For 200 million years the dinosaurs ruled the earth …
In 2007 they returned to tour the arenas of the world in an extraordinary theatrical production, and in 2014 they will conquer North America again
Based on the award-winning BBC Television series, Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular will perform at Canadian Tire Centre for a limited eight-performance engagement Aug. 20-24
Tickets go on sale Friday, April 11, at 10 a.m. via www.CapitalTickets.ca or by calling 613-599-FANS
OTTAWA – Dinosaurs once again roam the earth when the spectacular production, Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular, based on the award-winning BBC Television series, returns to North America this summer. Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular will perform at Canadian Tire Centre for a limited eight-performance engagement from Wednesday, Aug. 20, to Sunday, Aug. 24. Tickets start at $19.50 and go on sale Friday, April 11, at 10 a.m.
The show that critics have called ‘awesome’, ‘spectacular’ and ‘breathtaking’ will commence a new tour in Cleveland from July 9-13. This updated production will showcase changes to the dinosaurs based on the latest scientific research including the likely feathering of some species. Worldwide, more than eight million people have seen this show in 243 cities and over 2,000 performances.
Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular is produced by Global Creatures headed by CEO Carmen Pavlovic. Pavlovic said, “I am thrilled that Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular is coming back to the US (and Canada) in July – its first visit to North America since its inaugural 2007 sold-out tour. A new generation is ready to experience these life-size beasts in this awe-inspiring spectacle, which has still not been matched in terms of scale and quality. Many of our creatures have ‘evolved’ since the last tour, now featuring distinctive display feathers, head crests and tail fans, reflecting recent discoveries about the physical nature of these massive creatures. This show remains a must-see for audiences of all ages.”
The show depicts the dinosaurs’ evolution with almost cinematic realism. Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular has scenes of the interactions between dinosaurs, how carnivorous dinosaurs evolved to walk on two legs, and how the herbivores fended off their more agile predators.
Ten species are represented from the entire 200 million year reign of the dinosaurs. The show includes the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the terror of the ancient terrain, as well as the Plateosaurus and Liliensternus from the Triassic period, the Stegosaurus and Allosaurus from the Jurassic period and Torosaurus and Utahraptor from the awesome Cretaceous period. The largest of them, the Brachiosaurus is 36 feet tall and 56 feet from nose to tail. It took a team of 50 – including engineers, fabricators, skin makers, artists, painters and animatronic experts – a year to build the production.
The history of the world is played out with the splitting of the earth’s continents, and the transition from the arid desert of the Triassic period is given over to the lush green prairies and forces of the later Jurassic. Oceans form, volcanoes erupt, a forest catches fire – all leading to the impact of the massive comet, which struck the earth, and forced the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Director Scott Faris said, “we take the audience on a journey back in time and show them how the dinosaurs might have actually looked in their prime – huge, sometimes frightening, sometimes comical monsters – that fought for survival every day of their lives. Our dinosaurs move exactly like they are real – with all the roars, snorts and excitement that go with it. The realism is mind-blowing.”
The show originated in Australia, where after years of planning, Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular came to life at Sydney’s Acer Arena in January 2007. The 20 dinosaurs were originally ‘hatched’ by Sonny Tilders, the head of creature design at Creature Technology Company, in a Melbourne Docklands workshop big enough to park a 747.
The show proved itself such a sensation, that the North American tour was fast-tracked, where it quickly became one of the leading arena attractions. The only building large enough to house rehearsals for the dinosaurs was the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Soon after this successful season, Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular went on to conquer Europe and Asia.
During its North American tour (2007-2010), the production won the THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Touring Event and the Billboard Touring Award for Creative Content as well as the Pollstar Concert Industry Award for Most Creative Stage Production and the ILMC Arthur Award for Best in Show. The THEAs recognize excellence in the creation of compelling educational, historical and entertainment projects; and both the Billboard Touring Award and the Pollstar Concert Industry Award recognize a show or tour that creatively expands what is offered on the road. The ILMC (International Live Music Conference) Arthur Award for Best in Show recognizes theatre shows and family entertainment.
Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular will perform eight shows over the course of five days from Wednesday, Aug. 20, to Sunday, Aug. 24, as follows:
Wednesday, Aug. 20 – 7 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 21 – 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 22 – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 23 – 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 24 – 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Tickets start at $19.50 and can be purchased by visiting www.CapitalTickets.ca or www.evenko.ca, by phone at 613-599-FANS (3267) or 1-877-788-FANS (3267); in person at each of the 10 participating Canadian Tire stores in Ottawa as well as the store in Perth, The Sens Store at Carlingwood Mall and Place d’Orléans, any Ottawa Sports Experts location, Les Galeries de Hull, Ottawa Festivals and at the Canadian Tire Centre box office.
For more information on Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular, please visitwww.dinosaurlive.com.
Capital Tickets is the only authorized ticket vendor for Canadian Tire Centre events. Tickets purchased through unauthorized ticket vendors are subject to cancellation and purchasers may be denied access to the event. Only those tickets purchased through authorized vendors are guaranteed seating.
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