7:00 PM, Thursday, June 11, The 5th Avenue Theatre

(SEATTLE, WA) Tim Minchin, the internationally celebrated composer and comedian behind the music and lyrics of the sensational Broadway hit Matilda The Musical, will join 5th Avenue audiences for the next Spotlight Night, The 5th Avenue’s behind-the-curtains look at upcoming productions. Hosted by Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, this Spotlight Night will preview the theater’s upcoming summer shows: the ever popular Grease, the final show of the 2014/15, season and Matilda The Musical, the smash hit that opens the 2015/16 season.

Spotlight Nights blend multimedia, lecture, and live musical performances for a unique backstage perspective. Audiences meet members of casts and creative teams and discover the fascinating stories behind a show’s creation. At this Spotlight Night, crowds will hear directly from one of the creators of the biggest hits on Broadway with Matilda The Musical and explore the history behind Grease, including how a scrappy little show from Chicago became one of the most popular musicals in history.

Spotlight Night for Grease and Matilda The Musical begins at 7:00 PM, Thursday, June 11, 2015 at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 PM. To reserve tickets for this free event or for additional information, visit http://www.5thavenue.org/show/grease-matilda-spotlight-night, call 206-625-1900, or stop by the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in Downtown Seattle. Spotlight Night is made possible through the generous support of U.S. Bank.

About Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin is a musician, comedian, actor and writer. He wrote his first theatrical score at 17, and spent the next decade composing, acting, making theatre and playing pianos. In 2005, his comic cabaret, Dark Side, launched him onto the international stage. He toured internationally with subsequent solo shows, So F-ing Rock and Ready for This. His 2010 show, Tim Minchin vs. the Orchestra, sold out some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Acting highlights include the role of Judas in the arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, Atticus Fetch in Showtime’s Californication, and Rosencrantz in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead for the Sydney Theatre Company. His new stage musical, Groundhog Day, opens on Broadway in the spring of 2017. He is currently writing and directing Larrikins, a feature film for Dreamworks Animation, and spasmodically performing live around the US. Minchin’s music and lyrics for Matilda The Musical have received international awards including the Olivier Award® and the Drama Desk Award®.

About Matilda The Musical
TIME Magazine’s #1 Show of the Year, Matilda The Musical, kicks off the 2015/16 season at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers, the first national tour of Matilda The Musical is the sensational hit Seattle audiences won’t want to miss.

Winner of 50 international awards including four Tony Awards® and a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards® including Best Musical, Matilda The Musical is based on the beloved novel by best-selling author Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox). It is the story of an extraordinary girl who dreams of a better life. Armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, Matilda dares to take a stand and change her destiny.

Matilda The Musical plays August 18-September 6, 2015 (press opening August 20) at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101). Tickets (starting at $35) go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 5, 2015. Tickets are currently available only as a part of the 2015/16 season subscription, or to groups of 10 or more. Group ticket buyers may call (888) 625-1418. Single tickets may be purchased beginning on June 5 online at www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206-625-1900, or at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in Downtown Seattle.

About Grease
The American musical sensation, Grease, will send audiences cruisin’ through the days of pajama parties, sock hops, and drive-ins with an exuberant cast of Seattle’s freshest faces and favorite performers at The 5th Avenue Theatre this summer. Eric Ankrim directs a cast led by newcomers Bryan Gula as Danny Zuko, Solea Pfeiffer as Sandy Dumbrowski and Saxton Jay as Kenickie. Returning to The 5th are Kirsten deLohr Helland as the gum-smacking Rizzo and Sarah Rose Davis as beauty-school dropout Frenchie. A rocking band centered around Billy Joe Huels and the Dusty 45s will have audiences dancing in the aisles. Follow the whole gang as they hand-jive their way through their senior year with unforgettable songs like “Beauty School Dropout,” “Hopelessly Devoted,” “Greased Lightnin’,” and “You’re the One that I Want.” This musical favorite will overjoy audiences of any generation.

Grease plays July 9-August 2, 2015 (press opening Thursday, July 16) at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Avenue, Seattle). For single tickets (starting at $29) and information, please visit www.5thavenue.org, call the Box Office at (206) 625-1900 or visit the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in Downtown Seattle. Tickets may also be purchased at (888) 5TH-4TIX. Group tickets buyers (10 or more) may call (888) 625-1418.

About The 5th Avenue Theatre
The non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre is acclaimed as one of the nation’s leading musical theater companies and is especially renowned for its production and development of new works. Since 2002, the Seattle-based company has produced 17 new musicals. To date, nine (including the sensational hitDisney’s Aladdin) have moved on to Broadway premieres, earning a combined 15 Tony Awards, including two for Best Musical (Hairspray and Memphis). The 5th Avenue Theatre is also known for its world class, critically acclaimed productions of musicals chosen from both the contemporary canon and the Golden Age of Broadway.

Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, this exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin and Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry, this non-profit theater company attracts an annual attendance of more than 300,000, including over 25,000 subscribers – one of the largest theater subscriptions in North America.

In addition to its main stage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive educational outreach programs. For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its programs, please visitwww.5thavenue.org.