Press Release from E1 Entertainment
It's the news that Peppa Pig's vast number of fans have been waiting for -- and now it's finally happening. Leading independent entertainment content owner E1 Entertainment (formerly Contender Entertainment), which licenses Peppa Pig globally, in partnership with the highly successful arts and entertainment company Fiery Angel, is bringing the wildly popular award-winning children's television character to the stage.
The show -- called Peppa Pig's Party -- visits seven UK venues this autumn, from 30 September to 1 November. An extensive UK tour for 2010 of an additional 60 venues is planned with theatres to be announced later this summer. The show will bring together the popular characters from the hit Five and Nick Jr programme and add songs, spectacle and audience participation in a special stage celebration of Peppa Pig's birthday.
An impressive array of talent will bring Peppa and friends to the stage. Fiery Angel produces and presents drama, musical and event theatre in London, on tour throughout the UK and internationally. It has a strong reputation in developing theatre for families, with successful outings for Hi-5, The Fimbles and Lazytown to its credit. The characters of Peppa, her family and friends are created for stage by one of the UK's most experienced puppet specialists, Nigel Plaskitt. The music comes from LazyTown's talented composer Mani Svavarsson. And director Richard Lewis, who has adapted Peppa Pig for stage has many acclaimed children's stage shows to his credit.
The tour will be supported by a strong marketing campaign which will focus both on grass roots publicity in the towns and cities hosting Peppa's Pig Party and larger scale retail promotions. A website (www.peppapiglive.com) has already been set up for bookings and to offer tour news. There is also a ticket hotline number: 020 7907 7093.
The show will of course offer huge exposure for the Peppa brand but it is also meeting an enormous demand that confirms the brand's continuing growth. Peppa is now one of the UK's biggest pre-school properties with confirmed sales of over 2 million DVDs and over 50 licence agreements in the UK alone. Internationally the television programme has been sold into over 150 territories and licensing programmes have been established or are being planned in a number of territories including Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Hannah Mungo, Licensing Manager, E1 Entertainment says: "Bringing one of the UK's best-loved children's programmes to the stage is both a wonderful treat for her fans and a marvellous opportunity to raise the already high public awareness of the brand even further. But we would not have attempted it without a partner that could provide a strong background in high-quality theatre production and an in-depth understanding of the children's entertainment market. Fiery Angel clearly offers these qualities as well as the creative talent and experience needed to bring the fun, warmth and laughter of Peppa Pig to the stage -- and we feel sure that children and their parents will agree when they see this delightful show."
