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CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S

DRALION

APPEARS ON TUTS SUBSCRIPTION SEASON

TUTS ends season under “Big Top” and prepares for move into new home,
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

January 17 - February 17, 2002

HOUSTON, TEXAS… For the first time ever, Cirque du Soleil will appear as a part of a theatre company’s subscription season and has chosen Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), Houston’s acclaimed musical theatre production company.

Premiering in Houston on January 17, 2002 for a limited run, Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion is an all-new show featuring more than 55 artists from eight different countries. Their appearance on TUTS’ season marks only the second time Cirque du Soleil has appeared in Houston. Dralion will be presented under Cirque du Soleil’s trademark blue-and-yellow Big Top located across from the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.

Fusing ancient Chinese circus traditions with Cirque du Soleil’s avant garde approach, Dralion is a celebration of life and the four elements that maintain the natural order: air, water, fire and earth. Both the set, which serves as an accessory to the acrobats, and the costumes are representative of these four elements. The multi-talented performers present a variety of high-calibre acts such as ballet on lights, double trapeze and hoop diving. The Dralion soundtrack is an inspired fusion of sounds from East and West, acoustic and electric, with rhythmic and lyrical motifs.

Shuffling between theatres for the last three years, TUTS sees the Cirque du Soleil show under the Big Top as a perfect way to kick off the move into their newly-constructed home, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. “Just in this season, we have moved from the Arena Theatre, to the Miller Theatre, to the Wortham Theatre, and now to the Cirque du Soleil Big Top,” said David Greiss, TUTS Director of Sales and Marketing. “A state-of-the-art production, like Dralion, is a great way to gear up for the move into our new state-of-the-art facility, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.”

The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, constructed on the site of TUTS’ former home, the Music Hall, will not only serve as the home for TUTS productions, but will also house its administrative offices and its training wing, the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre.

Tickets for Dralion may be purchased by phone at 800-678-5440 or on-line at www.tuts.com using TUTS’ E-Ticket System. Adult tickets range from $60.00-$37.00, while tickets for children (ages 2-12) range from $42.00-$26.00.

Special rates will be available to Students (ages 13-17) and Seniors (65+) for weekday performances only (Tuesday to Thursday, and Friday at 5 p.m.). Ticket prices for Students and Seniors range from $53.75-$33.00. In addition, Cirque du Soleil now offers an all-new Dralion VIP Package which includes one of the best seats in the house, refreshments and hors-d’oeuvres served in the Cirque-style ambience of the Lincoln Suite, plus a special Dralion gift and souvenir program. The Dralion VIP Package is $160.00 for adults and $112.00 for children (2 to 12 years old).

Theatre Under The Stars is Houston’s acclaimed musical theatre production company founded in 1968 by Frank M. Young. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and has since performed there each summer, giving Houston forty-one lavish musicals such as South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof and The Who’s Tommy. Since its founding, TUTS has produced more than 200 major musicals including many local, national and world premieres and is currently represented on Broadway with Beauty and the Beast. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS’ Humphreys School of Musical Theatre provides instruction and stage experience for more than 1,000 students annually.