Date: 5/26/2010

For Immediate Release:
CONTACT:

Tampa, Fl.… On Thursday, May 27th, company members from the North American touring production of MARY POPPINS, currently performing at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center) through Sunday, June 6, 2010, will visit Big Cat Rescue, the largest accredited sanctuary in the United States dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of exotic cats.

The MARY POPPINS North American tour celebrated its first anniversary on March 25, 2010 and announced that it had achieved the milestone of being the most successful touring theatrical event in 2009.  

Big Cat Rescue, a non-profit educational sanctuary, is devoted to rescuing and providing a permanent home for exotic (i.e. wild, not domestic) cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from being slaughtered for fur coats. The sanctuary’s mission includes educating the public about these animals and the issues facing them in captivity and in the wild. 

“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner together with the cast of Mary Poppins” said Jeff Kremer, Director of Donor Appreciation with the nonprofit sanctuary.  

The company of Mary Poppins will arrive at Big Cat Rescue at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 27th , for a private tour of the sanctuary, where “A Spoon Full of Catnip Helps the Medicine Go Down!” 

Big Cat Rescue is a 501(c)(3) not-profit charity. The sanctuary receives no government support and relies on its educational activities, such as tours of the facility, and the generosity of donors such as the cast and crew of Mary Poppins to support the magnificent animals that call the sanctuary home.

Following their visit to the sanctuary, these energetic folks will head back to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts to take the stage in what will likely be a most inspired performance.  


For more information visit: www.strazcenter.org. and www.BigCatRescue.org