APtravelnews- Wilmington, DEL 4/19/15…Big time Broadway is back at The Playhouse on Rodney Square.  Previously known as the DuPont Theatre, The Playhouse on Rodney Square’s 2015-2016 production schedule has just been unveiled.  It features six high profile Broadway favorites.  The season begins with the ever popular Annie (Dec. 1-6) followed by “Chicago – The Musical” (Jan. 2-17), “Mama Mia!” (Mar. 4-6), “Blue Man Group” (Mar. 17-20), “Forty-Second Street” (Apr. 19-24) and concludes with the riveting “Jersey Boys” (May 10-15). The Playhouse on Rodney Square is now being managed by the Grand Opera House which is also located in Wilmington less than two blocks from The Playhouse.  Steve Bailey, the Managing Director of Programming at both the Grand and The Playhouse on Rodney Square said “We recognize the Playhouse on Rodney Square as a community asset that we are managing on their (DuPont’s) behalf.”  Executive Director Mark Fields points out that “The former 102-year-old DuPont Theatre is the longest continuously operating Broadway touring house in the country.  It’s also one of the smallest.”  According to Fields, this presents a serious challenge for The Playhouse on Rodney Square.  Therefore the budget for the new season represents a 25 percent increase over last year’s expenditures when DuPont was at the helm and the new theatre leadership has teamed up with Innovation Arts & Entertainment, an innovative Chicago-based company, to ensure the success of their commitment to book the best that Broadway has to offer.  Fields said Adam Epstein, the firm’s head, “…has the connections, and quite frankly, the clout to deliver a Broadway series in Wilmington that you (theatre patrons) want and that we think you deserve.”Season tickets are now on sale at www.theplayhousede.org, by calling 302-888-0200 and at the box office.  Packages range from $140 for a four-show package to $590 for premium weekend seats for all six shows.  Individual show tickets will go on sale in late summer or early fall.In addition to the six Broadway plays, Bailey says the 1,240-seat Playhouse will also serve as an alternate venue for concerts.  If the 1,208-seat Grand is not available, event sponsors now have the option to book at The Playhouse.  Lyn Lewis LynLewis@VisitWilmingtonDE.com 100 West 10th Street, Suite 20 Wilmington, DE 19801 P: 302-295-2212 F: 302-652-4726 VisitWilmingtonDE.comThe Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization founded in 1978, chartered by the Governor of Delaware, the New Castle County Executive and the Mayor of Wilmington. Its mission is to serve as the community’s customer-focused destination marketing organization, generating economic growth through leisure travel and meetings development by aggressively marketing attractions, facilities, amenities and services for visitors.