Moms of seven year old girls, grandparents of seven year old girls, aunts of seven year old girls, hello.
And welcome.
You’re lovely little one is in for a thrill. American Girl Live! is coming to the Miller Theater March 12th, and as you can imagine, the beautiful Miller Theater will be the perfect setting for the American Girl Live VIP Experience!
We thought it would be interesting to share the fascinating story of American Girl, as well as share details of the upcoming musical with you. One is a story of girl empowerment, of believing in yourself and never giving up on your dreams. With a bunch of original songs.
The other is basically the same.
American Girl Story
In 1984, textbook author, TV reporter, and teacher Pleasant Rowland accompanied her husband on a business trip to Williamsburg, Va. “I loved the costumes, the homes, the accessories of everyday life—all of it completely engaged me,” Rowland told CNN Money in 2002.
American Girl LIVE @ the Miller Theater
“Director Gina Rattan and I both felt strongly from the get-go that this show needed to have an all-female creative team, both to honor the values of the brand as well as to present a strong message” says producer Simone Gianfrancesco. “It’s important to understand that this is rare. There are all-male or male-dominated creative teams on most projects, no matter the subject matter,” says Rattan.
‘What do you think of this idea? A series of books about 9-year-old girls growing up in different times in history, with a doll for each of the characters and historically accurate clothes and accessories with which girls could play out the stories?’
The script is by writer/actor Sandy Rustin, whose other works include the off Broadway plays “Rated P for Parenthood” and “The Cottage” and the new stage version of the board-game movie “Clue!” Songs are by Emily Chiu, Meg Zervoulis and Britt Bonney. The director of “American Girl Live!” is Gina Rattan
Everyone said it was a bad idea. Rowland’s idea was met with disbelief and patronizing tolerance, summarized as, ‘Are you kidding? Historical dolls in the day and age of Barbie?’ Rather than sell to toy stores directly (they had told her the dolls, at $82, were too expensive), Rowland decided that the dolls would be sold by direct mail.
According to Fortune, industry insiders told Rowland that no one would buy a doll with a price tag higher than $40. Lands’ End, which was filling Rowland in on the tricks of the direct marketing trade, thought she would fail. “We had to take our shot that Christmas, and American Girl would either succeed or fail. So we mailed 500,000 catalogs and crossed our fingers.”
The inspiration for setting the story at summer camp is right out of her own backstory — Rustin and Rattan both spent their childhood summers at camp, she said.
The company was immediately successful. Between September and December 1986, American Girl sold $1.7 million worth of product. The company made $7.6 million in its second year and brought in $30 million in 1989.
“My best friends today are still my best friends from summer camp,” she said. “It was a transformative experience. So in trying to create an environment where girls could be themselves and find themselves, we thought what better place to do that than at camp.”
Rowland sold her company to Mattel in 1998 for $700 million.
American Girl Live!
Miller Theater
March 12
7:00 PM
Doors 6:00 PM