BACT Presents Special Engagement of A Year With Frog and Toad

The Bay Area Children’s Theatre (BACT) opens a special limited engagement of the whimsical musical, A Year With Frog and Toad, Saturday, September 3, at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre (Peet’s Theatre), 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94703. The show plays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. weekends through September 25.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform in Berkeley Rep’s beautifully renovated Peet’s Theatre, and we are delighted to bring one of the richest works in the repertoire for young audiences to this distinguished stage,” said BACT Executive Director Nina Meehan, who is directing the production.

Nominated for three 2003 Tony awards, including best musical, A Year With Frog and Toad is inspired by the beloved Frog and Toad stories of the late children’s author-illustrator Arnold Lobel, with music by Robert Reale and book and lyrics by Willie Reale.

Families will delight in this heartwarming, jazzy-rhythmed tale of friendship, as upbeat Frog and his more reserved pal Toad romp through a year of comic adventures, accompanied by their woodland animal friends. The production is recommended for age 3 and up.

For this special limited engagement, Anthony Rollins-Mullens is reprising the role of Toad from BACT’s 2013 production. A San Francisco native, Rollins-Mullens was last seen as inventor Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , TYA. Prior to that, he appeared as Duppy in BACT’s production of Three Little Birds, A New Reggae Children’s Musical.

Frog will be played by Brett Jones, who was last seen at BACT as Baron Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, TYA, and as Pink Crayon (Theatre Bay Area Award nominee) in BACT’s original hit, The Day the Crayons Quit, the Musical.

Max Thorne will once again deliver the mail as Snail, reprising his role from BACT’s 2013 production. BACT audiences will also remember Thorne for bringing down the house last year with his shark rap in BACT’s production of Fancy Nancy, the Musical.

A Year With Frog and Toad is a special addition to BACT’s regular season and is not part of its Family Flex Pass subscription series; however, Flex Pass members may purchase single tickets at the special all-ages price for Flex Pass members of $18. Ticket prices for general audiences appear below.

TICKETS: $25 adults, $23 seniors, $20 children, $15 groups (minimum 15)

BOX OFFICE: www.bactheatre.org or call (510) 296-4433

Peet’s Theatre at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre is easily accessible by BART—an especially good choice right now while the parking garage across from the theatre is closed for renovations.

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About the Bay Area Children's Theatre

Established in 2004, the Bay Area Children’s Theatre, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, serves more than 90,000 children and adults throughout the Bay Area, with main stage performances in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco and San Ramon; selected productions in local schools; and classes and summer camps in more than 10 East Bay communities.

Our Mission: To inspire young audiences with imaginative productions, introduce children of all backgrounds to the excitement of live theatre, and create an engaging, entertaining, and educational environment in which children and their families can explore and enjoy the arts.

How We Carry Out Our Mission:

· Bring high quality, professional theatre to children and their families, with artists who create vibrant worlds that are intriguing to young audiences

· Encourage young people to explore literature, language, and the arts by producing stage adaptations of great children’s books

· Engage preschoolers in the world of theatre with productions specially designed for them

· Develop and perform exciting new work for the stage

· Reach out to children who might not otherwise experience live theatre with free tickets, special performances for school groups, and touring productions at local schools

· Create touring productions for young audiences nationwide

· Partner with communities to meet the need for theatre education

· Introduce children to the joy of performance through our theatre education program