a collaboration with
GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE
January 23 - February 22, 2026
Book & Lyrics by Gloria Clunie
Music by Elton Bradman & Lila Oleszkiewicz
Based on the book by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker - Rees
Collaboration with Threads Dance
CAST | CREATIVE TEAM
RECOMMENDED FOR: All Ages
LOCATION: Mainstage Theatre
SHOW RUN TIME: 60 Minutes
RESOURCE GUIDE: Coming Soon!
Let the music find you this winter!
Gerald the giraffe dreams of dancing but with his skinny legs and knobbly knees he has trouble even walking! When dancers from around the world travel to come to his home on the breathtaking West African Savanna for the “Annual Jungle Dance” his friend cricket comes to the rescue to help him realize his dream. Animal antics, dazzling music, and dances from across the globe make this heartwarming tale of friendship a musical for all ages.
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INDIVIDUAL & ALL OTHER TICKETS ON SALE 3/25/25
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THE CAST
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THE CREATIVE TEAM
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CREATIVE TEAM BIOS
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Gloria Clunie
Book and Lyrics
GLORIA BOND CLUNIE is an award-winning playwright, educator, and director. She is a founding member of the Playwriting Ensemble at Chicago’s Regional Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater where her plays North Star, Living Green, and Shoes premiered and the founding Artistic Director of Evanston’s Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre. Other works by this Northwestern University graduate (B.A. Theater, MFA-Directing) include Sweet Water Taste, Smoke, Quark, Bankruptcy, My Wonderful Birthday Suit, and The Last Stop on Market Street.
Elton Bradman
Music
Everett Elton Bradman’s 2021-2022 composer/sound designer credits include West Coast premieres (Trayf at the Geffen Playhouse), audio dramas (Aurora Theater’s The Bluest Eye), student productions (UC Riverside’s Red Oleanders), Zoom theater (Actors Theaters’ Romeo & Juliet: Louisville 2020), podcasts (Z Space/Word for Word’s Retablos trilogy), filmed theater (San Francisco Playhouse’s Hieroglyph), hybrid visual/audio (New Conservatory Theater Company’s Interlude), and outdoor performances (Oakland Theater Project’s The Waste Land). Other recent adventures include teaching an online undergraduate course in theatrical sound design and co-writing a musical for Bay Area Children’s Theater and the Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. Stop by and say hello at eltonsounds.com/
Leela Oleszkiewicz
Music
LEELA OLESZKIEWICZ Composer, songwriter, and vocalist Leela Oleszkiewicz has been a performer since the age of five. Her work as a vocalist has ranged from classical art songs, Polish folk music, and ’70s singer-songwriter jams. She is half of synth-pop duo Basetla, who released their debut album Woman on The Run in 2021. Leela has contributed her piano, composition, and vocal arranging/editing skills to a wide range of projects, including (from Twelfth Night at Oregon Shakespeare Festival to Wives at Aurora Theater), film (the documentary A Place to Breathe), TV (HBO’s The Anarchists), and musicals (Covid: The Musical). Leela was the primary composer for South Coast Repertory’s 2022 production of Greg Banks’ Snow White.
Giles Andreae
Author
Giles Andreae is an award-winning children’s author and has written both fiction titles and bestselling picture books, such as Pants and The Lion Who Wanted to Love. He has won the Federation of Children’s Book Award and the Booktrust Early Years Award, but he is probably most famous as the creator of the phenomenally successful Purple Ronnie, Britain’s favourite stick man. Giles Andreae is the author of several children's books, including the best-selling Giraffes Can't Dance, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees.
Guy Parker - Rees
Author
Guy Parker-Rees is an internationally best-selling illustrator and author of the Dylan series of books (including DYLAN THE DOCTOR) currently made into an international animation series. He has illustrated many bestselling books, including GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE and BRAVE DAVE by Giles Andreae; SPOOKYRUMPUS, DINOSAURUMPUS!, and ALL AFLOAT ON NOAH'S BOAT by Tony Mitton and many others. He lives in Brighton, England.
Current & Upcoming Shows
We are thrilled to have you enjoy our mystical season of adventure and we're certain there will be boundless opportunities for you and your entire family to be awestruck, and we can’t wait!
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So many things bring us together, shared moments, special celebrations, meaningful conversations, a good hearty laugh. Stories that we see onstage can transform moments into memories by engaging emotions and imagination with those we care about. Our 2025-2026 season is designed to bring families, classrooms and artists TOGETHER, and to bring joy.
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