Seussical Coming to Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts January 30th

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College continues its 2010-2011 Target FamilyFun series with Theatreworks USA's production of Seussical on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 2pm.

Dr. Seuss's beloved stories collide in this unforgettable musical adaptation of the original Broadway production. Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, and of course The Cat in the Hat find themselves intertwined in a crazy adventure, in which the power of imagination saves the day. This adaptation for young audiences features thirteen actors and enhanced production values. Music is by Stephen Flaherty; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; book by Ahrens & Flaherty; co-conceived by Ahrens, Flaherty and Eric Idle; based on the works of Dr. Seuss; directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2010-2011 Target FamilyFun Series also includes The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 2pm) and American Family Theater's production of Beauty and the Beast (Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 2pm). All tickets for Target FamilyFun Series performances are $6 in advance, $7 at the door.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2010-2011 Target FamilyFun Series is sponsored by Target.

Seussical
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 2PM
Tickets: $6 ($7 at door)

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College
2 train to Flatbush Avenue / on-site paid parking available
Running time: approx 60 minutes
Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org
Box Office: (718) 951-4500, Tuesday - Saturday, 1pm - 6pm
Groups of 15 or more: (718) 951-4600, ext. 33

Review - Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana (WTE Theatre)

By Byrne Harrison

The mark of good children's theatre is its ability to entertain (and hopefully engross) the kids, while still being palatable to the adults. Playwright Croft Vaughn's Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana, adapted from his one-man show, succeeds admirably. It is a charming, and somewhat bittersweet play about life and growing up, that will entertain children and adults and do it well.

Sinclair (Michael J. Connolly) is a dreamer with a wildly active imagination. The attic is his playroom, full of magical delights, including his imaginary friend, Russell (Chuck Blasius), and Russell's imaginary friend, Elizabeth (Dorothy Abrahams). When Sinclair's rambunctious siblings, Stu (Robert James Grimm III) and Sam (Lauren Sowa), intrude, Sinclair is shocked to find out that they can see Russell and Elizabeth. Even more alarming, the attic now contains an audience full of people. Fearing that the audience might be made up of cannibals, Sinclair and crew begin telling stories. And that's when the play really gets good.

Vaughn's stories are terrific, and bring to mind Aesop's fables or the Brothers Grimm. Full of stinky flowers, hidden truths, warring tribes of monkeys, and gunk-destroying fudge, his tales are delightful, energetic, and have some nice life lessons.

One story, however, stands out. This is the story about two birds and it directly relates to the loss of the children's grandfather. It creates a sublime moment in the play, especially through its use of drawings, and while a little too quiet for the youngest children, it is very touching.

Connolly, Sowa and Grimm are excellent as the siblings. Grimm in particular is outstanding as the rough and tumble Stu. He captures the manic energy of a particularly physical child. Connolly excels in the quiet moments, especially when dealing with the loss of Sinclair's grandfather. Sowa is just a delight, but never more than when Sam is exasperated or annoyed. Blasius and Abrahams are terrific as Russell and Elizabeth, at times acting as silly as the kids, at others acting like adults (or more often as adults seen through the eyes of kids).

Director David A. Miller does an outstanding job with the play, keeping the pacing tight (very important in children's theatre), but allowing the nuances of the script to shine through. Production elements are strong, with particular praise going to Scenic Designer Jennifer Varbalow. She skillfully transforms the small stage at Under St. Mark's into a jammed-to-the-rafters attic, full of items to fuel a child's imagination.

My only issue about Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana is the timing of the shows. 8 PM is not an easy time to get children to the theatre. I wish I could have attended one of the Sunday matinee performances to see if there were more children, and as a result, if the interactive portions of the play worked better.

With luck, Vaughn's play will be brought back for a longer, and hopefully earlier run.

Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana
By Croft Vaughn
Directed by David A. Miller
Stage Management: Barbara T. Dente
Assistant Director: Lauren Heirigs
Scenic Design: Jennifer Varbalow
Costume Design: Bradley Erickson
Lighting Design: Kate Ashton with Sam Gordon
Music: Alana McNair
Animation: Matt Burnett with Double Blind
Video Design: Jeff Heyman
Press Representation: Emily Owens PR

Featuring: Michael J. Connolly (Sinclair), Lauren Sowa (Sam), Robert James Grimm III (Stu), Chuck Blasius (Russell), Dorothy Abrahams (Elizabeth)

Under St. Marks
94 St. Marks Place

Closed October 24th

Fight Fest Announces Participating Shows

By Byrne Harrison

The Brick Theater will present Fight Fest: A celebration of Fight Theater December 2-22.

Fight Fest is a theater festival dedicated to showcasing the art of Stage Combat. Created in 2009 by The Brick (creators of The Kung Fu Importance of Being Earnest, The Ninja Cherry Orchard and Macbeth Without Words), Timothy Haskell (Nightmare, the haunted house sensation) and Abby Marcus and Qui Nguyen of Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company (Soul Samurai and Alice in Slasherland), Fight Fest returns in December 2010 beginning on December 2nd with a free preview cabaret.

Preview Cabaret

Fight Fest Preview Cabaret features scenes and battles from the upcoming festival followed by the opening night party.

Thu Dec 2 @ 9pm - FREE!

Small amount of reserved tickets for the cabaret will be reservable. First Come, First Served after those are gone.

Participating Shows:

Bandage
Written by Kit Bihum
Directed by Snehal Desai
Fight Directed by Stephanie Willing
www.wix.com/mzbihun/payaso

The story of the Payaso-Gumi (The Clown Yakuza) and the epic battle that ended the war and began the journey. The play incorporates storytelling, dance, stage combat and classical clowning to tell a fast-paced tale of grudges, battles and slapstick. Costumed to accurately portray the tribal history of Jesters, Harlequins, and Augustes, Bandage dares to ask the question -- “What happens when clowns go bad?”
65 minutes
Sat Dec 4 @ 10:30pm
Sun Dec 5 @ 8pm
Fri Dec 10 @ 8pm
Sun Dec 12 @ 5pm
Sat Dec 18 @ 6pm


Bethlehem or Bust: How the Three Kings Teamed Up to Deliver the World’s Very First Christmas Presents
Company: Piper McKenzie Productions
Written by Jeff Lewonczyk
Directed by Hope Cartelli
Fight Directed by Adam Swiderski and Alexis Black
www.pipermckenzie.com

Everyone knows about the Three Kings and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but not so many people know about the adventures they had on their way to the manger. Bethlehem or Bust, Piper McKenzie’s first-ever family show, envisions the Wise Men as swashbucklers on an action-packed journey where they need to brave all sorts of robbers, monsters, Roman soldiers – and the occasional shepherd – on their way to meet one of history’s most famous babies. (Great for kids age 7 and up!)
75 minutes
Sat Dec 11 @ 2pm
Sun Dec 12 @ 2pm
Wed Dec 15 @ 8pm
Fri Dec 17 @ 8pm
Sat Dec 18 @ 2pm
Sun Dec 19 @ 2pm


Dar and Matey's Christmas SpectaculARGH!
Written by Larry Pontius
Directed by Robert Ross Parker of Vampire Cowboys

Adventure! Daring! Romance! Pirates Dar and Matey brave the North Pole to rescue their friend, Professor Genius, from the torturous clutches of Old St. Nick, that bastard. Allying with an Eskimo Princess they fight their way through polar bears, the evil sidekick Tiny Tim, and finally, Santa Claus! A throw back to the Golden Age of Drama, where Pirates were Men, Bears were Women, and the Baddies were BAD. Prepare for some Yule Tide YEARGH!
45 minutes
Sat Dec 4 @ 8pm
Mon Dec 6 @ 8pm
Fri Dec 10 @ 10:30pm
Sun Dec 19 @ 5pm
Mon Dec 20 @ 8pm
Wed Dec 22 @ 8pm


Raising Cane: A Family Portrait
Company: Pub Mike Samantha
Written by Stephen Cedars
Directed by Stephen Cedars and Christina Latimer
Fight Directed by Stephen Heskett

In the tradition of early John Waters and Troma Films, Raising Cane: A Family Portrait follows the familial disfunctions of simpleton in-breeds who love nothing more than beating each others brain's out. Camp humor and grotesque combat combine to explore the question of whether we stick with family cause we love 'em or if we love 'em because we can't escape.
70 minutes
Sat Dec 4 @ 5pm
Thu Dec 9 @ 8pm
Sat Dec 11 @ 8pm
Tue Dec 14 @ 8pm
Sun Dec 19 @ 8pm


Rapier Wit!
Company: En Garde Entertainment
Written by Alexandra Hastings (inspired by Shakespeare)
Directed by Alexandra Hastings and David Dean Hastings
Fight Directed by David Dean Hastings
www.engardeentertainment.com

It is 1607, and women aren't allowed to perform on the English stage...seven swordswomen gather to illegally swashbuckle their way through Shakespeare's greatest tragedies--to hilarious end. These smoking hot babes are armed to the teeth with swords, daggers, quarterstaves, whips, and of course Rapier Wit! Throw in some singing, some wrestling, some gender-bending, and some audience participation--and you have one heck of a good time! Join our all female fight troupe The Vixens En Garde in a fast-paced fantastical tribute to the Bard of Avon. Rated R for Violence, Sexuality, & Shakespearean Swearing.
90 minutes
Fri Dec 3 @ 8pm
Sat Dec 4 @ 2pm
Sun Dec 5 @ 5pm
Tue Dec 7 @ 8pm
Mon Dec 13 @ 8pm
Fri Dec 17 @ 10:30pm


Shadow Boxing
Company: Lincoln Company
Written by James Gaddas
Directed by Donald Pulford
Fight Directed by Donald Pulford
te-in.facebook.com/group.php?gid=284936234957

A story of defiance in a quest for dignity and respect. The son of a boxer who couldn't win, Flynn is determined not to end up like his father. He becomes a successful fighter through utter dedication. But is his gruelling training merely an avoidance tactic? A crisis builds as he moves to the title fight and hurtles to a shattering conclusion. James Gaddas's hard-hitting play features an emotionally intense and highly physical performance from Jonny Collis-Scurll, labelled 'one to watch' by the Stage following his performance in Weepie at C venues during last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
50 minutes
Wed Dec 8 @ 7pm
Sun Dec 12 @ 7:30pm
Thu Dec 16 @ 8pm
Sat Dec 18 @ 8pm
Tue Dec 21 @ 8pm


All Fight Fest shows will take place at The Brick (575 Metropolitan Avenue between Union and Lorimer, Brooklyn). Tickets ($15) may be purchased online at www.bricktheater.com or by calling Theatermania at 212-352-3101

Press from Fight Fest 2009
“I had a blast seeing the work of all of these companies. This was truly a successful venture by The Brick, and hopefully something they explore again. Stage combat is an unsung art form, truly a niche market. So, once a year, it would be nice to have a place where, regardless of context, everyone can feel like a badass.”
Katelyn Manfre Time Out New York

Read other press for last year’s festival here.

See last year’s lineup here.

Interview - Croft Vaughn of Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Croft Vaughn
Play: Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana

CROFT VAUGHN (Playwright) is a Company Member of Wasted Theatre Education, (WTE) which specializes in bringing new shows to International and National Fringe Festivals. WTE recently created the Multi-Media Dance- Theatre Play, SportSexDeathPorn, which premiered at the Montreal Fringe Festival. He Co-Produced and starred in Nicky Silver’s The Altruists, in the European Premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005, to 4 and 5 star reviews. Other original works include Shepherd a classical hero myth and gay love story, Glauce or Without Fear From the Abyss, a dance theater piece inspired by the Medea myth and the Chernobyl disaster, and Flight Light, a dance meditation on the paradox of a kite’s string. He wrote and directed They Want Us Dead, We Can’t Stay Here! which saw a sold out performance in the Hot! Festival at Dixon Place. His performance venues range from P.S.122, The Duplex Cabaret, and 59 E. 59 Theaters, to Dance Space Center, Dixon Place, Blue Heron Arts Center, Galapagos, and throughout the U.S. He toured with WTE Theatre to Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival in 2003. He performed at P.S 122 in Twas the Night Before the Twelve Days of a Nutcracker Christmas Carol, directed by Ken Nintzel. Newsday.com singled him out as “gloomy perfection” for his role of Fritz/Ignorance. Croft is on the Advisory Board for Skybetter and Associates, the contemporary dance company helmed by Sydney Skybetter. He has worked with downtown performance artists Ken Nintzel, David Neuman, Stacey Dawson, Penny Arcade, Synaesthetic Theatre, the T.E.A.M, and Jonathan Adam Ross. Croft was the Assistant Director for the Snoopy! Benefit Concert at Symphony Space starring Broadway’s Sutton Foster. Croft earned his first off-Broadway credit as Assistant Director for Joy, at the Actor’s Playhouse, with Ben Rimalower Directing. Other Assistant Director credits include the Unity Concert for Cover the Uninsured Week, BroadwayWorld.com’s Benefit Concert for Broadway Cares, Equity Fights Aids, and numerous staged readings at Manhattan Theater Club, Second Stage, and others. Croft studied Clowning with Giovanni Fusetti, Chris Bayes, and Orlando Pabatoy, Commedia with The Flying Machine, and Street Theater with Steve Wangh. He enjoyed a four-month performance- internship with Big Dance Theatre, where he assisted in the creation of Plan-B, and performed the work in progress at Jacob’s Pillow. He is a proud member of The Manhattan Prairie Dogs, NYC’s Premier LGBT Country-Western Dance Performance Troupe for 2 years running. He has performed with them across the US. Croft is a graduate of NYU’s Experimental Theatre Wing at Tisch School of the Arts.

Tell me a little bit about Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana.

Three military brats discover an audience in their attic. Clearly these quiet strangers are going to eat them, so they distract the hungry savages with their grandfather’s fairy tales. They learn how to tell the truth when you have bad news, and how the first war ever was stopped by a fox. With a child’s innocence, they discover meaning in imagination and the answer to, “Are we still loved after the person who loves us is gone?”

This production grew out of an earlier one-man version that you performed at the Edinburgh and Indianapolis Fringe Festivals. How did you go about building it out for a larger cast?

The bones of the play are the original fairy tales, and the heart of the play lies in the relationship of Sinclair with his grandfather. I like casts of five so I gave Sinclair two older siblings, and two imaginary friends. Then I placed them in front of a hungry audience and made them tell these stories.

What have you gained or lost from the original by going to an ensemble?

I’ve lost a lot of control! These kids are rambunctious and not always interested in what I want them to do! I think what I gained most is the depth that a family has. It’s hard for kids who move around a lot, and they really have to depend on each other even though they get into fights. I really love the dynamic these siblings have; they go from being at each other’s throats, to rallying together to create a new fairytale.

I understand that Stinky Flowers includes multi-media work, which seems to be a current trend, especially shows that were created for Fringe productions. What sort of multi-media are you using, and how do you feel it adds to your production?

The play is steeped in storytelling. When I began telling these tales, I used an old overhead projector, transparency paper, and a dry-erase marker. We use the OHP to enhance the storytelling. There’s a heartbreakingly beautiful and simple tale about two birds that I couldn’t bring myself to say out loud. So I wrote the text on
the projector, and let the audience read the words. It’s quite remarkable; it’s making me cry just thinking about it! Then for the finale, (SPOILER ALERT) we employ a hidden video projector. The projected image begins to move, and an animation mega mix takes over. In essence, the audience sees the children’s imagination come to life!

You've got a terrifically diverse theatrical resume. What got you started in theatre to begin with?

I was terrible at team sports. Really, I was very very bad. I would catch the baseball, and start running to tag the batter out. It didn’t help that I played outfield. When Kathy Stephan brought Nesbit and LaPurr’s Fairytale Theater to Greencastle, I was ecstatic. Stinky Flowers is an homage to my pre-professional training. I am profoundly fortunate to have worked with so many wildly talented artists, especially this cast and crew. They’ve made me a better artist for sure.

If you could give one piece of advice to a young theatre student, what would it be?

Cultivate your curiosity, protect it fiercely. Let the ‘little person inside of you that has never been told “no”’ drive your ambitions. And take up dancing. And never answer a question with only one answer.

If you could say anything to the potential Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana audience, what would it be?

The audience is a character in the show, so I do hope you’ll join us (we need you!). This production is the culmination of a lot of hard work by many very talented artists. Sharing this show with you is an amazing feeling, one I hope you will get after seeing the show and inviting your friends to see it too.

What's next for you after this production?

Broadway, duh. Then Stinky Flowers will be turned into a Pixar feature animation film with a successful cartoon spin-off with loads of merchandise and maybe a sequel, I haven’t decided. But first, grad school! I’m writing a play triptych: The Opposite of Funny (is wrong), The Impossible Plays, and Monologues for Words that Don’t Exist. There’s an adaptation of the Medea myth in the works too. Oh, and I’ll be dancing at the Big Apple Ranch every Saturday night that I can.

Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana
A Multi-Media Fairy Tale For All

Written by Croft Vaughn
Directed by David A. Miller

UNDER ST. MARKS
94 St. Marks Place

October 7-24
Thursday through Saturday at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

Tickets ($18, $15 students/seniors, $10 for kids) are available by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444 or online at www.smarttix.com.

Announcement - Pinkalicious, The Musical (Vital Theatre Company)

VITAL THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES

PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL

RETURNS TO NEW WORLD STAGES
Saturdays at 2pm, Sundays at 12pm August 2nd - September 21st
(No performances on September 13-14)

VITAL CHILDREN’S THEATRE is pleased to announce the return of PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL at NEW WORLD STAGES August 2nd - September 21. The production, with book and lyrics by ELIZABETH KANN and VICTORIA KANN, music, lyrics and orchestrations by JOHN GREGOR is based on the popular children's book PINKALICIOUS by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann. The musical adaptation is directed by TERESA K. POND with musical direction by JAD BERNARDO.

Performance run Saturdays at 2:00 pm and Sundays at 12:00 noon August 2nd through September 21st. There are no performances on Saturday and Sunday September 13th and 14th. All tickets are $29.50. The show is appropriate for children ages 4 to 12. For tickets and information visit http://www.vitaltheatre.org/ or call Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200. NEW WORLD STAGES is located at 340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenue.

Pinkalicious can't stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor's office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toe - a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this predicament. Lyricist, composer and orchestrator JOHN GREGOR received a 2004 Frederick Loewe Award for his musical WITH GLEE, for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics. Recently, WITH GLEE was presented in a workshop by the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, NYU and premiered this fall at the New York Musical Theater Festival. His musical adaptation of Gogol's tragicomic short story THE OVERCOAT has been presented in London at the Bridewell Theatre, Barrington Stage Company and The New York International Fringe Festival. He has also co-written several children's musicals for Vital Theatre Company, including THE CHANGELING and THE BULLY.

ELIZABETH KANN & VICTORIA KANN (book & lyrics) are co-authors of the New York Times best-selling children's picture books PINKALICIOUS (HarperCollins, 2006) and PURPLICIOUS (HarperCollins 2007) that Victoria also illustrated. Elizabeth and Victoria are sisters who grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Victoria's award-winning artwork has graced the covers and pages of many magazines, newspapers, and books. Elizabeth's writing has appeared in a variety of newspaper and print publications. To learn more about the sister duo and their books, visit them online at their website at http://www.cupcakesforall.com/.

Director TERESA K. POND has produced and directed numerous plays, musicals, and opera during her seven year tenure as Producing Artistic Director of ACT (Alaska). Musicals include WEST SIDE STORY, THE MUSIC MAN, THE WIZARD OF OZ, CAMELOT and HONK! Regional work includes MACBETH, TARTUFFE, LYSISTRATA, THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER and OF MICE AND MEN. Her award-winning production of HALF LIFE was hailed as the top show of The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) in 2005 (New York magazine). Recent work includes: EXTRAORDINARY! at Vital Theatre Company, PERFECT WEDDING and RUN FOR YOUR WIFE at Millbrook Playhouse.

VITAL THEATRE COMPANY commissions four to five new musicals for children each season. Since its founding in 1999, Vital Theatre Company has been honored with two AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE by the Off Off Broadway Review and received high acclaim from audiences and critics alike for being “a wonderful place for parents to introduce their kids to the glories of live theatre, done well and at modest prices.” Now in its 9th season, the company is dedicated to producing entertaining and educational theatre for young audiences. To date, the company has presented 38 original productions for over 35,000 children and their families.