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Following on from the huge success of the family comedy show "Urmel aus dem Eis" in winter 2005, Maya the Bee is now set to delight her enormous fan base. Germany’s best-known bee and her good-natured friend Willi are flying over from their poppy field to the Sat.1 TV stage, with "Urmel" actor Dirk Bach and Annette Frier („Schillerstraße“) playing the lead roles. "We are making a childhood dream come true," comments Edda Kraft, Head of Entertainment Sat 1. "With Annette Frier as Maya the Bee and Dirk Bach as her apparently dopy buddy Willi, we have the most perfect cast imaginable". "The comedy adaptation of Maya the Bee together with Sat.1, and the top-notch casting of the lead roles underscore the unbroken popularity of Maya the Bee," says Susanne Schosser, Managing Director of EM.Entertainment GmbH. "The stage show adaptation of this TV classic by Life On Stage Entertainment promises to deliver viewers the very best in entertainment for the entire family". Small, cheeky, smart – and famous – Maya the Bee: With a recognition level of over 90 percent across Europe and popularity that spans the generations, Maya the Bee has achieved cult status. For over 30 years – the TV series of the same name celebrated its premiere in Germany on September 9, 1976 – the adventures from the poppy field have been broadcast by countless national and international TV stations. The basis for the popular animation series was the worldwide bestseller by Waldemar Bonsels, which was first published in 1912 and has since been translated into 40 languages. Life On Stage Entertainment, which was founded at the beginning of 2007 by EM.Entertainment with the company’s two Managing Partners Wolfgang Weber and Dirk Michael Steffan, develops and produces family musicals, TV productions and show events. Wolfgang Weber, Executive Producer, and Dirk Michael Steffan, Creative Director, have a long history of highly successful teamwork with TV production company ndF: neue deutsche Filmgesellschaft. Wolfgang Weber began his career in 1969, working as a freelance recording and production manager as well as executive producer with several production companies. Alongside a host of cinema and TV feature films and TV series, he also realized well-known show formats and awards ceremonies such as the Bayerische Fernsehpreis. In 1985, Weber moved to ndF: neue deutsche Filmgesellschaft as executive producer and production manager, where he was also Managing Director of the now ndF Entertainment. In 2005, Weber founded ww production. Following his studies in philosophy and theology, Dirk Michael Steffan worked until the mid-nineties as a moderator with MDR, VOX and n-TV, after which he realized documentaries for broadcasters such as ZDF as an author. Starting in 1996, Steffan produced a range of TV formats for stations such as ProSieben, kabel eins and ZDF. Since 2001 he has been dedicated to the development of family musicals with his own company, MyWay Entertainment, where he is active as a writer, composer and music producer. "With Life On Stage Entertainment we are entering new business sectors and are thereby raising the exploitation potential of our program portfolio," comments Susanne Schosser."This additional presence is also enabling us to reach new target groups and offers an extensive platform for promotion of subject matter, the best example of which is this opener with Sat.1." |
