HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

Thomas & Friends™ Return To The Stage With An All-New Tour To Delight Families Coast To Coast!

Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes To Town From HIT Entertainment and AEG/ThemeSTAR Opens January 2009

NEW YORK, NY

Percy, James, Gordon – and, of course Thomas - are headed your way! Join these engine friends, Sir Topham Hatt and the townspeople of Sodor for a one-of-a-kind not-to-be-missed live entertainment experience: Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes To Town.
The 90-minute musical adventure, produced by HIT Entertainment and AEG/ThemeSTAR, includes brand-new singalong songs and a colorful cast of circus performers to tell the engaging story of how all the engines on the Island of Sodor must work together to prepare for the exciting event under the Big Top. Problems arise along the way, and Thomas has to prove he's a really useful engine once again. Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes To Town demonstrates the importance of friendship and cooperation as it gets young children dancing and singing along, creating lifelong memories for them and their families.

"We're thrilled to bring families an entertainment experience they can't find anywhere else," said Mark Avery, CEO, AEG/ThemeSTAR. "Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes To Town engages and captures kids' attention the way Thomas and his friends have captured their imagination for generations. Kids will never forget the fun they have at the show – and their parents will never forget the smiles it brings to their kids' faces. If a family can only see one live entertainment show this year, make it Thomas & Friends™ Live!"

"With Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes To Town, AEG/ThemeSTAR has successfully blended the enduring appeal of Thomas and his friends with the timeless artistry and exuberance of the circus," said Gary Krakower, Senior Vice President, U.S. Licensing and Live Events. "Families who see this show will remember the experience for many years to come."

The national tour of Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes To Town begins making tracks in January 2009 in California and will be rolling into to 51 cities (many for the very first time!) – including April and June stops in the New York metropolitan area. Tickets for most shows will be available at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling local Ticketmaster offices. For complete tour information, visit www.thomasandfriends.com/live.About Thomas & Friends™

Thomas & Friends™ invites children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Thomas the Tank Engine™ was created by a father for his son more than 60 years ago. Today, families in more than 145 countries enjoy fun and adventure with their engine friends while experiencing timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation. Thomas & Friends™ is making tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS®, PBS KIDS SproutSM and with downloadable episodes available through iTunes. For more information about the world of Thomas the Tank Engine™ and his friends, please visit www.thomasandfriends.com.

About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment, owned by private equity investment group Apax Partners, is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Rainbow Magic™. HIT represents Chapman Entertainment’s Fifi and the Flowertots™ and Roary the Racing Car™ in North America and Japan, as well as Wallace & Gromit™, Shaun the Sheep™ and Aardman Classics from Aardman Animations. HIT also acts as a worldwide representative for The Jim Henson Company’s library of classic family brands and as representative for The Wiggles® in the UK. Launched in 1989, HIT’s lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, PBS KIDS SproutSM, and international preschool channel JimJam, (outside of the US, UK and China). For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.

About AEG/ThemeSTAR
AEG/ThemeSTAR produces live family entertainment for the global marketplace. Since its inception in 2004, AEG/ThemeSTAR has repeatedly acquired high-potential, globally branded intellectual properties from major studios and entertainment brand owners, and then creates, distributes and operates live entertainment productions via their proprietary, global distribution network. ThemeSTAR licensed productions that are currently touring include Scooby-Doo Live in StageFright with Warner Bros., Dora's Pirate Adventure in conjunction with Live Nation and Nickelodeon, Mummy Returns Live with Universal Studios, Looney Tunes Hollywood House of Fun with Warner Bros., and Quidam with Cirque du Soleil in China. In addition to its growing core business, AEG/ThemeSTAR’s unique position as a strategic global operator is also generating new and diverse IP and licensing opportunities that leverage management’s ability to structure and commercialize new ventures on a global basis and in key developing markets. For more information about AEG/ThemeSTAR, please visit www.themestar.com.