November 22, 2004
PMO presents holiday extravaganza 'The Magic and Wonder of Christmas'
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Music of the holidays will fill Elliott Hall of Music on Dec. 10-12 when Purdue Musical Organizations presents its 71st Annual Purdue Christmas Show, called "The Magic and Wonder of Christmas."
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"The Purdue Christmas Show is the largest and the oldest show of its kind anywhere in the world," said PMO director Brian Breed. "Every year we add exciting new elements so people will want to keep coming back."
This year's featured performers will be the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, Purduettes, Purdue Bells, PMO All-Star Alumni, PMO Kids Choir and members of the All-Campus Chorale. Student performers hail from as far away as China and Japan and as nearby as West Lafayette.
The nearly 250 cast members rehearse at least 70 hours before the Christmas show, Breed said. Each performer makes an average of three costume changes, and some make five changes during the show.
Breed has been with PMO for 18 years, and this will be his 16th year directing the Christmas Show. One of the big surprises every year is how Santa Claus will make his grand entrance. In previous years, Santa has flown in like Superman, rode in on a blimp, a goose and a skateboard. He's come down a chimney and popped out of a jack-in-the-box.
This year's set construction was designed by Advanced Staging Technologies, an Orlando, Fla., company that has worked with many Disney productions, Breed said.
An audience of 36,000 people travel from all regions to see the show live on campus each December. More than 1 million people have seen the PMO Christmas Show in Elliott Hall since its debut in 1933. The show also is broadcast nationwide on more than 100 public television stations.
Performances are scheduled for Dec. 10 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 11 at noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Dec. 12 at noon and 4 p.m. Tickets are $17 for students and $24 for the general public and can be purchased by calling (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW.
Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Sources: Brian Breed, (765) 494-3941, bdbreed@purdue.edu
Gwyn Zawisza, PMO contact, (765) 496-6091, gzawisza@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Santa, played by Joey Martin, a senior in agriculture education from Walton , Ind., sings with Peter Tarrant, at left, a freshman majoring in computer graphics, and A.J. Robinson, a junior in consumer and family sciences, both from Indianapolis. The students, who are members of Purdue Musical Organizations' Glee Club, were practicing for the annual Christmas Show, which will take place Dec. 10-12 at the Elliott Hall of Music. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photograph is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2004/pmoxmas-adv04.jpg
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