SYNOPSIS

A 10-part series on the arts, for PBS. Aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds, the series is hosted by magicians Penn and Teller, who combine equal parts of irreverence and insight. Each program features artists at work - these include David Hockney, Julie Taymor, Max Roach, Matt Groening and many others. Aided by computer graphics, animation and Penn and Teller's tricks, the series lets kids in on the marvelous magic of art. Major funding for this ground-breaking series was provided by The National Endowment for the Arts, The MacArthur Foundation and McDonalds. Winner of numerous awards and prizes including the prestigious Japan Prize ("Best of Festival") in the largest international children's film fesfival).

CREDITS

Hosts: Penn & Teller

Produced and Directed by Ellen Hovde & Muffie Meyer
Executive Producers: Alice Trillin & Jane Garmey
Hosts: Penn & Teller
Host Sequences Written by Penn & Teller
Co-Producer: Amy Kaufman
Supervising Editor: Alison Ellwood
Photographed by Chris Burrill, Bob Fiore, David Grubin, Bob Hanna, Tom Hurwitz, Don Lenzer, Eddie Marritz, Bob Richman, Joel Shapiro Editors: Lynn Piasecki, Alison Ellwood, Ken Eluto, Jenny Hoover
Set Design: John Wright Stevens
Guest Artists: David Hockney, Joann Falleta, Robert Gil de Montes, Nancy Graves, David Parsons, Max Roach, Julie Taymor, Alan Toussaint, Wayne Thiebaud, Carrie Mae Weems
Appearances by Jane Ira Bloom, Blue Man Group, Matt Groening, K-Rock, Legg 1, Legg 2, M. C. Lyte, Bobby McFerrin, Master Tee, Uptown String Quartet
Animation and Special Sequences: Jane Aaron, BH Barry, John Canemaker, Brian Dewhurst, Fred Garbers, George Griffin, Ed Koren, Barbara Moore & Jamie Ward, Frank and Caroline Mouris, Marilynn Ono, Lee Savage, Maureen Selwood, Ed Smith, Stan Smith, Michael Sporn, Peter Wallach, William Wegman Music by Elliot Goldenthal, David Friedman, Muriel Robinson, Michael Bacon, Stanley Silverman, Calvin Trillin, Arnold Black

DISTRIBUTOR:
First Run Features
mail@frif.com

REVIEWS AND ACCOLADES:

David Bianculli
New York Post

'Behind the Scenes' hits the ground running with the freshest approach and the most inspirational content since "Sesame Street." ... Designed to intrigue 8 to 12 year olds and their families these shows are... pure magic.

The Boston Globe
A standout program, the one that ruins the curve for the rest [of the shows this week], is "Behind the Scenes" , a ten part series that explores the creative process in an enthralling fashion.

New York Times
When television meets the arts, the result is often a one-camera museum tour led by an Alistair Cook knockoff ("This then was the Renaissance"), perhaps most useful for slowing a child's metabolism before bedtime. But not this time.

New York Post
"Behind the Scenes is pure magic

Sacramento Bee
Not to be missed

The Christian Science Monitor
A terrific new series that demonstrates why the arts are so important to the learning process

The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Behind the Scenes" is serious education made silly and surprising. And that is high art indeed.