Disney plays workshop at Glen Echo's Adventure Theatre this summer

Here's the PR:

 

Adventure Theatre Announces the Summer Musical Theatre Workshop Productions

Adventure Theatre, the longest-running children's theatre in the Washington, D.C., area is kicking-off its 31st Annual Summer Musical Theatre Workshop for children ages 6-15 with an exciting line-up of children's productions including Disney's Aladdin Jr., Disney's 101 Dalmatians Kids, The Magical Land of Oz and Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum*, each facilitated by professionally trained Directors, Choreographers, and Musical Directors.

The Summer Musical Theatre Workshop is a daytime workshop in which children audition for one of four age-appropriate productions, and will then participate in two full weeks of show rehearsals, music and dancing which culminate in a full-scale production of each show on the Adventure Theatre stage. Students will also attend Adventure Theatre's main stage performance If You Give a Pig a Pancake, ride Glen Echo Park's carousel, participate in a talent show, receive a commemorative t-shirt and enjoy a cast party. Adventure Theatre's Summer Musical Theatre Workshop has proven to be one of the most rewarding, challenging and confidence-boosting summer experiences for kids.

"We are increasing the value of the workshops by staffing them with instructors and counselors who can accommodate children with musical-theater aspirations, while keeping the same atmosphere of relaxed fun for those who don't," says Kathryn Hnatio, Education Director and acting Summer Musical Theatre Workshop Artistic Director.

Michael Bobbitt, Adventure Theatre's Producing Artistic Director and Summer Musical Theatre Workshop Choreographer continues, "Adventure Theatre's Summer Musical Theatre session is a highly interactive and educational workshop that focuses on fun, teamwork, self-esteem, a sense of ownership, presentation skills and bringing out the best performance from each of its students."

Summer Musical Theatre Workshop parents agree: "Our daughters had a wonderful experience and continue to sing the songs all day," says one 2009 parent.

Adventure Theatre's Summer Musical Theatre Workshops run Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm, June 14th to August 27th. Before and aftercare options are available.

Session 1 (mini session)- June 14 – 18

Session 2 – June 21 - July 2

Session 3 – July 5- July 16

Session 4 – July 19 - July 30

Session 5 – August 2 - August 13

Session 6 - August 16 - August 27

For more information or to inquire about tuition prices, please contact Adventure Theatre's Summer Musical Theatre Workshop Program Coordinator Selena Anguiano at 301-634-2275 or sanguiano@adventuretheatre.org.  Also, visit www.adventuretheatre.org for more information on the Summer Musical Theatre Workshop and other educational programs at Adventure Theatre.

 

Disney's Mulan still running

I missed this interview earlier, but the play is still going on.

Actress sees self in Mulan's story, By Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, November 20, 2009.

The play's details are Disney's Mulan, Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda. 301-280-1660. http://www.imaginationstage.org. Wednesday-Jan. 10. $10-$21.

Disney's Mulan reviewed in Post

The show's at Imagination Stage and here's the review - 'Mulan': This girl warrior is no China doll, By Celia Wren, Washington Post Saturday, December 5, 2009.

Dog Sees God, not a (wink, wink) Peanuts play in Alexandria

The Little Theatre of Alexandria is running this. If anyone wants to go, slap a note in the comments. I've never seen it. It's also positively reviewed in the Post.

DOG SEES GOD
Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
November 27 – December, 19, 2009

Directed by: William D. Parker
Produced by: Jennifer Lyman

When CB's dog dies, CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. A chance meeting sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits. Drugs, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, and sexual identity collide and careen toward an ending that's both haunting and hopeful.

NOTE:
Please note this is a 10:30PM performance. This show contains references to drug use, sex, and other sensitive topics. It is not recommended for children.

Catching up with comics in the Post

Comic Riffs looks at a couple of dunderheaded decisions in the Style section –

Doonesbury shrunk by almost an inch in the latest redesign, but it’s back at a bit larger now:

The Post's 'Doonesbury' shrinkage: winning the Battle of Inch-On

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 28, 2009

and Frazz, which has been exiled to appearing sometimes on the Kid’s page is missing this week because of a Halloween story which has a naked kid in a tree - god, you just can’t make this stuff up. The kids flip past, in today’s paper “TV report on breast self-exam bares all” and “The Dark Side of Peter Pan” book review to get to the Kid’s page, and they’re then protected from cartoon nudity. Anyway, here’s the story with the rationalization “There was no way this could run in KidsPost so we decided to hold it out for a week.”:

Calling all comics readers: To save 'Frazz,' what strip should we send to KidsPost?

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 29, 2009

In yesterday’s Style section (not the trend here), there’s a TV report on how inappropriate Family Guy is, at least as far as Microsoft is concerned:

Microsoft realizes that it's incompatible with Seth MacFarlane, after all

By Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post Wednesday, October 28, 2009

and a review of a play with an imaginary superhero friend:

A bittersweet 'Barrio Grrrl!'

By Celia Wren
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Oct 24: Barrio Grrrl!: A New Musical

Barrio Grrrl!: A New Musical opens at the Kennedy Center on Saturday. The 9-year old heroine, "as her alter-ego Barrio Grrrl with her invisible sidekick Amazing Voice, is pretty busy preserving justice in the barrio and protecting her neighborhood." The play is in the Family Theatre, is for ages 9+ and costs $15.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is educational, too

See "Theater Uses 'Charlie Brown' to Spur Reading," By Bennett Sumner, Special to The Washington Post, Friday, June 26, 2009.

Scooby-Doo play and Gigantor featured in Express

See "Jinkies! Our Psyches!: 'Spooky Dog'," Written by Express contributor Stephen Deusner, June 11 2009 for the 'Scooby-Doo' play and "Still Stronger Than Strong: 'Gigantor' on DVD," Written by Express contributor Paul Stelter, June 11 2009 for the anime review. Both are in the physical paper too as is a Hollywood Reporter interview with Mike Judge.

A Scooby-Doo play is not appearing in Frederick

But tonight and tomorrow, Spooky Dog and the Teen-Age Gang Mysteries is, before coming to DC - See "'Spooky Dog' is NOT the Saturday morning cartoon you remember ... or is it?" By Lauren LaRocca, Frederick News-Post May 21, 2009.

Peanuts play in DC this weekend

GWU's got You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown running for 3 days this weekend. See "Directors tackle Charlie Brown, Godot," by Emily Katz, George Washington University Hatchet 4/16/09.

Here's the relevant details:

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," presented by Forbidden Planet Productions, will run from Friday, April 17 through Sunday April 19 in the Mitchell Hall theater. "Waiting for Godot," presented by Fourteenth Grade Players, will run from Thursday, April 16 through Saturday, April 18 in Lisner Downstage. Tickets for each performance are $5.

Faithkiller theater show with superheroes

See "A Postmodern Multimedia Experience," By Chris Klimek, Washington Post Friday, April 3, 2009; WE49.

The play is described by the Post as "The story concerns the creator of a fictional 1940s radio series, also called "The Faithkiller," chronicling the two-fisted adventures of the titular superhero who battled the Nazis with his Brain Drain Gun, from which a single, humanizing blast could cure even the staunchest brownshirt of his taste for fascism and genocide. We also see a present-day TV update, wherein the Faithkiller wages a guerrilla campaign against the fundamentalist theocracy that is the U.S. government of the near future."

Cagle and Cavna; Weingarten on comic strips

Off to the Herblock award, but check out "The Twitter Interview: Cartoonist Daryl Cagle," By Michael Cavna, April 2, 2009.

Gene Weingarten has a longish discussion of comic strips so I won't quote all of it - "Chatological Humor: Comics Section Shrinkage, Erogenous Zones (UPDATED 4.2.09)", Washington Post.com (March 31 2009).

Finally, there's a play with a superhero theme in town -
"A Crusade Against Religion: In 'The Faithkiller,' an atheistic superhero gets mixed reactions," by Express contributor Erin Trompeter, April 2, 2009.

Play based on romance comics opens

My Comic Valentine is the play - here's the Post story about it - "Romance Ripped From The Comics," By Raymond M. Lane, Washington Post, Friday, February 6, 2009; Page WE41.

And here's the play's info: My Comic Valentine: A Comic Book for the Stage Fort Fringe 610 L St. NW. 443-803-1163. http://www.banishedproductions.org/productions.html. Wednesday through Feb. 15. $15, pay-what-you-can preview Wednesday.

Shrek the Musical reviews

This just seems like a bad idea to me, but then again I didn't like the movies.

"The Belching Green Ogre Has a Song in His Heart," By BEN BRANTLEY, New York Times December 15, 2008

"Here Comes 'Shrek.' Hold Your Nose," By Peter Marks, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, December 15, 2008; C01

and here's Bloomberg News just to be different: "Lovable Shrek, Fiona Animate Broadway’s New Cartoon," Review by John Simon.

OT: Harvey Pekar opera?

In a forlorn hope of seeing some reviews for Harvey Pekar: Conversations, I have a Google alert for Pekar. Today's alert noted, in addition to the University of San Diego Libraries buying a copy of the book (thanks!), the blog LIBeral ARTs: News from the Clarence Ward Art Library is reporting that Harvey Pekar will write and appear in an opera at Oberlin. There's no word if this is another American Splendor adaptation, but it seems like it might be. Here's the official information from Oberlin's website:

LEAVE ME ALONE!: A Jazz Opera

Director & Sponsor: Jonathon Field, Bibbins 131, x58206

Full Credit - Group Project

Category: Academic Study

On Campus: Finney Chapel

Limit: 15 - Fee: None

Oberlin Opera Theater, in association with Real Time Opera, is presenting a world premiere of the jazz opera LEAVE ME ALONE!, with music by Dan Plonsey and libretto by Harvey Pekar. This opera will feature Oberlin students as performers, both vocal and from the jazz department. Due to the nature of the writing, vocal soloists do not necessarily have to be classically trained singers, and the Jazz Department has expressed their willingness to help out as well. There are also opportunities for designers, technicians, performers and stage management students to participate.

The opera will feature Mr. Plonsey and Mr. Pekar onstage playing themselves, both as characters and as individuals having a dialogue about creating an opera. Often times the singers will take over from the authors themselves, giving an atmosphere of "reality opera", where the creators and the interpreters are one and the same. This opera will be presented in Finney Chapel on January 31, and will have a live web-stream version that will open up the world of an international audience to this event. A kind of "Lost Highway" meets Dave Brubeck.

November: Thurber play

A Thurber Carnival is appearing on Fridays and Saturdays this month at The Kellar Theater in Manassas. Written by a cartoonist who spent time in the area as a child, the show also features Amy "Mrs. Cul de Sac" Thompson. Amy made some of the props based on Thurber's artwork, which sounds cool to me.

Another MacHomer article

"The Bard and Bart Simpson: A Natural Pairing?," By Celia Wren, Washington Post Sunday, October 12, 2008; M03.

MacHomer Post review

See "Double, Double Toil and D'oh!," By Nelson Pressley, Washington Post Friday, October 10, 2008; C05.

Schiller, the comic book playwrite

Maybe not, but today's Post described the play Maria / Stuart's plot as "The arrival of a strange, supernatural visitor causes aspiring graphic novelist Stuart to question his family's buried past."

The Post's review from last week says, "Only Eli James, as neurotic comic book artist Stuart, comes from New York, and he's the lone man in the cast."

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown play is in town?

I believe Charles SCHULZ actually wrote Peanuts however.