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Princess Cruises Unveils Artwork for Newest Stephen Schwartz Production “The Secret Silk”

Katie Rodgers of Paper Fashion Commissioned to Create One-of-a-Kind Painting

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (February 8, 2017) – Princess Cruises today revealed theartwork for "The Secret Silk," the third production created in collaborationwith Oscar-, Tony- and Grammy award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz("Wicked", "Pippin", "Godspell"). Created by Katie Rodgers of Paper Fashion,the "The Secret Silk" artwork was commissioned specifically to reflect thewhimsical nature of the production.


A remarkable tale of adventure, romance, andenchantment that features familiar music and brings together some of Broadway'sbest to transport audiences onboard, the new show was created and directed byTony Award-nominated John Tartaglia ("Avenue Q", "Sesame Street"). "TheSecret Silk" debuts exclusively on Royal Princess starting in mid-February2018, while the ship is sailing the Caribbean.


"TheSecret Silk" is the story of an Asian folkloric tale with a contemporaryspin, featuring inspired performances through the use of music, dance, puppetryand special effects. Adapted from the ancient fable "The Grateful Crane," thestory features Lan, a beautiful, selfless young woman who possesses a magicalgift, secretly creating brilliant silk fabrics. Audiences will be introduced tooriginal life-size puppetry from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and an originalsong, "Sing to the Sky," both created exclusively for theproduction.


"Working on the poster design for The SecretSilk has been a wonderful creative opportunity," said artist Katie Rodgers. "Ilove taking a script and seeing where the words take me artistically.‘The Secret Silk' has an air of mystery to it which I love to recreate with mypaintings."


Rodgers is the artist and illustrator behindthe fanciful world of Paper Fashion. Since childhood, Rodgers has been bringingher imaginations to life through fantastical artwork which effortlessly dancesaround the tiles of Instagram. Known for her elegant and often animated ShadowDancers, her work has been commissioned by the likes of Cartier,Jaeger-LeCoultre, Estee Lauder, Perrier Jouet, Disney, Focus Features, Harper'sBazaar, and Swarovski, among others.


"The Secret Silk" premieres aboard RoyalPrincess, followed by Island Princess in May 2018 for the Alaska season, andDiamond Princess sailing Japan in fall 2018. Production team for "The SecretSilk" includes:


  • John Tartaglia,(Creator and Director) an American puppeteer, actor, singer, dancer, voiceartist, and comedian, whose theatre performance credits include a TonyAward nominated Broadway debut in "Avenue Q," "Beauty and the Beast," and"Shrek The Musical." His acclaimed off-Broadway, national and internationaltouring show "ImaginOcean" premiered in November as a new Jim HensonCompany series on PBS entitled, "Splash and Bubbles". John is also the host ofSiriusXM On Broadway's "Sunday Funday."

  • Shannon Lewis,(Choreographer) is a veteran of 10 Broadway shows including starring in theoriginal cast of "Fosse," winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical.Choreography includes "Shrek the Halls," "Joseph and the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat," and "A Dog Story."

  • Anna Louizos,(Scenic Designer) is a three-time Tony Award nominee with more than 18 Broadwayshows to her credit. Currently her sets and costumes can be seen in "School ofRock" on Broadway, London, and the U.S. tour.

  • Clint Ramos,(Costume Designer) is a set and costume designer for theater and live events.He has designed over 200 shows on Broadway, both in the U.S. andinternationally. He is the recipient of the Tony Award, Obie Award forSustained Excellence, three Lortel Awards, the TDF Irene Sharaff Award, two ATWHenry Hewes Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award.

  • Kelly Easterling(Lighting Designer) leads Quantum Creative Studios with a focus on imagining,designing, and developing attractions, themed environments, experiences, andshows. He has been the lighting designer for hundreds of productionsacross the country.

  • Danny Fiandaca(Sound Designer) has been a Los Angeles-based sound engineer for over 20 yearsand a sound designer for the last 10. He's worked musical theatre productionsacross the U.S. and Asia and has sound designed more than 15 productions forPrincess Cruises.

  • Aaron Rhyne(Video and Projection Designer) is a video and projection designer with officesin both New York and Los Angeles. His designs have been seen on stages aroundthe world in over 100 productions of musicals, plays, operas, and danceperformances.

  • Brad Ellis(Musical Director) is a former Los Angelessession musician who now orchestrates for major U.S. symphonies, and is bestknown as the curiously silent piano player on "Glee."

  • Andrew Christie(Music Producer and Orchestrator) is a Los Angeles-based Australian screencomposer working with the Hans Zimmer/Sony ATV joint venture Bleeding FingersCustom Music Shop.

  • Adam Gwon,(Original Song - Lyrics) is a composer andlyricist whose musicals have been seen around the world in more than 200productions, including off-Broadway and in London's West End.

  • Jihwan Kim,(Original Song - Music) is a composer andcomposition teacher based in New York. His works include "Cupid and Psyche"with lyricist Sean Heartley, "Cinderella After the Ball" and "The NutcrackerSings" with lyricist Eddie Sugarman.

  • Jayson Raitt (SupervisingProducer) is a Tony Award-nominated producer who has 20 years of creativedevelopment, management, and leadership experience.


In addition to "TheSecret Silk," Princess Cruises' partnership with Stephen Schwartz has premiered"Magic to Do" and "Born to Dance" onboard select ships in the fleet. Thistheatrical partnership adds to the cruise line's Come Back New Promise,a multi-million dollar investment to enhance the onboard guest experience,ultimately resulting in more transformative moments, lifetime memories andmeaningful stories to share from a cruise vacation.


Additionalinformation about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travelagent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company'swebsite at princess.com.


About Jim Henson Creature Shop:


Over the past 50 years, Jim Henson's CreatureShop™, a division of The Jim Henson Company, has been one of the premierpractical visual effects companies in the entertainment industry; creating memorablepuppet and creature characters for film and television. Following in thefootsteps of Jim Henson, the Creature Shop continues to be on the forefront oftechnological innovation in both practical visual effects, and now animation.They have developed a breakthrough in animation with their patented Emmy-Awardwinning Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. The groundbreaking system producesimmediate real-time animation of 3D generated digital characters. The CreatureShop also functions as a creative service company to the rest of theentertainment industry, working on projects in the areas of film, advertising,and themed-entertainment; and creatively collaborating with artists in themusic industry.


About Princess Cruises:
One of thebest-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise line and tourcompany operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships renowned for theirinnovative design and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment andamenities, all provided with the experience of exceptional customer service. Asan award-winning destination leader offering international cruise vacations,Princess carries two million guests each year to more than 360 destinationsaround the globe on more than 150 itineraries ranging in length from three to111 days. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE:CUK).


Newsroom:
Additional mediainformation is available at princess.com/news.


For more information contact:
Brea Burkholz,661-753-1542, bburkholz@princesscruises.com

Negin Kamali, 661-753-1539, nkamali@princesscruises.com

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