WILMINGTON, DE - October 23, 2008 - This November, Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) presents First State Children's Theater's toe-tapping musical production of A Year with Frog and Toad, Robert and Willie Reale's Tony Award nominated musical based on the beloved children's book series by Arnold Lobel.  A whimsical tribute to friendship, A Year with Frog and Toadfollows always-cheerful Frog and worry-wart Toad through four seasons of adventure and amusement.  A Year with Frog and Toad runs November 6-16, 2008.  Tickets are $10 for children, $12 for adults ($5 for lap passes for ages 3 and under and School-Time performances) and may be purchased by calling the DTC box office at 302.594.1100 or in person at 200 Water Street, Wilmington. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.delawaretheatre.org.

Following the success of last season's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and 2007's Treasure Island, DTC and First State Children's Theater (FSCT) once again team up to present A Year with Frog and Toad.  "Being able to return to the DTC for a third season of entertainment for young audiences is a great honor," says Michael Boudewyns, Artistic Director of FSCT. "This production of A Year with Frog and Toad is crafted with the same sense of play and imagination that has become our signature as a theatre company. We look forward to not only having our young audiences experience the wonderfully clever music, but also create the whimsical world of Arnold Lobel's forever friends along with us."   Founded in 2004, FSCT is a professional, year-round theatre company staging and touring classic plays and adaptations of classic stories for families and young audiences throughout the state of Delaware.

Since her arrival in 2004 to Delaware's largest professional theatre, DTC Artistic Director Anne Marie Cammarato had plans of introducing shows for young audiences into the theatre's seasons.  "Providing quality theatre programming for children and families is essential.  Children are our future audiences.  Partnering with FSCT is beneficial for both companies and our community.  Having DTC present FSCT's productions provides this small, spirited, well-trained company with an artistic home, introduces a wider audience to DTC, and offers the Wilmington community another opportunity to enjoy exceptional professional theatre."

In conjunction with the production, the two companies are hosting a children's book drive to benefit Read Aloud Delaware, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of reading in Delaware.  They are the only statewide organization focusing attention on the critical early years of child development.  Now through November 16, books may be brought to the DTC lobby at 200 Water Street on the Wilmington Riverfront.  The best books to donate include new and gently used children's books for pre-schoolers under the age of 6, "pop-up" and "lift-the-flap" books, as well as books representing multi-cultural children and families.

A Year with Frog and Toad, based on the books by Arnold Lobel and adapted for the stage by Robert and Willie Reale, runs November 6-16, 2008.  Public performances are Friday, November 7 & 14 at 7:30pm; Saturday, November 8 & 9 at 11:00am and 7:30pm; and Sunday, November 9 & 16 at 11:00am and 2:00pm.  Tickets for the public performances are $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under (lap passes for ages 3 and under, $5).  There will be a free Family Fun Day with activities and door prizes before the Saturday, November 8 performance at 10:00am. School-Time performances are November 6 & 13 at 9:30am and 12:00pm and November 7, 11, 12, & 14 at 10:00am, and are $5 for all seats.  This play is 70-minutes long and is best enjoyed by ages 3 and up.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the DTC Box Office at
302.594.1100 or visit www.delawaretheatre.org.