Special return engagement March 13 - April 25!
A playful children's show exploring international folktales of tricksters
Written by Emily Paul, Directed by Rose Ginsberg
March 13 - April 25
a special return engagement of READY, SET, STORY! HOW KATIE
SAVED THE SNEAKY SPIDER’S TALES, a fun children’s show exploring international folktales of tricksters, written by Emily Paul and directed by Rose Ginsberg, as part of its exciting Spring 2010 lineup. Ready, Set, Story! is slated to open at Looking Glass Theatre on Saturday, March 13. Performances are scheduled Saturdays at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. through April 25. There will not be any shows on Sunday, April 4.
About The Show…
Katie is always getting into trouble for playing tricks! But then, she meets the
greatest trickster of them all: Anansi the Spider, the African god of storytelling.
When Katie peeks into Anansi's magical box of stories, three ancient myths
escape from the box! Katie and Anansi travel through the missing myths,
from Viking halls to the Imperial palaces of Japan, trying to recover the stories
from the clever characters of Norse, Japanese, and African folklore.
But will Katie find all the stories before they are lost forever?
Ready, Set, Story! captures the sense of wonder and
excitement children find in their favorite myths, as well
as the stories’ incredible imaginative power. Who
doesn’t recall spending hours poring over tales of enchanted animals, bickering gods
and goddesses, and brave heroes (and heroines!) on impossible quests?
Clever tricksters who don’t look like much, but always manage to outsmart even the
scariest monsters? These folktales are epic yet familiar, magical yet human, ancient yet
totally alive, and children simply can’t get enough of them. And while the stories have
been told for centuries, each new listener envisions them in his or her own unique way.
This play uses movement, voice work, and playful costumes to bring mythical
characters vividly to life, inviting audiences of all ages to explore their amazing,
delightful worlds. As Anansi the Spider says, “Ready, Set... Story!”
ENSEMBLE CAST: Vinny DiCristo, Stephen Ehrlich, Amanda Hopper, Anthony Labresco, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Melissa Sussman and Stefanie Tara. CLICK HERE FOR BIOS
CREATIVE TEAM: Melinda Prom (Assistant Director/Stage Manager), Theresa Rivera (Scenic Design), David Monroy (Light Design) and Rachel Soll (Costume Design). CLICK HERE FOR BIOS
About the Playwright Emily Paul…
Ms. Paul is currently pursuing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU TischAsia. Her work has been performed throughout NYC including at Dixon Place’s Warning: Not For Broadway Festival and The Shortened Attention Span Festival. She is a graduate of the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies at NYU where she studied dramatic writing and mythology. She writes a mythology blog relating the old stories to modern living. Ms. Paul is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
About the Director Rose Ginsberg…
Ms. Ginsberg is proud to direct her seventh production at Looking Glass Theatre. Past Looking Glass credits include Gentle Girl, Lesbian Bathhouse, The Taming of the Shrew, and Doing Shakespeare. As a company member at Manhattan Repertory Theatre, she recently directed Chekhov’s The Proposal and The Bear and Jean Anouilh’s Antigone. Ms. Ginsberg has staged both The Vagina Monologues (Stiletto Project at The Looking Glass Theatre) and A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer (_gaia Studio with Arthouse Productions) for V-Day, raising money to help stop violence against women and girls. Her work has also been seen at Ensemble Studio Theatre and Dixon Place.
About Looking Glass Theatre…
Looking Glass Theatre’s mission is to theatrically and truthfully reflect a female vision on the stage. We fulfill this by presenting female directors’ visions of classics and by staging new plays either written or directed by women. In 2009 nytheatre.com said, “The Looking Glass Theatre deserves kudos for consistently programming affordable shows for families that really are produced and staged with the youngest theater-goers in mind.” The New York Times called our Fall 2008 production of Adventures of the Puppet Princess “charming” and “especially amusing to children under 10...a substantial introduction to the culture of Bali.” In June 2006, The Looking Glass Theatre and Artistic Director Justine Lambert received The Lucille Lortel Award from The League of Professional Theatre Women
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READY, SET, STORY! HOW KATIE SAVED THE SNEAKY SPIDER'S TALES
March 13 - April 25, 2010
SCHEDULE: Saturday @ 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., Sunday @ 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
NO SHOWS SUNDAY, APRIL 4
TICKET PRICE: $15 Adults, $12 Children 12 and under
ADDRESS: 422 West 57th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues
PHONE: (212) 307-9467
TDF Vouchers Accepted!
VINNY DICRISTO (Umbolo/Susanowo/Author/Thrym/Classmate) is thrilled to be making his NYC stage debut at Looking Glass Theatre with this amazing cast. In 2009, he graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy of NY. Favorite children’s show roles include Simba in The Lion King, Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid and Dan in Diggy Dan. He wants to thank Rose for giving him this wonderful opportunity and to his mom and dad and grandma for believing in him always. He sends his love to his BIG ITALIAN family for all their love and support. And to the cast: HUZZAH!!!
STEPHEN EHRLICH (Umbolo/J.K.Rowling/Thor/Classmate) is thrilled to be making his debut at Looking Glass Theatre. A graduate of Drury University, favorite past roles include Hal in Proof, Jeff in Lobby Hero, Lt. Dan Kaffee in A Few Good Men and Tulsa in Gypsy. Much love and gratitude to his incredible friends and family for their endless support while he pursues this business of show.
AMANDA HOPPER (Nyame/Ms. Lerner) was born and raised in Iowa, where she graduated from the University of Iowa’s acting program. She has most recently appeared as Hannah Cherlitch in Milk Can Theatre’s production of Heffetz and as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest for The Festival of Fools Theatre. Amanda is the co-founder of Genesius Productions, a Manhattan-based community of artists dedicated to producing and developing new work. Her ultimate goals are to be appear on 30 Rock, own a donkey and be able to cook without starting a fire. Lots of love to J, D and L.
ANTHONY LABRESCO (Loki/Osebo/Author/Classmate) is a native of Philadelphia. He has many appearances on stage and camera. He is very excited to be a part of Ready, Set, Story! Anthony would like to thank his family and friends for all of their support over the years. He also thanks the very talented cast and crew. For more info on Anthony. visit www.anthonylabresco.com
STACY OSEI-KUFFOUR (Anansi/Rosie) is a recent graduate from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received her BFA in Drama at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Originally from Chicago, Stacy transferred to NYU to experience a more challenging theater environment. She recently performed in The Strawberry Festival in the play The Painter, which she wrote and was nominated for Best Play of 2010. Stacy’s favorite snacks are PB&Js and krispy treats! She would like to thank her friends and family for their constant support. And her wonderful cast and crew for putting up with her. Thanks guys!!
MELISSA SUSSMAN (Katie) is very excited to be working on Ready, Set, Story! Melissa’s favorite color is green. She also enjoys performing. She enjoys it so much that she went to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and got her BFA in Theatre there. Her favorite shows there included The Learned Ladies, The House of Bernarda Alba, Odso!, The Wayside Documentaries, Prophethead, Naomi in the Living Room, Dress Suits to Hire, Iphigenia 2.0 and Symphony Sociopathia. Come see Melissa in a reading in May - Harmless Stories (Studio Theater @ Theater Row). So much love and thanks to Mom, Dad, Adam, Gene and Sam!
STEFANIE TARA (Author/Freya/Roxy/Amaterasu/Mwatiya) was recently seen in Pieces of a Playwright, Directed by TV/Broadway veteran Albert Insinnia. Favorite New York stage appearances: The Hanging of Razor Brown (Regina, 59E59 Theaters), Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead (CB’s Sister), Tamur Lenk (Theater For The New City), Julius Caesar (Calpurnia), Othello (Roderigo/ Bianca) and Eugene O’Neill’s Beyond The Horizon (Ruth). Favorite Film/ TV include: Windows (Anna), Break In (Mandi), The New Life (Phyllis), "The Play's The Thing" (Cable Vision/ Comcast). The gymnast/ dancer/ martial artist studied with Austin Pendleton and will next be seen as Red, in the upcoming feature, The Dragons.
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EMILY PAUL (playwright) is currently pursuing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU TischAsia. Her work has been performed throughout NYC including at Dixon Place’s Warning: Not For Broadway Festival and The Shortened Attention Span Festival. She is a graduate of the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies at NYU where she studied dramatic writing and mythology. She writes a mythology blog relating the old stories to modern living. Ms. Paul is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
ROSE GINSBERG is proud to direct her seventh production at Looking Glass Theatre. Past Looking Glass credits include Gentle Girl, Lesbian Bathhouse, The Taming of the Shrew, and Doing Shakespeare. As a company member at Manhattan Repertory Theatre, she recently directed Chekhov’s The Proposal and The Bear and Jean Anouilh’s Antigone. Rose has staged both The Vagina Monologues (Stiletto Project at The Looking Glass Theatre) and A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer (_gaia Studio with Arthouse Productions) for V-Day, raising money to help stop violence against women and girls. Her work has also been seen at Ensemble Studio Theatre and Dixon Place. Rose is an artistic associate with Looking Glass Theatre.
MELINDA PROM (Assistant Director/Stage Manager) most recently directed After Easter with the Michael Chekhov Theater Company. She also Assistant Directed the long running Off-Broadway hit An Evening at the Carlyle at the Algonquin Theater. Other directing credits include Traffic Jam in the 2008 NY International Fringe Festival at the Soho Playhouse and The Good News in the Algonquin One-Act Festival. Melinda is a graduate of Carleton College and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (NY). She also enjoys green eggs and ham on special occasions and would like to thank Looking Glass Theatre for this wonderful opportunity!
THERESA RIVERA (Scenic Designer) -- Theresa’s favorite part of theatre is finding new ways to see things and use her imagination to solve problems. She is an Art Educator and Scenic Painter for the Marymount School of New York and Plymouth Church School of Brooklyn, as well as a Teaching Artist for Private Picassos, an arts program throughout the five boroughs. She strongly encourages learning through the use of recycled materials in her students as well as her own work. She is currently the Scenic Designer for the Mainspring Collective. Their newest project, Monster Literature, is a children’s theatre series produced in residency at the Brooklyn Lyceum Theatre. www.theresarivera.com
DAVID MONROY (Light Designer)
RACHEL SOLL (Costume Designer) -- Credits include The Seagull at the Gene Frankel Theatre, Disney’s The Princess And The Frog Experience at Roseland Ballroom, Week 1 of the EstroGenius Fest at Manhattan Theatre Source, and Layla and Harley, BFF at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Rachel has worked under established designer Carla Gant, her mentor, for The Heshel School (Grease and the upcoming Once Upon A Mattress) and the Lucy Moses Theatre (Jonah and the Whale). She has also assisted Rebecca Bernstein for Agamemnon at LaMama, etc. Rachel designed six shows and three game shows at Geyonggi English Village, South Korea. Future projects include Theatre For The New City and The Calhoun School. When not costuming, Rachel is also an actress, singer and improv comedienne who can be seen all over the tri-state area with New York Dinner Theater. She is so excited to be working at Looking Glass again with Jenn, Chanda and Rose and the casts and crews of Ready, Set, Story! and 70 Million Tons!
