Trunk Songs: PigPen Theatre Co. - The Composers of Water for Elephants
City Winery NYC presents Trunk Songs: PigPen Theatre Co. - The Composers of Water for Elephants on May 17th at 8:30 PM!
“A few weeks ago, we made our Broadway debut as composers and lyricists of Water For Elephants, fulfilling one of the many dreams we’ve collectively shared since we met as students at Carnegie Mellon 17 years ago. Now to celebrate, we’re throwing a big party and you’re all invited. City Winery is hosting us for two nights to play two concerts of favorites, deep cuts, new tunes from an upcoming album, and whatever else catches our eye while we're digging through the trunk!” - PigPen Theatre Co.
PigPen Theatre Co. began creating their unique brand of theatre, music, and film as freshmen at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2007. They have since performed, produced, and licensed their original plays in New York City and all over the world – earning them critic’s picks from The New York Times, Time Out New York, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Boston Globe, and many more, ranking them in the top ten theatrical events of 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016. They were the first group to win the NYC Fringe Festival’s top honor for a play two years in a row (2010/11) and have gone on to win IRNE (2012, 2015) and Jeff Awards (2014) for their theatrical productions. In 2016, Sir Trevor Nunn invited PigPen to be a part of his first American acting company for a production of Shakespeare's Pericles.
PigPen's debut album, “Bremen”, was named #10 album of the year in The Huffington Post’s 2012 Grammy preview sending PigPen on tour playing to sold-out crowds across the country. American Songwriter premiered their follow-up EP, “The Way I’m Running”, in 2013 while the band was playing a series of concerts that became one of the most popular residencies of the past decade at the legendary Schuba’s Tavern in Chicago. In 2015, PigPen released their sophomore album, "Whole Sun", performed at Mumford & Sons' return to the Gentlemen of the Road Festival, and made their feature film debut in Jonathan Demme's "Ricki and the Flash" starring Meryl Streep.
In 2018, PigPen announced that they are creating two stage musicals based on beloved novels: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (in partnership with Universal Theatrical Group) and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (in collaboration with Rick Elice). The Tale of Despereaux world premiered at The Old Globe in the summer of 2019 and transferred to Berkeley Repertory Theatre to close out the year.
2021 saw PigPen premiere their ongoing interactive theatrical experience, “The Phantom Folktales”, aboard Richard Branson’s groundbreaking cruise line, Virgin Voyages. That summer also marked the beginning of their three year residency at New York City’s newest and most unique public park: Little Island. PigPen performed concerts featuring new music, engaged with students and community members, and curated The Storytelling Festival there each season.
Water For Elephants opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on March 21st, 2024 and received a Critic’s Pick from The New York Times amongst others.
