Rockefeller Productions Announces Safety Protocol For their Record-Breaking Disney Winnie The Pooh The New Musical Stage Adaptation
Performances begin at Theatre Row on October 21, 2021
A leader in family entertainment, Rockefeller Productions announces one of the country’s most thorough and considerate safety protocols for their highly anticipated new musical, Disney Winnie The Pooh, beginning performances on October 21, 2021, at Theatre Row. The new protocols will ensure the safety of every audience member and performer.
Keeping in line with current CDC and industry safety standards, all patrons will be required to wear a mask inside the theatre, and every person 12+ will be required to show proof of vaccine before entering the theatre. Those under 12 years old will be required to show evidence of a negative PCR COVID test within 3 days of the performance or a negative COVID rapid antigen test from a doctor or testing site within 6 hours of performance.
To make it easier for families to return to the theatre, Rockefeller Productions has partnered with Dr. Karen Thornton to provide free rapid on-site testing, good within six hours of the test. The testing van will be located directly outside of Theatre Row (410 W 42nd Street) up to 1.5 hours before curtain time. It will be equipped with trained nurses to administer the non-invasive swab rapid test with results in 15 minutes. Parents should arrive at least thirty minutes before curtain time to ensure a negative test before entering the theatre. Rockefeller Productions will also provide activities for young people to assist families while they wait for the results.
Additionally, Rockefeller Productions will be introducing Seating Bubbles during certain performances distancing family units throughout the theatre. Finally, in its most comprehensive and definitive safety measure, they are also offering the Ultimate Winnie the Pooh VIP Experience with the privacy and comfort of a complete theatre buy-out accommodating up to 190 guests, as a way to enjoying the magic of Winnie the Pooh with the confidence and comfort of personally knowing every other patron attending the performance.
These safety measures are the most complete and thoughtful plan to bring audiences back to the theatre with confidence.
“We are excited to welcome audiences back to the theatre, but we also understand the difficulties that parents face in trying to adhere to current guidelines. Rockefeller Productions is happy to partner with Dr. Thornton and her team of professionals to make testing easy and convenient. These efforts are well worth it to ensure the safety of our patrons while making sure they have complete confidence returning to live theatre once again.” Rockefeller Productions’ Jonathan Rockefeller
Breaking box office records, Rockefeller Productions will debut its newest and most anticipated production Disney Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation, featuring songs by the Sherman Brothers and A.A. Milne, on October 21, 2021. This beautifully crafted musical stage adaptation is set deep in the Hundred Acre Wood and told with stunning life-size puppetry through the eyes of the Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, and Owl (and Tigger too).
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation is developed and presented by renowned family entertainment creator Jonathan Rockefeller (whose spectacular puppetry is omnipresent in the acclaimed productions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Paddington Gets in a Jam). Performances will take place at Times Square’s Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street) beginning October 21, 2021.
Tickets are now available here.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Winnie the Pooh has been enjoyed by millions of readers and viewers ever since English author A.A. Milne first chronicled the adventures of Christopher Robin’s friends in the Hundred Acre Wood in 1926. The books, featuring illustrations by English illustrator E.H. Shephard has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. The theatrical rights to the Pooh stories were acquired by Disney in 1961, with an original intent to produce a feature film, but after production began, Walt Disney decided to make short featurettes instead. The three featurettes were subsequently incorporated into the feature The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This was the last film in the Disney canon in which Walt Disney had personal involvement. The first featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree was released during his lifetime, while Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day was still in development. Disney’s Winnie the Pooh has since become one of the best-loved and most successful franchises in history.
The Sherman Brothers are the multi-talented Oscar® and Grammy® Award-winning American songwriting duo of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The Sherman Brothers wrote more motion-picture musical scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Among these are the Disney classics Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and The Aristocats. The Sherman Brothers worked directly with Walt Disney on the first two Winnie the Pooh featurettes: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (which garnered a Grammy Award nomination) and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. The brothers won a Grammy Award for the third featurette: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. All three featurettes were incorporated into the 1977 musical film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The duo also wrote songs for Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore and The Tigger Movie, with their music also featured in the movie Christopher Robin.
Jonathan Rockefeller and Rockefeller Productions embraced the challenge of re-imaging Disney’s Winnie the Pooh for a new audience by bringing it to life on stage in puppet form. The company has garnered global accolades, from critics and audiences alike, for their production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, with 14 productions playing on four continents. An extended run of the show in New York City culminated in Drama Desk and Off-Broadway Alliance nominations, as did their production of Paddington Gets in a Jam, which tours China and the US later this year. Other projects include Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, which plays on three continents, Mr. Men and Little Miss Show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the award-winning short film, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, written by preeminent author/illustrator Eric Carle.
Produced in association with Disney Theatrical Productions.
