Peppa Pig Live adds 65 cities to U.S. tour.
In response to strong U.S. ticket sales for its first leg of tour dates, an additional 65 cities and 100 performances have been announced for Peppa Pig’s first U.S. theatrical tour, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash.
The tour has received more than 150 offers from promoters around the U.S. and Canada since the announcement of its first leg last May.
The live stage show tour, based on Entertainment One’s (eOne) top-rated Nick Jr. television series, will visit more than 90 cities starting this November. Among the stops are three shows at New York City’s Beacon Theatre, two shows at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater and one show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Tickets for winter 2015 and spring 2016 performances are currently on sale.
Second and third shows also have been added in a number of markets. including Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Englewood and Red Bank, N.J., and Westbury, Conn.
“We feel that 2,000- to 3,000-seat theaters are the right sizes for the show to have an intimate feel,” said Jonathan Shank, producer of the preschool show for Red Light Management. “The experience is really important, and we'd rather add more performances in the theaters we’re visiting than switch to an arena.”
Peppa Pig tours sold out in the UK and Australia, where more than 750,000 tickets were sold.
“In the UK, there were five iterations of the tour,” said Shank. “In the U.S., the average ticket price will be in the $35 range, and we hope to sell a couple thousand tickets per show.”
ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., is working with Boise, Idaho-based Knitting Factory Presents to promote and bring the show to the venue.
“We are very excited to bring Peppa Pig Live to the ShoWare Center next March,” said Ryan Hart, the venue’s director of sales and marketing. “We book a wide variety of family shows here at the facility and they always perform well, and it’s always nice to bring a new event to the market, particularly one with a loyal following like Peppa Pig. We’re certain our database of past family show ticket buyers will be eager to come out and see this show in person.”
The interactive one-hour musical production is broken up into two acts with a short intermission in the middle. It will include a dozen familiar and original songs, as well as an interactive singalong. The storyline centers around a leaking nursery roof, which Peppa and her friends need to fix quickly. They set up a fair to raise money and organize a Champion Puddle Jumping competition. The cast includes seven performers and life-size puppets.
“What’s different on the U.S. tour compared to the UK and Australia shows is we’re using new costumes and life-size puppets that can stand on the ground and be maneuvered by actors standing behind them,” said Shank. “We’ll also have characters in costume, as well.”
Show setup is anticipated to take between four and five hours, and there is a crew of nine, including VIP and merchandise staff.
In terms of marketing, the Peppa Pig tour has partnerships with parenting websites like mom.me, as well as presale and preferred partnership programs with Citi and Ticketmaster. In addition to direct marketing with Nickelodeon, the tours will be promoted through traditional mediums, including television, radio, print and digital.
“Peppa’s Facebook page has 2.5 million followers, which is an incredible driver,” said Shank. “It’s really a unique tour, since the core audience is between two and five years old, and we’re marketing to moms.”
Exclusive Peppa Pig merchandise, handled by Live Nation, will be available on the tour, including light up items, plush dolls and programs.
Ticket prices will generally offer three price houses and range between $25 and $39.50 each.
Tour and on sale information can be found at www.peppapigliveus.com.
Interviewed for this article: Ryan Hart, (253) 856-6705; Jonathan Shank, (310) 273-2266