Elephant and Piggie’s “We are in a Play!”
August 19 – September 24, 2023
book & lyrics by Mo Willems, music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Director & choreographer Tyler Marques, music director Rachel Steiner
“Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We Are in a Play!’ is a fun experience, and a great way to introduce your child to theater.”—Broadwayworld
A Playful Musical Exploration of Friendship and Possibility!
Following the overwhelming success of last winter’s A Year with Frog and Toad, 6th Street Playhouse brings you another Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) production!
Gerald and Piggie “pop-up” from the pages of Mo Willems’ best loved early-reader books in Elephant and Piggie’s “We are in a Play!” Six books adapted into a rollicking vaudevillian style musical, this story is the perfect way to introduce young people to the joys of live theatre!
Gerald, a cautious elephant, and his enthusiastic, free-spirited “bestus” friend, Piggie, will sing and dance their way into your hearts with lively song and colorful storytelling. On a day when anything can happen, the devoted pair face key childhood challenges like trying new things, learning to share and to forgive. All the while, they make problem-solving fun!
The Fifties feel, rockabilly, doo-wop and jazz-inspired music and dance will have everyone bopping in their seats. This bouncy, playful and interactive musical is best enjoyed by children ages 3 and up, but is fun for audiences of all ages!
Our Elephant & Piggie’s “We are in a Play!” Experience includes wonderful community collaborations with The Children’s Museum of Sonoma County (CMoSC) and the Charles M. Schulz Museum!
Featured Cast
Ted Smith
Ted Smith (Elephant Gerald) has performed in Sonoma County and Bay Area theater productions for more than a decade. He recently played Nostradamus in Something Rotten and Toad in A Year with Frog and Toad at 6th Street Playhouse. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in acting from Sonoma State, where he played David in Company, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf in Into the Woods. Favorite community roles include Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, Patsy in Spamalot, and Stewpot in South Pacific. STARS Talent Agency in San Francisco represents him in their voice over department.
Katie Foster
Katie Foster (Piggie) has performed locally since 2006 and was in Something Rotten and A Year with Frog and Toad earlier this year at 6th Street Playhouse. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in music, focusing on vocal performance, from SSU, where she performed in musicals and operettas. Favorite roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Jenny in Company, and Turtle in A Year with Frog and Toad. She now teaches private music lessons and directs youth musical theatre.
Sky Hernandez-Simard
Sky Hernandez-Simard (Swing Elephant & Piggie) is charmed to make her Sixth Street debut with Elephant and Piggie. She found the call to children’s theatre, playing Mouse in Hickory Dickory Dock at Oakland Children’s Fairyland. Another favorite role was The Announcer in Airness at Left Edge Theatre – a play about the all-too-real sport of competitive air guitar. She holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Education from Sonoma State University. Sky also plays guitar and is a singer-songwriter.
Brittney Talbot
Brittney Talbot (Sammi Squirrelle) has been in more than 25 musical theater productions within Sonoma County. She has performed with Music to My Ears and Transcendence Theater Company. She also teaches summer camps at Music to my Ears and has directed musicals at Marguerite Hahn Elementary School.
Faewyn Whealdon
Faewyn Whealdon (Sally Squirrelle) is making her 6th Street Playhouse debut. She launched into musical theater last year as the Minstrel in the youth edition of Once Upon a Mattress at Spreckels Performing Arts Center. She then played the Candy Man and an Oompa Loompa in the Young Actors Studio production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She recently completed a junior production of Shrek holding many roles, including Narrator, Bishop, and Village Ensemble. She has danced in Sebastopol Ballet’s Nutcracker for many years; cast as the Black Lamb, the Mouse Princess, Clara’s Friend, Unicorn, various candy sprites and fairies.
Sylvia Whitbrook
Sylvia Whitbrook (Serena Squirrelle) was last seen as Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians Kids at 6th Street Playhouse. She played Charlie in Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and Mal in Descendants: The Musical at Young Actors Studio among other fun roles. Outside of theater she has enjoyed singing, playing keyboard and guitar with School of Rock covering artists such as The Cranberries, Smashing Pumpkins, and Taylor Swift. She moved to Sonoma County in 2019 from St. Paul, MN.