The Jim Henson Company Launches Dinosaur Train -- Live! Buddy's Big Adventure

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

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 The Jim Henson Company:

The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation.  Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards.  Recent credits include the Emmy^® nominated "Sid the Science Kid," and "Dinosaur Train" as well as "Wilson & Ditch: Digging America," "Pajanimals" and "Doozers." Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and "Unstable Fables" and television productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape."  Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. www.henson.com

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.

SOURCE The Jim Henson Company