ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S: WE ARE IN A PLAY! JR. Is Now Available for Licensing

Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI) has announced that Elephant & Piggie’s: “We Are in A Play!” JR. is now available for licensing.

The musical is based on the show Elephant & Piggie’s: “We Are in A Play!,” which debuted at the Kennedy Center in 2012. The show features a book and lyrics by award-winning author Mo Willems (Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience) and music by renowned composer Deborah Wicks La Puma (Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience, She Persisted).

“Deborah and Mo are a great team who have created something truly special together,” said Drew Cohen, MTI’s President and CEO. “Elephant & Piggie’s: “We Are in A Play!” JR. has a wonderfully rich and catchy score complemented by a beloved story and clever lyrics. We are delighted to welcome this show to our catalog of Broadway Junior musicals and know Elephant & Piggie will become a perennial favorite.”

Elephant & Piggie’s: “We Are in A Play!” JR. is a perfect musical to introduce young audiences to the vast world of theatre, while teaching them the value of friendship, family, and community. An elephant named Gerald and a pig named Piggie are best friends, but Gerald worries that something could go wrong that would end their friendship. Piggie is not worried at all. She's even happier and more excited than usual. That's 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.

“The Elephant & Piggie books are predicated on the idea that reading is fun for everyone,” said playwright Mo Willems, founder of Hidden Pigeon Company. “So, it’s extra thrilling to have a stage version of Elephant & Piggie’s adventures that has a role for everyone as well.”

Deborah Wicks La Puma remarked, “Since the first day of my collaboration with Mo Willems, this show has been a delight, so no wonder I am beyond delighted it is now available as a “Junior” show with MTI! I have seen the joy the show brings young audiences, but I can’t wait to see how much joy it will bring young performers as well!    This Junior adaptation invites both performers and audiences into a big silly, playful and musical group hug.”

Elephant & Piggie’s: “We Are in A Play!” JR. includes upbeat and lively songs and a variety of colorful characters to keep audience members of any age engaged and entertained. This educational opportunity will have everyone doing the “Flippy Floppy Floory” dance all night long!

Visit the MTI show page for more information. International restrictions apply.

About Mo Willems

Mo Willems is the beloved artist and author behind #1 New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honors-awarded picture books like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and the Knuffle Bunny series as well as his celebrated Elephant & Piggie early reader series, for which he has won two Theodor Seuss Geisel Awards and five Geisel Honors. Willems has published over 71 children’s books — more than 50 of them New York Times bestselling titles — with 26+ foreign language translations. In addition to his Caldecott honors, Willems has earned six Emmy Awards for his writing on Sesame Street, where he began his remarkable career. He also has created three television specials, six animated series, seven musical adaptations, five licensed theater productions, and three touring exhibits – and he’s the first-ever Education Artist-in-Residence at the esteemed Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

About Hidden Pigeon Company

Hidden Pigeon Company (HPC) is an exciting new multiplatform kids and family content company founded in early 2023 by celebrated children’s book author Mo Willems along with Stampede Ventures and RedBird Capital Partners. It was formed with the goal of expanding the already-impressive reach and impact of Willems’s best-selling catalog of children’s books and intellectual property across all entertainment platforms – from television, film, and digital to live events, location-based experiences, licensing & merchandising, publishing, and more. Hidden Pigeon Company takes its name from Willems’s immensely popular character, the Pigeon, from “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!,” as kids and “former kids” (as Mo likes to say) – delight in finding The Pigeon hidden somewhere in all his books.

About Deborah Wicks La Puma

A composer, music director and orchestrator, Deborah Wicks La Puma is one of the most produced Theatre for Young Audiences artists working today. Some of her most popular musicals include Ella Enchanted (based on the book by Gail Carson Levine), Oliverio: A Brazilian Twist, and Einstein is a Dummy with playwright Karen Zacarías, and the off-broadway hit She Persisted (based on the book by Chelsea Clinton) with playwright Adam Tobin. 

Deborah has created three musicals with bestselling children's author Mo Willems: Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!; Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience and Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical. On the small screen, she has worked with Willems on the adaptation of NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED: THE UNDERGROUND ROCK EXPERIENCE (released 2022 on HBOmax), and the upcoming animated series UNLIMITED SQUIRRELS.

She received her MFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and her bachelor's degree from Stanford University. Her honors include the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical, the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, an NEA New American Works Grant, two Parents' Choice Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Adaptation.

A proud Mexican-American and "Navy brat" who grew up in Brazil, Portugal and California, La Puma is a member of TYA/USA, ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild. Mother to three daughters and Mimi the Cat, La Puma lives in Southern California with her PR agent and loving husband, Chris.

About Music Theatre International

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and bookwriters of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).

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