidential pets!

Rock the Presidents was created by Dwayne Hartford (book and lyrics) and composer Sarah Roberts (music) and is directed by Anthony Runfola. It was a smash hit at its February 2012 premiere in Tempe, Arizona, performing to capacity crowds. Public demand was so great for the show that Childsplay extended the performances for two additional weekends and pledged to audiences that it would bring the show back to kick off its next season.

Set against a presidential backdrop framed by stars and stripes and crowned with a bald eagle, the innovative scenic design from Holly Windingstad features a large screen that showcases the multimedia aspects of the production. Phoenix-based Limitrophe Films created the video aspects to bring a high-voltage, interactive element to the show. Presidential portraits, paintings, and historical footage stream throughout the "concert."

During the performance the cast interacts with the video screen in such engaging segments as a video game battle in "The Sons of Washington," a game show called "The Presi-Tron," a '60s psychedelic lava lamp technique for "I'm Not All Bad," and the neon sign of "The Lonely Presidents Lounge."

At the conclusion of the show, the cast uses "The Future Presi-Cam" camera to scan the crowd and find our future aspiring presidents as they rock out to "Are You a President-to-Be?"

Kids and families went crazy for the show at the Tempe premiere, from grandmas in the audience performing air guitar to a 6-year-old who spontaneously shouted out to the stage, "I love you, Abraham Lincoln!" The 35-year-old theatre company received unprecedented media coverage, with critics and audiences alike raving:

"That's what makes Childsplay's Rock the Presidents such a breath of fresh air. Or, more accurately, such a blast of guitar-crunching, fist-pumping, lighter-flicking awesomeness. In the proud tradition of Schoolhouse Rock!, the world-premiere stage musical is a raucous, cheeky, and ultimately moving salute to America's 44 commanders-in-chief."--Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic

"The Rock the Presidents set is a mix of stately and sparkly red, white, and blue elements with a giant screen in the center onto which images of presidents and related fare from speeches to statues are projected throughout the show. It adds a fabulously nostalgic feel while upping the show's educational value for children and teens."--Lynn Trimble, Raising Arizona Kids

"When the house lights went down and the stage lit up, the screen turned on and said: 'Rock the Presidents,' and that's what Colin, Eric, and Yolanda did!...If anyone asks me if they should see this show, I will say, Yes, because it is off the hook!"--Luke Borders, age 8

The original cast recording of the Rock the Presidents soundtrack is available on iTunes, CDBaby.com, and Amazon.com.

Patrons of Rock the Presidents are invited to attend Family Art Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 22, in the Gregg G. Juarez Palm Courtyard next to Smothers Theatre. It will include special art projects and Weisman Museum tours. Family Art Day is free of admission charge and open to the public.

Pepperdine will also present Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia's Treasured Stories by Eric Carle on February 9 and ArtsPower National Touring Theatre's The Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle on March 2.

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