PBS Kids Series ‘Odd Squad’ Will Mount National Theater Tour
Something very odd may be happening at a local theater near you in the very near future: “Odd Squad” is extending from its regular roost on PBS Kids to a national tour that will put the show in more than 60 cities across North America.
The live musical production, “Odd Squad Live,” is backed by Mills Entertainment and Sinking Ship Entertainment and launches October 7 in Rutland, Vt., at The Paramount Theatre. And it gives the show producers a chance to draw new revenue for their property, which recently began a second season on PBS. In “Odd Squad,” a team of young agents uses math skills to solve problems and stop an array of strange phenomena that burst upon the scene.
As part of the live theater program, audience members get to participate in solving a case. When agents Orion and Oleanna get turned into grown-ups by villains, kids at the show must use math skills and help the agents decode, decipher and unravel clues. Some audience members get to join the fun on stage and use some of the quirky and amazing gadgets that the agents use to help keep danger at bay.
Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman, the series’ creators, and co-executive producer Mark DeAngelis created the live concept. The stage show will make use of both songs from the TV show (some from “Soundcheck,” a popular band from the show) as well as new tunes from composer Paul Buckley.
“We are really excited about how interactive ‘Odd Squad Live’ is and that kids in the audience can become agents and solve an odd case in real time!” said McKeon, in a prepared statement.
“Odd Squad” debuted on PBS Kids in November of 2014. The show is produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and The Fred Rogers Company. The show is funded in part by the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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