Nelvana Enterprises' much-loved bunny siblings, MAX & RUBY, will star in an off-Broadway musical stage show in December that will also tour the U.S. this fall and next spring.
Produced by TheatreworksUSA, MAX & RUBY will play at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City from Dec. 12, 2007, to Jan. 13, 2008. Tickets go on sale in September. Two touring companies will bring the show to 210 cities, to be seen by an estimated half a million preschool and school-aged children.
In the stage show, Max and Ruby want to put on a play with music and costumes for their grandmother. Some comedic hurdles arise along the way, and Ruby needs to call on her Bunny Scout friends to help them try to finish the play on time.
Based on the books by acclaimed children's author and illustrator Rosemary Wells, the MAX & RUBY TV series is produced by Nelvana Studios in association with Silver Lining Prods.
The series airs on Nick Jr. and Noggin in the United States and Treehouse TV in Canada. It is consistently ranked as a top show for kids 2-5. Merchandise licensees in the U.S. include: Ty Inc. for beanies, JV Apparel for apparel and sleepwear, and Penguin Young Readers Group, which plans to launch three books this fall. A U.S. master toy release is anticipated next spring, with promotional and retail partners to come.
Ken Arthur, president, TheatreworksUSA, said that MAX & RUBY, "has a huge following throughout the United States. Our tickets are already selling for next season! Max and Ruby are the quintessential brother and sister. Every child in the audience identifies with one or the other of them. We are excited and proud to be working with Nelvana Enterprises."
"We are very pleased to have a partner like Theatreworks creating the MAX & RUBY live stage performance," said Mark Northwood, vp of merchandise licensing, The Americas, Nelvana Enterprises. "Now children all across America will have a chance to experience MAX AND RUBY live and in person and close to home."
With a focus on delivering branded entertainment as well as providing distribution and merchandise licensing opportunities on multiple platforms, Nelvana Enterprises oversees new media partnerships, global broadcast, DVD and video-on-demand sales, and consumer products licensing internationally for animated properties from Nelvana Studios and select production partners. Nelvana Enterprises stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands include literary classics BABAR and FRANKLIN as well as new shows such as RUBY GLOOM AND DI-GATA DEFENDERS. Nelvana Enterprises is owned by Corus Ent. Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. For more information, visit
www.corusent.com .
