This holiday season at West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park will feature the Theatre for Young Audiences production of  Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We are in a Play!’ as well as ‘All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914’ in repertory.

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Elephant & Piggie’s “We are in a Play!” (Book and Lyrics by Mo Willems and Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma) will run throughout the holiday season at Playhouse on Park in rep with their production of “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914.” This production runs from Nov. 29 to Dec. 20 and is directed and choreographed by Darlene Zoller, with music direction by Robert Tomasulo.

“An elephant named Gerald and a pig named Piggie are best, best, ‘bestus’ friends. Piggie is happier and more excited than usual because she and Gerald are invited to a party hosted by the Squirrelles: three singing squirrels who love to have a good time. And so begins a day when anything is possible! Filled with beloved characters and lively songs, in Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We Are in a Play!’ Gerald and Piggie take to the stage in a rollicking adventure that is perfect for audiences of all ages.”

Darlene Zoller (Director) is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Playhouse on Park where she has directed PIPPIN, NUNSENSE, CHICAGO (Best Director of a Musical/Broadway World,) PINKALICIOUS, ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE,SWINGING ON A STAR and THAT HOLIDAY FEELING, SAY THINGS FUNNY, and choreographed; PIPPIN, INTO THE WOODS, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, IN THE HEIGHTS, A CHORUS LINE, HAIR, CABARET, PASSING STRANGE among others. She is the founder, director and choreographer of stop/time dance theater, the resident dance company of Playhouse on Park, now in its twenty-second year. She was voted Best Director of a Musical/Broadway World for I’D RATHER BE DANCING. CT Critics Circle nominee for Best Choreographer for HAIR, ROCKIN’ THE FOREST and IN THE HEIGHTS. She IS Mama D of MAMA D’s OUTRAGEOUS ROMP; a grown ups only music, dance and comedy event-exclusive to the Playhouse. Social media followers know her as “the driveway lady” for having taught 450 consecutive days of WE’RE BETTER WHEN WE’RE DANCING dance classes online during the pandemic where she gathered a loyal following. Darlene is a former adjunct professor at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School where she directed and choreographed CHICAGO and did the choreography for ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, SMILE, CURTAINS and NUNSENSE. She also teaches dance classes for adults at The 224 ECOSpace and is a dance/fitness instructor at Big Sky Fitness in Vernon.

Playhouse on Park also offers LITERATURE ALIVE, a field trip program through their education program, Playhouse Theatre Academy. LITERATURE ALIVE extends the classroom by allowing students to see daytime professional theatre productions at Playhouse on Park! To learn more about LITERATURE ALIVE, visit www.PlayhouseTheatreAcademy.org.

Tickets are now on sale for ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE. Public performances take place on Saturdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. Tickets for adults are $25, and tickets for seniors/students are $22,50. Each ticket is subject to a $3.50 service fee.

A Sensory Friendly performance will take place on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m. Sensory-friendly performances are designed to accommodate those with sensory dysfunction or sensory processing disorder, including those on the autism spectrum, suffering from PTSD, and more. At a sensory-friendly performance: house lights are kept partially on; volume is turned down; sound and lighting elements that may be jarring are eliminated; electronic devices such as iPads are allowed; audience members can come and go if needed; a safe space is created in the lobby for those who do have to exit the theatre; and fidget toys are welcomed. This sensory-friendly performance is sponsored by The Miracle League of Connecticut.

For more information or tickets, call the Box Office at 860-523-5900 x10 or visit www.playhouseonpark.org. Playhouse on Park offers discounts for group sales; inquire today! Playhouse on Park is located at 244 Park Road, West Hartford, CT 06119.

About Playhouse on Park: Managed under the direction of Playhouse Theatre Group, Inc., Playhouse on Park is Greater Hartford’s award-winning destination for the performing arts. Playhouse on Park offers a wide range of thought-provoking, inspiring and thoroughly enjoyable professional theatre productions that leave audiences often smiling, sometimes crying, and always talking about what they have just experienced.

About Playhouse on Park

Managed under the direction of Playhouse Theatre Group, Inc., Playhouse on Park is Greater Hartford’s award-winning destination for the performing arts. Playhouse on Park offers a wide range of thought-provoking, inspiring and thoroughly enjoyable professional theatre productions that leave audiences often smiling, sometimes crying, and always talking about what they have just experienced.

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