Loveable Characters Hop From Page to Stage in CSU Theatre’s A Year with Frog and Toad

A heart-warming story of enduring friendship to brighten the holiday season

Bringing high quality, affordable live theatre to the Front Range, the theatre program at Colorado State University presents A Year with Frog and Toad by Robert and Willie Reale, running Dec. 4 through 14, Thursdays – Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. in the University Theatre at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.

Tickets are $8 for CSU students, $8 for youth (under 18), and $18 for the public. Please note that the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office hours have changed. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the UCA lobby 90 minutes prior to any UCA performance and through intermission or online at www.CSUArtsTickets.com. Information about upcoming performances can be found at (970) 491-ARTS (2787). Advance or online purchase is recommended to avoid at-the-door fees.

Free Ticket Offers: CSU students get in free on Ticket Thursdays: Dec. 4 and 11. Sponsored by the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund, members of the public get in free on Ticket Sundays: Dec. 7 and 14. Free ticket offer space is limited and tickets are available on a first come, first served basis online or at the Ticket Office.

Based on the Frog and Toad children’s stories written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, this three-time Tony nominated Broadway musical by Robert and Willie Reale follows two great friends – the cheerful, popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad – through four, fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation in the spring, Frog and Toad plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding, and learn life lessons along the way.

“It’s simply loveable and fun,” said CSU’s Director of Theatre Walt Jones. “It’s great for kids and for the young at heart!”

Set to a jazzy, upbeat score, the two best friends celebrate and rejoice in their differences that make them unique and special. Part vaudeville, part make-believe, all charm, A Year with Frog and Toad tells the story of a friendship that endures, weathering all seasons.

The show itself broke new ground by bringing professional children’s theatre to Broadway with its premier run in 2002.

“Robert and Willie Reale solidly capture the essence and heart of Lobel’s characters and stories. Robert Reale’s music is infectious, colorful, and rich in melody and character whereas Willie Reale’s lyrics are both witty and funny… provides plenty of fun and creativity for children and plenty of nostalgia and heart for the adults.” – Chicago Theatre Beat

Directed by Walt Jones

Nightly: December 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 7:30 p.m.

Matinees: December 6, 7, 13, 14, 2 p.m.

About Walt Jones:

Walt Jones, who joined the CSU Theatre program in 2006, is a 1975 graduate of the Yale School of Drama. As a teacher of acting and directing, he has served on the faculty at Yale School of Drama, and University of California, San Diego. He has directed twice on Broadway, six plays off-Broadway, including the American premiere of Howard Barker’s No End of Blame at Manhattan Theatre Club, and over sixty plays in more than twenty regional theatres from Cambridge to Fairbanks and productions in Soviet Russia and in Tokyo. Among the many actors Walt has directed are Meryl Streep, Roc Dutton, John Turturro, Tony Shaloub, Nathan Lane, Liev Schreiber, Angie Bassett, Christopher Walken, Jason Alexander, Michael Gross, Lindsey Crouse, Linda Hunt, Sigourney Weaver, Peter MacNicol, Frances Conroy, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Lewis Black, and many others. Read more.

The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre are nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society.

For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.