Shelter dogs throughout New York City will make their Broadway debuts on the way to adoption thanks to SANDY’S RESCUE PALS, a new dog adoption partnership between the current Broadway production of ANNIE, the Tony Award®-winning musical; Pedigree® Brand; and Bobbi and the Strays.
SANDY’S RESCUE PALS puts “orphan” dogs under the bright lights of Broadway. Each Wednesday matinee, dogs from Bobbi and the Strays’ shelter will come to the Palace Theatre for an intermission meet-and-greet with audience members, who can meet a shelter representatives, apply to adopt a dog and obtain information on rescue shelter and adoptions. Following the performance, shelter representatives will review audience adoption applications and determine the best home for those dogs. The team will also match additional shelter dogs with approved applicants from the pool.
Adopted dogs and their new families will be featured on SandysRescuePals.com and the ANNIE Facebook page. The program kicks off on May 8th with special appearances by members of the ANNIE cast.
SANDY’S RESCUE PALS follows in the footsteps of ANNIE’s dog-friendly history and focus on animal rescue, including the 30-minute documentary “Annie’s Search for Sandy,” chronicling the nationwide search for the show’s canine star which aired on NBC in October 2012, brought to you by Pedigree® Brand. Sunny, currently starring on Broadway as Sandy, was rescued from BARC Municipal Animal Shelter in Houston only 24 hours before she was scheduled to be put to sleep as an unwanted shelter dog. Leading these initiatives is Bill Berloni, ANNIE’s award-winning animal trainer who received a 2011 Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre for his work in the field.
The first fifteen new owners of a dog from the show will receive one year’s supply of dog food along with an Adoption Kit from PEDIGREE® Food for Dogs, as well as a special BarkBox with goodies for their new pooch. PEDIGREE® has also supported Bobbi and the Strays in the past, specifically following hurricane Sandy. As part of the brand’s mission to help dogs find loving homes, PEDIGREE donated $100,000 to the shelter to help repair the damages as a result of the hurricane, and provided the shelter with a year’s supply of PEDIGREE dog food.
SANDY’S RESCUE PALS is also generously supported by the Mayor’s Alliance’s Wheels of Hope Transport.
For more information, please visit SandysRescuePals.com.
About the PEDIGREE® Brand
The PEDIGREE® Brand is the number one brand of dog food in the world, offering a wide variety of products for different dog life stages. As an innovative market leader, the PEDIGREE® Brand is at the forefront of pet nutrition and understands pet owner needs by providing a range of innovative products and resources. For more information, please visit www.Pedigree.com.
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ABOUT BOBBI AND THE STRAYS
Bobbi and the Strays is a 100% non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization, located in New York – with an adoption center in Queens and a shelter on Long Island. They rescue stray dogs and cats from the streets, and from situations of abuse and neglect. Additionally, they rescue many dogs and cats from “death row” at kill shelters in New York. Their main goal is to find permanent, loving homes for all the dogs and cats that they rescue.
ABOUT ANNIE
ANNIE features a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, with all three authors receiving 1977 Tony Awards® for their work. ANNIE is directed by Pulitzer Prize and three-time Tony Award®-winner James Lapine and choreographed by Tony Award®-winner Andy Blankenbuehler. The production is playing at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway, between 46th and 47th Streets).
ANNIE stars two-time Tony Award® winner Katie Finneran as Miss Hannigan, Australian star Anthony Warlow making his Broadway debut as Daddy Warbucks and 11-year-old Lilla Crawford as Annie, with Brynn O’Malley as Grace Farrell, Clarke Thorell as Rooster Hannigan, and J. Elaine Marcos as Lily St. Regis. The Orphans are Madi Rae DiPietro as July, Georgi James as Pepper, Junah Jang as Tessie, Tyrah Skye Odoms as Kate, Taylor Richardson as Duffy, Emily Rosenfeld as Molly, Brooklyn Shuck as standby for Molly, Kate, Tessie, July and Duffy, Sadie Sink as standby for Annie, Tessie, Duffy, July and Kate and Jaidyn Young as standby for Annie, Pepper, Duffy and July. The production also features Ashley Blanchet, Jane Blass, Jeremy Davis, Fred Inkley, Merwin Foard, Joel Hatch, Danette Holden, Amanda Lea LaVergne, Gavin Lodge, Liz McCartney, Desi Oakley, Keven Quillon, David Rossetti, Sarah Solie, Dennis Stowe and Ryan VanDenBoom.
Anthony Warlow is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance with this production.
The creative team includes scenic design by Drama Desk Award-winner David Korins, costume design by Tony Award-winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by two-time Tony Award-winner Donald Holder and sound design by Tony Award-winner Brian Ronan. Projection design is by Wendall K. Harrington. Music director is Todd Ellison. Orchestrations are by Michael Starobin. Dance music arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire. Musical coordinator is Patrick Vaccariello. Hair and wig design is by Tom Watson. Casting is byTelsey + Company. Animal training is by William Berloni.
In a dual effort to promote dog adoption and provide shelters with resources, PEDIGREE® Food for Dogs and ANNIE have teamed up to help raise $1 million to help dogs find loving homes. For each ANNIE ticket sold through December 31, 2013, PEDIGREE will donate $2, up to $1 million, to PEDIGREE Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping dogs find loving homes. In addition, co-branded merchandise will be available at the theatre and online with 100 percent of the proceeds going to PEDIGREE Foundation. For more information on The PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive and other brand initiatives, visit www.pedigree.com orwww.facebook.com/pedigree.
ANNIE is produced on Broadway by Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger Horchow, Sally Horchow, Roger Berlind, Roy Furman, Debbie Bisno, Stacey Mindich, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Jane Bergère/Daryl Roth and Eva Price/Christina Papagjika.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for ANNIE are available through www.ticketmaster.com, by calling 877-250-2929, or in person at the Palace Theatre box office (1564 Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets). Premium seating is available.