Hollywood, CA (July16, 2013) The Jim Henson Company in conjunction with Mills Entertainment, Gables
Grove Productions and The Brad Simon Organization announced today that the Emmy® Award
nominated PBS KIDS series Dinosaur Train is being adapted as a live stage production, DINOSAUR
TRAIN – LIVE! BUDDY’S BIG ADVENTURE. The show is scheduled to start its 60-city U.S. tour in
October 2013. A complete schedule of performances with ticket information can be found at
www.DinosaurTrainLive.com.
DINOSAUR TRAIN – LIVE! BUDDY’S BIG ADVENTURE is a fun upbeat interactive, multi-media
experience that the whole family will enjoy. Join Buddy, Tiny, King, Don and more on this trip through the
Mesozoic age, a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth . . . and rode in trains! Young fans will see their
favorite friends brought to life in an exciting, original, musical story created just for the stage where the
audience is always a part of the show. Of course, Mr. Conductor will be on board to keep things on track
as the Pteranodon family sets out on a new adventure. Filled with music and laughter, kids are sure to be
up and dancing in the aisles.
The production includes lush animation styled vegetation, large rear projection video screens to create
motion driven backgrounds and even the Dinosaur Train itself makes an appearance! The show also
uses combinations of hybrid walk-around/puppeteered costume characters, forced perspective
techniques for our larger dinosaur friends, and several additional types of shadow, mechanical, and black
light puppetry for special effects, our super stars and their adventures will truly seem larger than life.
“Dinosaur Train is one of our most popular shows, and this family-friendly live stage show allows kids to
connect with their favorite characters in a new and personal way” said Melissa Segal, Executive Vice
President of Global Consumer products, The Jim Henson Company.
“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with this amazing team to bring the Henson magic to life on the live
stage” said Michael Mills, President Mills Entertainment
“Buddy is such an awesome dinosaur to bring out on stage. In the live show we find out even more about
what makes him tick and what is important to him. Working with the amazing Dinosaur Train characters
and all the creative minds at The Jim Henson Company has been an exciting journey for us!,” said John
Tartaglia and Michael Lewis, Gable Grove Productions
“We are delighted to offer this world class entertaining and educational production to theaters and
audiences across North America,” said Brad Simon, President, The Brad Simon Organization.
The live show will be produced by Mills Entertainment and Gables Grove Productions. DINOSAUR
TRAIN – LIVE! will feature songs from The Jim Henson Company TV series, with book by Craig Bartlett,
story developed by John Tartaglia and Michael Lewis and Direction by John Tartaglia. The Brad Simon
Organization will be booking the tour.
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Dinosaur Train – Live! BUDDY’S BIG ADVENTURE Page 2
About Dinosaur Train
Dinosaur Train, created by Craig Bartlett, embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers
have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills. Each episode
includes animated segments with live-action sequences featuring a paleontologist who brings to life the
show’s natural science and natural history curriculum for preschoolers, giving specific facts about
dinosaurs and comparing their features to animals of today. The series has been airing on PBS KIDS
since September of 2009.
About Mills Entertainment:
Mills Entertainment is a leading producer and promoter of branded live entertainment. Mills collaborates
with top brands and personalities to develop, market and produce live theatrical events throughout the
U.S. and worldwide. Current projects include The Cake Boss: Bakin’ with the Boss Tour, An Evening with
Cesar Millan: Dog Whisperer, Clifford the Big Red Dog Live!, Theresa Caputo Live, and Jack Hanna’s
Into the Wild Live.
About Gables Grove Productions:
Gables Grove Productions is a multimedia family entertainment company, co-founded by Drama Desk
Award nominated producers, Michael Shawn Lewis and John Tartaglia in 2009 with the vision of
developing, creating and producing exciting, innovative, original material for live stage and television in
the U.S. and abroad. The company is currently working with The Jim Henson Company, Walt Disney
Creative Entertainment, Walt Disney Imagineering, Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines,
Dramatic Forces, and other independent producers and writers to develop several exciting productions.
Tony-Award nominee John Tartaglia starred in the acclaimed musical Avenue Q, appeared on Broadway
in Shrek The Musical and in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and created and starred in The Playhouse
Disney series ”Johnny and the Sprites.” Michael Shawn Lewis is a founder of the New York Children’s
Theater Festival, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of theater for younger
audiences. Together they produced and created the Off-Broadway and National Tour productions of
John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean.
About the Brad Simon Organization:
The Brad Simon Organization is the leading North American booking agency specializing in live
branded entertainment for family audiences. Current and past tour highlights include: Clifford The Big
Red Dog Live, Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus Live, John Tartaglia’s “ImaginOcean”, The Magic Tree
House: The Musical, Mad Science Presents: “CSI LIVE!” and “Star Trek Live!”, Arthur Live, Franklin The
Turtle Live, Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear Live, Calliou Live, A Garfield Christmas, and The Kennedy
Center Theater for Young Audiences productions – Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka”, The PhantomTollbooth,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Media Contacts:
Ann Schwarz aschwarz@henson.com, 323-802-1667
Joanna Brumley, joanna@millsentertainment.com, 518-306-4333 x8003