Mattie Kelly Arts Center adds January 17 matinee to public
Kennedy Center production "Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major"
 

(NICEVILLE, FLORIDA) -  The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audience’s national tour of “Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major” will appear at the Mattie Kelly Fine and Performing Arts Center at Okaloosa-Walton College on Thursday, January 17, 2008 for two performances at 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Co-sponsored by the White House Historical Association, the Kennedy Center production imagines stories about the children of our nation’s Presidents—beginning with this exciting new musical inspired by Theodore Roosevelt and his family.

 
The production is recommended for ages 9 and up, but promises to be a delightful experience for adults and older students as well.  This clever and comical production features songs by Washington satirist Mark Russell, whose PBS specials have led TV Guide to call him “the funniest man on television.” All tickets are $6 each for either children or adults.

 
The 9:00 am performance of the “Teddy Roosevelt” musical is for school groups only and is currently sold-out. The special repeat performance at 11:30 a.m. is open to the general public and to other groups.  Tickets for the 11:30 a.m. performance are available now on the OWC arts Web site at and from the box office by phone at (850) 729-6000 or in-person. The box office is closed December 19 to January 1, but web sales are open over the holiday break. Group sales are only available in person or by phone.  

According to Dr. Cliff Herron, the OWC Mattie Kelly Arts Center’s executive director, the Kennedy Center’s touring productions are well known for being top-notch. “Most of those who will see this production may never have the chance to visit the nation’s performing arts center in Washington D.C., but they’ll be able to still experience the professionalism and talent that has become the trademark of Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences with this fun production that’s really for all ages – youth and adult.”

The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour is celebrating its 15th anniversary season. This special new musical is about what it’s like for the kids who’ve lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and takes place in the summer of 1904. President Roosevelt just wants his three rambunctious children to be quiet and stay out of mischief. He gives young Ethel, Kermit, and Archie a copy of Treasure Island - and out falls a real-life treasure map. Following clue after clue, the threesome has to work as a team, solve the riddles, and face their fears, as they learn White House history that leads them from the Red Room, to the President’s Office, to the Lincoln Bedroom. But, will their father’s loyal valet or the new English governess foil their quest? Who is Jura Roams? What is the White House treasure? Where will the clues lead? And who is the ghost talking to Archie?

The Mattie Kelly Arts Center is easily accessible from Interstate 10 and Highways 85 and 285 on the Niceville campus of Okaloosa-Walton College, at 100 College Boulevard.