Nazareth College Arts Center Presents John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean

ROCHESTER, NY (12/02/2011)(readMedia)-- Nazareth College Arts Center is pleased to present John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean, a one-of-a-kind live, glow-in-the-dark puppet show on Saturday, January 7, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Designed as "a great first musical for kids," according to the creator, John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean opened in New York City in March 2010 and ended its off-Broadway run in September; the show is now on a national tour.

A hit in New York City, John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean is a magical undersea adventure for the whole family (suggested especially for grades pre-K–2; ages 4–7).

The 50-minute production features extraordinary glow-in-the-dark puppets, memorable original songs, music ranging from swing to R&B and Big Band, and a heartwarming story of friendship and discovery, centered around three loveable fish (Tank, Bubbles, and Dorsel), who are inspired by a treasure map and set out on a underwater journey.

The music for the production was composed by William Wade. The show is produced by Jellyfish Jive Productions, a collaboration of John Tartaglia, Philip Katz and Michael Shawn Lewis.

Visit http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/video/4571.html for YouTube video clips of highlights from the show.

About John Tartaglia

John Tartaglia has been puppeteering since age seven. An avid Muppet-fan, John's dream of working for the Jim Henson Company came true when at age sixteen, he was hired as one of the youngest "Muppeteers" in history.

John puppeteered on Sesame Street for 12 seasons before leaving to make his Broadway debut as Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q, earning him a TONY nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. John then had the great honor of creating and starring in Disney's Johnny and the Sprites for which he was nominated for an EMMY as Outstanding Performer in a Children's Show (and which was nominated for several other categories including Outstanding Children's Series). Other notable television appearances include Tingo on Sesame English- an ESL series airing worldwide, Bear in the Big Blue House, DJ2 on Discovery Channel's Animal Jam, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Dog City, Play With Me Sesame, Blue's Room, and several Sesame Street and Muppet home videos and commercials. John recently performed Pinocchio, the live real-time motion capture Magic Mirror, and the larger-than-life Dragon puppet in Shrek the Musical on Broadway. John began teaching puppet workshops and Master Classes in 2005 and feels honored to help continue the art form that has had such an impact on his life.

Sponsor Information

The Nazareth College Arts Center's 2011-2012 Subscription Series is Sponsored by M&T Bank, Electronic Field Productions and the New York State Council on the Arts.

In addition, The Family shows are Sponsored by Wendy's Restaurants of Rochester.

About the Arts Center's 2011-2012 Season

Visit artscenter.naz.edu to download a copy of the Season brochure.

Tickets

Tickets to John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean are $11-$17.

To purchase tickets, visit or call the Arts Center box office: 585-389-2170 or visit us online: artscenter.naz.edu.

Box office hours are Monday- Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and 11 a.m. until curtain time on performance days. The Nazareth College Arts Center Box Office is located on campus, at 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, New York, 14618.

About Nazareth College Arts Center: Nazareth College Arts Center is the region's premier mid-size theater and venue for world-class dance, children's theatre and international entertainment.