Dinosaurs once again roam the earth in a spectacular theatrical arena show, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - The Arena Spectacular, based on the award-winning BBC Television Series. WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - The Arena Spectacular is now on tour in North America and will perform 8 performances at Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road in Rosemont. More than 3.1 million Americans have already seen the production since it opened in July 2007.
Tickets go on sale on Monday, Dec. 14 by calling 800-745-3000, on-line at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Allstate Arena box office. For discounts on groups of 15 or more, please call GroupTix at 877-447-7849.
The production originated in Australia, where after years of planning, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS came to life at Sydney's Acer Arena in January 2007. The show proved to be such a sensation that this North American tour was fast-tracked. It began a short three months after completing its sold-out engagements in Australia. Since that time, the show's two companies have played to 4.4 million people worldwide and generated over $210 million dollars in overall ticket sales.
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - The Arena Spectacular is brought to North America by The Creature Production Company, headed by CEO Carmen Pavlovic. Pavlovic said, "The BBC Series was a brilliant blend of special effects, escapism, excitement and information. Our show brings together all of that, plus something extra - it's live! In this production, seventeen roaring, snarling "live" dinosaurs mesmerize the audience - and are as awe-inspiring as when they first walked on earth."
Pavlovic continued, "The dinosaurs are life-size, making the show so immense, it could only fit in arenas. It's a $20 million arena spectacle of unprecedented size and quality, which captivates young and old alike. With Walking with Dinosaurs, we really believe we have created a new genre in entertainment and we hope to continue to bring new product to arenas for years to come."
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - The Arena Spectacular has sold out performances and broken records in arenas all over America - generating $136 million in ticket sales to date. It has been seen on "The Today Show," Good Morning America," "Live with Regis and Kelly," and has been written about in Newsweek, The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal. It was the subject of a Discovery Channel Really Big Things episode and a video clue category on Jeopardy.
The production has won the THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Touring Event (2007) and the Billboard Touring Award for Creative Content (2008) as well as the Pollstar Concert Industry Award for Most Creative Stage Production (2009) and the ILMC Arthur Award for Best in Show(2009). The THEAs recognize excellence in the creation of compelling educational, historical, and entertainment projects; and both the Billboard Touring Award and the Pollstar Concert Industry Award recognize a show or tour that creatively expands what is offered on the road. The ILMC (International Live Music Conference) Arthur Award for Best in Show recognizes theatre shows and family entertainment.
ArtisticDirector William May developed the creative vision of the show based on an original idea by entrepreneur Bruce Mactaggart to create an arena version of the Walking with Dinosaurs television series.
A talented and experienced team of creative artists came together to produce WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - The Arena Spectacular. The show is directed by Scott Faris, a Broadway veteran who has worked side by side with Harold Prince, Trevor Nunn, Michael Blakemore, Gene Saks, John Caird, Tommy Tune and Jerry Zaks. The creatures are designed and built by Sonny Tilders; the set and projected image design are by Peter England; the show's lighting is by John Rayment, our score was composed by James Brett; sound design is by Peter Hylenski; and Warner Brown wrote the script.
Tim Haines, creator and producer of the original BBC series, which was seen by a worldwide audience of 700 million, serves as Project Consultant to WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - The Arena Spectacular. The series won six Emmy and three BAFTA Awards.
