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International Smash Hit Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh Makes its United States Debut

, May 17 /PRNewswire/ – An all-new venture in live family entertainment, Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh, produced by Feld Entertainment, Inc., will tour the United States for the first time ever. In theatres nationwide, Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh brings the Hundred Acre Wood and its lovable inhabitants to the stage in an interactive and three-dimensional production designed by a Broadway-caliber creative team.

“The Disney Live! brand gives us a chance to do something unique: present top-quality theater to families with young children. In our premier show, I am thrilled to bring Winnie the Pooh, one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature, to stages across the country,” says Producer Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. “Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh is like one big hug from Pooh to every person in the audience; it draws the audience in and actually gives them a supporting role in telling the story. This is something that will be a hallmark of Disney Live! in all of its shows to come.”

Under the Disney Live! umbrella, Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh debuts nationwide as the first in a series of live touring family stage productions featuring Disney characters and stories. Children and their parents will sing, dance and play along with Pooh and his friends in an exciting, interactive family entertainment experience, staged in an elaborate Hundred Acre Wood set.

Another first for Feld Entertainment, the company worked with Disney animators to create backgrounds inspired directly by Disney’s films and the classic Winnie the Pooh tales. Showcased using state-of-the-art digital projection, the varied landscapes of the Hundred Acre Wood come to life in brilliant color with blowing leaves, fluttering butterflies and changing seasons.

Launching its U.S. tour July 29th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh takes off on a 23-city U.S. and Canadian tour visiting showcase venues such as the star-studded Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, CA; the legendary Beacon Theatre throughout the Christmas holiday season in New York City, NY; and the Rosemont Theatre just minutes from Chicago, IL.

Bringing the classic charm of Winnie the Pooh to the stage is an acclaimed creative team overseen by Feld Creative Director Jerry Bilik:

Director BT McNicholl, who supervised the Broadway hit Cabaret as well as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the Tony Award®-winning The Civil War and an award-winning adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. A Broadcast Music, Inc. Award-winning writer, McNicholl also wrote the lyrics and co- authored the libretto for his own musical, The IT Girl;

Music Director David Loud, who worked on the Tony Award®-winning A Class Act and Steel Pier, as well as Ragtime and The Look of Love, and the revivals of She Loves Me, Company and The Boys From Syracuse;

Choreographer Christopher Gattelli, winner of a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreography in Bat Boy: The Musical, whose work can be seen in the Off-Broadway productions of tick, tick … BOOM! and Altar Boyz;

Costume Designer Gregg Barnes, who crafted costumes for the Radio City Rockettes and whose designs in Flower Drum Song earned him a Tony Award® nomination for Best Costume Designer. He recently retired from a 20-year teaching career at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts;

Production Designer Anna Louizos, who is credited with the designs for many Broadway productions including the Tony Award®-winning musical Avenue Q and Golda’s Balcony. Her most recent Broadway endeavor includes the production of Steel Magnolias;

and

Lighting Designer Patrick Dierson who has designed for MTV’s Fashionably Loud and for Latin pop sensation Shakira’s world tour, and was nominated for an Emmy® Award for his work on the post September 11th musical telethon, “America: A Tribute to Heroes.”

Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh premiered in Christchurch, New Zealand, on June 16th, 2004. The show went on to perform in venues throughout the Pacific Rim and Europe. The smash hit children’s show of the year, Disney Live! achieved record results in Spain, adding three shows in Madrid to meet consumer demand. After touring the United States and making a stop in Winnipeg, Canada, Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh will perform in Mexico and Japan.

Feld Entertainment, Inc., is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 25 million people in attendance at its shows each year. Feld Entertainment’s productions have appeared in 50 countries and on six continents to date and include Disney On Ice, Disney Live! and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®.

The Tony Awards® are presented by Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the League of American Theatres and Producers and the American Theatre Wing.

The Emmy® Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).

 (EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: Complete Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh tour schedule
below.)

2005 Tour Schedule (subject to change)

No City Dates Venue

1 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Fri, 07/29/05 – Broward Center for the
Sun, 07/31/05 Performing Arts

2 Fort Myers, FL Tue, 08/02/05 – Barbara B. Mann
Wed, 08/03/05 Performing Arts Hall

3 Tampa, FL Fri, 08/05/05 – Tampa Bay Performing
Sun, 08/07/05 Arts Center

4 Duluth, GA Wed, 08/10/05 – The Arena at Gwinnett
Sun, 08/14/05 Center

5 Charlotte, NC Wed, 08/17/05 – Blumenthal Performing
Sun, 08/21/05 Arts Center

6 Lake Charles, LA Tue, 08/23/05 – Lake Charles Civic
Wed, 08/24/05 Center

7 Baton Rouge, LA Fri, 08/26/05 – Theatre for the
Sun, 08/28/05 Performing Arts

8 Houma, LA Tue, 08/30/05 – Houma-Terrebonne Civic
Wed, 08/31/05 Center

9 San Antonio, TX Fri, 09/02/05 – Majestic Theatre
Mon, 09/05/05

10 Phoenix, AZ Wed, 09/07/05 – Dodge Theatre
Sun, 09/11/05

11 Las Vegas, NV Wed, 09/14/05 – Orleans Arena
Sun, 09/18/05

12 Long Beach, CA Wed, 09/21/05 – Terrace Theater
Sun, 09/25/05

13 Thousand Oaks, CA Tue, 09/27/05 – Fred Kavli Theatre at
Wed, 09/28/05 Thousand Oaks Civic Arts
Plaza

14 Hollywood, CA Fri, 09/30/05 – Kodak Theatre
Sun, 10/09/05

15 Kansas City, MO Wed, 10/12/05 – Municipal Auditorium
Sun, 10/16/05 Arena

16 Denver, CO Thu, 10/20/05 – Auditorium Theatre at
Sun, 10/23/05 the Denver PAC

17 Rosemont, IL Wed, 10/26/05 – Rosemont Theatre
Sun, 10/30/05

18 St. Paul, MN Thu, 11/03/05 – Xcel Energy Center
Sun, 11/06/05

19 Winnipeg, MB Thu, 11/10/05 – MTS Centre
Sun, 11/13/05

20 Cleveland, OH Wed, 11/16/05 – State Theatre at
Sun, 11/20/05 Playhouse Square

21 Bridgeport, CT Fri, 11/25/05 – Arena at Harbor Yard
Sun, 11/27/05

22 Wallingford, CT Wed, 11/30/05 – Oakdale Theatre
Sun, 12/04/05

23 New York City, NY Wed, 12/07/05 – Beacon Theatre
Wed, 12/28/05

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Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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