Thanks to a generous RACC grant, a voting rights song by Katherine Brann Fredricks, arranged by Jaime Lozano, will have a world premiere at Augustana Lutheran Church, sung by 8 of Portland’s finest, under the music direction of Judy A. Rose.
Katherine’s New York City festival production have won or been nominated for 28 Awards. https://katherine-b-fredricks.squarespace.com/
Jaime has had recent concerts at Lincoln Center, Washington DC and Mexico City. www.jaimelozano.net
Rev. Knutson of Augustana Lutheran Church was named one of the 50 Most Influential Portlanders by Portland Monthly magazine, for his “vigorous activism” against war and in favor of immigration reform and gay rights. His congregation shares his dedication to these and other social causes that put our Christian faith into action in our world. Choir director
Judy A. Rose teaches at the Upper school at The Catlin Gabel School. https://www.judyarose.com/
Enjoy the music live or livestream at Augustana Lutheran Church on Sunday July 17, at the 10 a.m. service. 2710 NE 14th Ave Portland, OR 97212 https://augustana.org/
On February 18, at PDX Playwrights, I’m doing a reading of Dances with Shadows, my new musical based on the life of choreographer Anandha Ray. Then on March 9, at Theater for the New City in NYC, I’m doing a reading of Black Hole Wedding!
Katherine moved to Portland, OR in 2019. She is currently writing a new musical, (working title Dances with Shadows) based on the life of San Francisco-based choreographer Anandha Ray.
Black Hole Wedding review in Broadway World!
Technically, the silver lining of the black hole trash compactor featured in Black Hole Wedding is that whatever it doesn't suck in, it stretches out: a golf club, clothing, even a pom-pom shaking marketing director. Theatrically, this "spaghettify" strategy also works well for the show itself, a campy eco-political satire with more than enough humorous and heartfelt songs and sight gags to keep its musical magnetic attraction strong for 100 minutes.
Katherine Brann Fredericks (book and lyrics) and Paul Nelson (music) concoct a little science experiment writ large, combining elements of romantic comedies, nerd revenge fantasies, political farce and office humor--all into fun fringe theater. Working within some dense material, the leads and ensemble squeeze every bit of character humor possible out of their quippy exchanges, chase scenes, and energetic dance numbers.
Black Hole Wedding NYMF production Donates Ticket Revenues to Green Energy. Article in Broadway World
Our new Broadway World article!
Black Hole Wedding will star Broadway veteran Sean McDermott (Miss Saigon, Falsettos, Starlight Express) alongside a company of talented actors including Justin Duval, Jay Ellis, Judith Ingber, Jonathan Miller, Teshomech Olenja, Lukas Poost, Mimi Robinson, Connor Saccal, Kelsey Schergen and Mandy Strip.
NYMF announces BLACK HOLE WEDDING Next Link Production!
Here’s the link in Broadway World:
After playing an acclaimed run as part of the Planet Connections Festival in 2015 and taking home awards for Outstanding Music & Lyrics and Outstanding Leading Actress, as well as nominations for Outstanding Book of a Musical, Direction and Production, Black Hole Wedding will make its off Broadway debut as part of the 2019 New York Musical Festival's Next Link Project.
visit nymph.org(
“A truly brilliant, scientifically sweet, theatrical invention” http://stagebuddy.com/reviews/review-black-hole-wedding-planet-connections-theatre-festivity”
2018 ARIZONA JUSTICE
Jonathan Slaff & Associates
Press Representative - 55 Perry Street, #1M - New York, NY 10014
Tel. (212) 924-0496 - Fax (877) 534-4061 - js@jsnyc.com - www.jsnyc.com
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY'S DREAM UP FESTIVAL TO PRESENT PREMIERE OF "ARIZONA JUSTICE" BY KATHERINE BRANN FREDRICKS
Documentary play exposes corruption in Arizona, involving Senator Barry Goldwater, land fraud, water rights, the mob, money laundering and murder.
WHERE AND WHEN:
August 26 at 5:00 PM, August 28 at 6:30 PM, August 30 at 6:30 PM, September 1 at 5:00 PM, September 2 at 3:30 PM, September 5 at 6:30 PM.
Theater for the New City (Johnson Theater), 155 First Avenue
Tickets $12
Presented by Theater for the New City (Crystal Field, Artistic Director) as part of the Dream Up Festival 2017
Box Office: (212) 254-1109, www.dreamupfestival.org
Running Time: 80 minutes. Critics are invited to all performances.
Video: https://vimeo.com/269991228
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uUNP8zkRtJ1w94mR9
NEW YORK, July 19 -- "Arizona Justice," written and performed by Katherine Brann Fredricks, is a Michael Moore/Spalding Gray style documentary exposé of corruption in Arizona, involving Senator Barry Goldwater, land fraud, water rights, the mob, money laundering and murder between the 1960's and the early 2000's. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere August 26 to September 5. Adam Chisnall directs.
Fredricks, a documentary film maker and theatrical lyricist/librettist, is the daughter of ranchers in Arizona. Her home town, Prescott Arizona, doubled in population when it was named the best place in America to retire in 1994. Fredricks wondered where the water for all that development was going to come from and wrote letters to the editor. That led to public speaking, an invitation to run for the State House of Representatives on a water conservation platform -- and death threats. As she investigated Arizona’s long ugly history of organized crime and land fraud, including the 1976 car bombing of Pulitzer-prize nominated crime reporter Don Bolles, she realized her activism had put a target on her back. In the course of her electoral campaign, her land line was tapped, important documents were swiped and she was stalked in the woods.
The play recounts Fredricks' efforts to protect Arizona's water supply and ensure sustainability in real estate development there. She opposed a bill proposed by State Senator Carol Springer, a professional realtor, that would allow depletion of water levels while exponentially increasing land values. She lost her bid for State House of Representatives as well as her fight with State Senator Springer. Finding her documentary career tanking along with her other fortunes, she moved away to New York where, after 9/11, she was shocked to discover the Phoenix Memo, an FBI document warning of Saudi terrorists in Arizona flight schools. She wondered, "What the heck were terrorists doing in Arizona? How did they even find the place?" She wrote several members of Congress begging for investigations, but found nothing "to bring to court," so she "stopped pounding [her] head against the wall." That is, until 2017, when a Broadway producer encouraged her to write a solo show on her investigative efforts. The result was this play.
Fredricks expected the play to document local officials with a conflict of interest. What she found was intentional, systematic and well-funded corruption. Don Bolles had traced it to Arizona becoming a sunny refuge for mobsters including Moe Dalitz, the Godfather of Las Vegas who ran half a dozen Vegas Casinos and made money for the mafia by skimming gambling money, and Joe Bonanno and “Horseface” Licavoli, heads of New York and Detroit crime families.
"Arizona Justice" is a compelling account, told like a fireside chat, in which Fredricks offers us an intricate web of bribery, blackmail and murder, including the names of dozens of players. She had been raised to revere Senator Goldwater, nicknamed “Mr. Arizona.” So she never dreamed he could be connected to organized crime until 2017, when she discovered 40 year old research by Investigative Reporters and Editors (of which reporter Don Bolles had been a founding member) that revealed Senator Goldwater’s brother Bob had multi-million dollar financial links to organized crime figures.
After finishing the first draft of the play, she engaged in a second round of research, in which she read the 9/11 Commission Report and all the footnotes relating to Arizona. From this she learned that ten percent of the 9/11 hijackers were in the state between December 2000 and March 2001 and that the FBI anti-terrorism team was reassigned to other work for that whole period of time. Now she writes, "I was shocked by what I discovered. I did not start out with an agenda. I uncovered the facts and noted the coincidences. Piles of them."
"Great secrets hide in unexpected places," she writes. She wonders: was Kenneth Williams, author of the Phoenix Memo, pulled off the case because his investigations threatened mob money laundering in Arizona?
Senator Barry Goldwater, Fredricks reminds us, was Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee during Iran Contra and he decreased the number of Congressional Committees overseeing the CIA from eight to two. Although she has not found a "smoking gun," she remains shaken by coincidences that might link failures of intelligence before 9/11 to Arizona’s long, bloody history of land fraud and organized crime.
The play is illustrated with multimedia projections.
Katherine Brann Fredricks has written, produced and directed two feature documentaries, “The Price of the Pines” (co-produced with Canada’s Banff Center for the Arts) and “The Yavapai Story” (which aired on national cable TV, won a Bronze Apple at the National Educational Video & Film Festival and screened at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. She is also a playwright who has had four musicals in the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in the last five years. Of these, two won awards for Outstanding Music & Lyrics. Together, the four shows won or were nominated for 26 other awards. She adapted “Occasion for Sin” (2017) from the writings of St. Teresa of Avila in collaboration with Grammy Award winning composer Oriente Lopez. “Nix” (20165) was adapted from "Hamlet" with composer Massimo Malavasi. “Black Hole Wedding” (2015) was adapted from the Ramayana with composer Paul Nelson. “Walden” (2013) was adapted from Thoreau with composer Bert Draesel. A fifth musical, "Divine Chaos,” composed by Lily Swan and Joe McCanna, has been produced in regional theaters. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild. ( https://katherine-b-fredricks.squarespace.com)
Adam Chisnall won Best Director at the 2017 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity Awards. He is a director, actor and emcee. He recently directed "Dead Brains" and "Umbilical" at The Clemente Center. Other directing credits include "Sodd and Gomm" (Venus/Adonis Theatre Festival), "Mrs. Lee’s Yellow Cat" (Gallery Players), "The Progressives" (The Network), "Happy Hamster Birthday" (LeelaNYC Theatre Festival), "War Is A Picnic" (Thespian Productions), "Pop Goes the Weasel" (Strawberry One Act) and "Murder Needs Company" (The Gallery Players). He was Assistant Director of "Clover" by Erik When at La MaMa and "The Vanity," a musical melodrama inspired by "The Portrait of Dorian Gray,"on Theatre Row. Chisnall directed "Emerson at Big Mart" for Planet Connections, winning Best Director of a Short Play/One Act or Solo Show. He is a line producer for the New Works Series with The New York Theatre Barm and creator of The One Act Comedy Fest.
# # #
Reviewers are invited to all performances.
Photos are available at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uUNP8zkRtJ1w94mR9.
Arizona Justice plays the Dream Up Festival at Theater for the New City August 26 - September 16, 2018. Dates TBA.
journal of independent stage and film reviews
Performance Review: Occasion for Sin
Written by: Danielle Boss
Occasion for Sin is a dazzling new musical set during the Spanish Inquisition. With music written by Oriente Lopez and dialogue written by Katherine Brann Fredericks, (adapted from Teresa de Avila and Garcilaso de la Vega) Occasion for Sin truly delivers in an enchanting performance. The play opens with a naïve Prince Felipe, alongside his courtier Cobos, learning the ropes of what it takes to be king once his father passes and Felipe inherits the throne. In the midst of colonizing the New World, chaos ensues throughout Spain as gold imports are decreasing due to rebellion in both the Americas and Spain against imperialism. In Spain, religious leader Garcia leads the resistance against Spain’s exploitation of the native populations in the Americas for gold. He argues against the injustices the indigenous peoples face against the incoming conquistadors who pillage their native lands in the name of “gold, glory, and God.” Garcia has problems of his own when he fights to convince the Prince to end Spain’s plunder of the natives while Cobos insists that gold is most important to Spain’s economy. While struggling to maintain its worldwide reputation as a preeminent colonial power among dealing with these internal conflicts, and enforcing the policies of the Inquisition and spreading Christianity, Spain also has to deal with a growing Great Britain, who is slowly rising as a colonial power forced to be reckoned with.
Occasion for Sin is an enthralling spectacle with its superb writing, phenomenal acting, catchy soundtrack, lovely choreography, and stunning costume design. Emily White’s costume designs are not only beautifully intricate but also historically accurate to the time period. From the King’s royal garments to the outfits of the ensemble, every costume is adorned with magnificently breath-taking detail that is awe-inspiring. The collaborative work of Dan O’Driscoll, Joe DiNozzi, and Shelly Hutchinson in choreography is commendably masterful. The dance chorography done by Shelly Hutchinson is adept at not only telling the story but also in leaving audience members at the edges of their seats. Dan O’Driscoll and Joe DiNozzi manage to have their fight chorography both enticingly realistic and poetically beautiful. The most striking scenes are the ones taking place on the battlefield, where the chorography is unequivocally piercing, astonishing, and gorgeous. The way in which the actors fight not only propels the plot forward, but they also create an engrossing spectacle. Oriente Lopez’s Grammy award-winning background is evident in his riveting soundtrack. The songs in Occasion for Sin send tremors down your spine not only due to Lopez’s poetic lyrics and the emotional swelling of the orchestra, but also because of the incredibly moving singing by the actors that bring Lopez’s genius to life. With unforgettable songs such as “Mama Cocha,” “Tell the Sun,” and “El Dorado” among others, the soundtrack of Occasion for Sin truly sets the bar.
In an era of “Disney theatre” where many Broadway musicals being produced are adaptations of popular movies and television shows, Occasion for Sin stands out against the background noise. Comparable to shows like Hamilton, Occasion for Sin is part of an emerging new wave of original musical theatre addressing pressing issues through a historical lens. While addressing themes of imperialism, anti-Semitism, cultural oppression, and discrimination, Occasion for Sin gives a voice to the voiceless by demonstrating the true horrors the natives suffered under European influence rather than the regurgitated sugar coated versions often told. Occasion for Sin with its diverse cast offers opportunities for Latino actors and other actors of color in a white dominated industry. Occasion for Sin’s talented cast of singers, dancers, and actors truly make their mark in this groundbreaking musical. Morissa Trunzo is absorbing in her role as Teresa, a Jewish converso and nun who is having an illicit love affair with eminent religious leader Garcia. Trunzo’s raw emotional display of her character’s inner despair regarding Teresa’s religious passion and heartbreak over her forbidden love is emotionally stirring and captivating. Jason Pintar is marvelous as Cobos with the Shakespearean-like quality of his voice projection, his astute portrayal of a charmingly deceitful character, and the way in which his stage presence demands attention. Pepe Nufrio’s portrayal of the love-stricken priest Garcia is palpably transparent. Nufrio delivers a compelling performance with his skillful line delivery, brilliant display of Garcia’s conflicting emotional and mental state, and his command of the stage. James Rose is also charming in his role as the indecisive Prince Felipe. Rose’s voice has a musical quality that, paired with his lovely singing, is stunning. From his reactions, stage presence, and his precise body movements, Rose’s portrayal of the stubborn Prince is extraordinary. With Lopez’s musical composition, Frederick’s writing, and a brilliant cast, Occasion for Sin is a conglomerate of talent.
Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is a wonderful indie theatre festival that sets itself apart from other theatre festivals by encouraging all its shows to collect donations for a charity of their own choice. All performances of Occasion for Sin will be benefitting El Museo Del Barrio, New York’s leading Latino cultural institution that specializes in Latin American and Caribbean art. Fredericks and Lopez have truly outdone themselves in their tantalizing production of Occasion for Sin. Just like Golden Age Spain during its colonial reign and prowess, an Occasion for Sin is a force to be reckoned with in the world of musical theatre.
Allie Short, Cynthia Bonacum, Morissa Trunzo, Ellen Cohn & Nathalia Raigosa in Occasion for Sin photo Katherine Brann Fredricks
Erica Twiss, Pepe Nufrio, Morissa Trunzo photo Katherine Brann Fredricks
Camila Vergasta, David Anthony & Ensemblephoto Katherine Brann Fredricks
Jason Pintarphoto Katherine Brann Fredricks
Photo Flash: First Look at OCCASION FOR SIN at Planet Connections
A Jewish saint battles the Spanish Inquisition over the conquest of Peru in the new musical Occasion for Sin, with script and lyrics by Katherine Brann Fredricks,…
www.broadwayworld.com
July 27 NIX just received 8 nominations from the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity:
Outstanding Actors (lead actress) Darilyn Castillo, (supporting actress) Laurel Caruso, Toni Martin, (lead actor) Carlos Martin & (supporting actor) Damian Norfleet. That's 5 actors nominated out of a cast of 7!
NIX is also nominated for Outstanding Production Katherine Brann Fredricks & Massimo Malavasi, Outstanding Music & Lyrics ditto, plus Outstanding Book of a Musical Katherine Brann Fredricks adapted from Shakespeare.
June 24
5:07 PM 2016
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The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity presents NIX, a new musical adaptation of Hamlet driven by a muscular, vulnerable heroine, putting herself in harm's way for justice. After receiving the PCTF Award for outstanding lyrics, & nominations for Outstanding, Direction, Script & Production in 2015, Katherine Brann Fredricks helms a cast of seven, including Laurel Caruso, Darilyn Castillo*, Carlos Martin*, Toni Martin*, Damian Norfleet*, Jody Reynard*, and Nicholas Sotack*. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
Six performances of NIX will be staged at the Paradise Factory, Upstairs Theatre, 64 E. 4th St., NYC now through July 9 as part of The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The Festivity will take place June 13 - July 10 at the Paradise Factory in New York City.
Petra is a war widow, supporting herself & her daughter by hauling waste water away from fracking wells. When a water quality engineer suddenly disappears, Petra blows the whistle on her boss to uncover the mystery. Petra's in love with a Mayor who can't take action without hard data; working for an entrepreneur who pumps out disinformation faster than oil; called crazy for valuing health over local industry. This contemporary musical adaptation of Hamlet features rap, latin & rock music styles. NIX is a mix of Shakespeare's most famous play & Erin Brockovich. Tell a rich man he could lose everything and see what happens.
NIX is presented by the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Producer/Director/Script: Katherine Brann Fredricks; Composer: Massimo Malavasi; Musical Director: Salomon Lerner; Choreographer: Shelly Hutchinson; Lighting Designer: Andrew Scharwath; Casting: Cindi Rush, CSA; Graphics: Mary Williams; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.
Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting PlanetConnections.org or by calling 866-811-4111.
Toni Martin & Darilyn Castillo
Interview with bookwriter and lyricist Katherine Brann Fredricks
By: Meagan Meehan AXS Contributor Jun 21, 2016 3 days ago
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Katherine Brann Fredricks is a bookwriter and lyricist.
Photo credit courtesy of Katherine Brann Fredricks, used with permission.
Katherine Brann Fredricks is a writer/director who is presenting her third musical with an AEA cast at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Katherine has written, directed and produced two feature documentaries. “The Price of the Pines” was a co-production with Canada’s Banff Center for the Arts. “The Yavapai Story” aired on Cinemax and won a Bronze Apple at the National Educational Video & Film Festival; it was also screened at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Aside from her documentary work, Katherine has written eight musicals that have also been lauded by critics and honored with awards from Planet Connections.
Katherine’s forthcoming musical is titled “NIX” and it is scheduled to run from June 21 to July 9, 2016 at the Planet Connections Theater Festivity. The 90 minute show is a musical adaptation of “Hamlet,” yet the plot is driven by a muscular and vulnerable heroine who puts herself in harm’s way for justice. The main character is Petra, a war widow who is supporting herself and her daughter by hauling waste water away from fracking wells. When a water quality engineer suddenly disappears, Petra blows the whistle on her boss to uncover the mystery. Petra is also in love with a Mayor who can't take action without hard data and she is working for an entrepreneur who pumps out disinformation faster than oil. On top of all that, she is called crazy for valuing health over local industry. This quirky but effective musical features rap, Latin and rock music styles. Essentially, “NIX” is a mix of Shakespeare's play with a nod to Erin Brockovich.
Recently, Katherine spoke to AXS about her experiences working on this new musical adaptation:
AXS: What inspired you to become a writer and how did you get into playwriting, especially with musicals?
Katherine Brann Fredricks (K.B.F.): As a kid, I could always spit rhymes. Now I’m slower and work more on the structure of the lyrics, but rhymes and rhythm are always my way into storytelling. It doesn’t have to be musical rhythm – good film has a rhythmic structure.
AXS: You are also a documentary filmmaker.What are your documentaries about? How did you get interested in these particular subjects?
K.B.F.: I grew up riding horses around in the mountains, with more four-footed critters than people. Then my home town got named the best place in America to retire and the population doubled in front of my eyes. My documentaries are about intercultural issues (Native American interface with non-Indian) and environmental issues. I’m currently fundraising for a documentary about Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
AXS: Growing up, what kinds of shows--plays, TV shows, movies, etc.--had the biggest impact on you? Why?
K.B.F.: We had all of the above, plus Native American ceremonials. Seeing men dance with live rattlesnakes in a ceremony to bring rain – and then rain comes out of a clear blue sky – left me profoundly convinced of the Lakota saying, “We’re all related.” Not just humans, the whole universe.
AXS: So far, what has been the most rewarding thing about being involved in the theatre industry?
K.B.F.: Winning the Planet Connections award for Outstanding Music & Lyrics with composer Paul Nelson last year was awesome. At the same time, the moment that warms my heart the most came when a mother brought her young daughter backstage after a production of Brigadoon I directed for Flagstaff Light Opera. I turned the stage lights on for her, and then opened the front drape so she could look up into the empty auditorium. The little girl didn’t say anything, but her eyes got bigger and bigger!
AXS: What would be your “dream project”?
K.B.F.: I’m looking for a career, not a project. I’m a better lyricist than book writer, so I’m always looking for the next story to adapt.
AXS: Career wise, where do you hope to be in ten years?
K.B.F.: On Broadway, with a line around the block, of course! Working with people I admire so I keep learning is better than chocolate.
AXS: Do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to mention?
K.B.F.: Composer Massimo Malavasi and I have another musical, “Angel of Hell’s Kitchen,” a romantic triangle set backstage in a dance company. Ken Davenport recently agreed to submit it to NAMT for us, so we’re crossing our fingers – me in NY or Arizona, Massimo in Italy (though he arrives in NY for the final rehearsals of Nix this week.)
AXS: What advice would you give to someone who is aspiring to become a playwright and/or documentary filmmaker?
K.B.F.: Make a list and do the next thing. It’s like cooking: you’ve got to bake the bread before you can make sandwiches. Don’t waste time obsessing about the garnish before the main dish gets cooked. If you’re tired and don’t have the energy to do the biggest thing on your list, do the smallest thing, but keep doing the next thing. I’m not the most talented writer in the known universe, but I’m very prolific, & my skills keep improving, because I keep doing the next thing. & don’t forget to invite the guests! Art doesn’t happen without an audience.
* * * * *
“NIX” proudly benefits Women Make Movies, a national non-profit feminist media arts organization--and Peabody Awards winner--which supports women filmmakers through its internationally recognized Distribution and Production Assistance Program. To learn more about NIX, or for tickets, see here or call 866-811-4111. To learn more about Katherine Brann Fredricks visit her personal website.
New Musical Adaptation of HAMLET to Play Planet Connections, 6/21-7/9
May 10
12:41 PM 2016
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The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity presents NIX, a new musical adaptation of Hamlet driven by a muscular, vulnerable heroine, putting herself in harm's way for justice. After receiving the PCTF Award for outstanding lyrics, & nominations for Outstanding, Direction, Script & Production in 2015, Katherine Brann Fredricks helms a cast of seven, including Laurel Caruso, Darilyn Castillo*, Carlos Martin*, Toni Martin*, Damian Norfleet*, Jody Reynard*, and Nicholas Sotack*. Six performances of NIX will be staged at the Paradise Factory, Upstairs Theatre, 64 E. 4th St., NYC from June 21-July 9 as part of The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The Festivity will take place June 13 - July 10 at the Paradise Factory in New York City.
Petra is a war widow, supporting herself & her daughter by hauling waste water away from fracking wells. When a water quality engineer suddenly disappears, Petra blows the whistle on her boss to uncover the mystery. Petra's in love with a Mayor who can't take action without hard data; working for an entrepreneur who pumps out disinformation faster than oil; called crazy for valuing health over local industry. This contemporary musical adaptation of Hamlet features rap, latin & rock music styles. NIX is a mix of Shakespeare's most famous play & Erin Brockovich. Tell a rich man he could lose everything and see what happens.
In 2001, National Geographic photographer Barry Tessman - who was talking with me about making an energy documentary - died under suspicious circumstances. When Barry's father pushed for a police investigation, people started calling him crazy. It all reminded me of the murderer investigation in Hamlet: accusations of insanity, suspicion of corruption and murder, and no clear path to truth. Whether Barry Tessman died in an accident, as the man who was supposed to go boating with him claimed - or whether he was murdered, NIX is for Barry. Because environmentalists lives matter.
NIX proudly benefits Women Make Movies, a national non-profit feminist media arts organization which supports women filmmakers through its internationally recognized Distribution and Production Assistance Program. WMM films received 2 of the 9 Peabody awards for documentary this year and projects from the organization's Production Assistance Program premiered at Sundance and Cannes and were short-listed for an Academy Award! To receive regular updates from WMM, sign up for their E-Newsletter. Support WMM by shopping at Amazon Smile. For more information, you can visit www.wmm.com.
NIX is presented by the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Producer/Director/Script: Katherine Brann Fredricks; Composer: Massimo Malavasi; Musical Director: Salomon Lerner; Choreographer: Shelly Hutchinson; Lighting Designer: Andrew Scharwath; Casting: Cindi Rush, CSA; Graphics: Mary Williams; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.
NIX plays the following schedule as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity: Tuesday June 21 @ 9:00pm; Friday June 24 @ 5:30pm; Saturday June 25 @ 12:30pm; Sunday June 26 @ 8:15pm; Thursday July 7 @ 5:30pm; and Saturday July 9 @ 5:15pm.
Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting PlanetConnections.org or by calling 866-811-4111.
The runtime for NIX is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
NIX accepted into Planet Connections Festivity for June/July 2016. Words, Katherine Brann Fredricks. Music, Massimo Malavasi
Flagstaff Light Opera Company to take on Brigadoon
November 13, 2015 5:00 am • SETH MULLER Features Editor
One of the great power teams of Broadway musicals is lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe, who, during the course of their remarkable careers, penned such classics as “Gigi,” Camelot,” “My Fair Lady” and “Paint Your Wagon.”
These titles became further strengthened through their Hollywood adaptations and remain a constant on the light opera and Broadway-revival circuits.
Starting today, the Flagstaff Light Opera Company — or FLOC — will bring to the stage the first Lerner &Lowe musical “Brigadoon,” which would become one of Gene Kelly’s most famous musicals with the 1954 theatrical version. Tonight’s show is 7:30 p.m. at the Sinagua Middle School Large Auditorium. It also runs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
The production continues the weekend of Nov. 20-22 with Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 students and $10 for children 12 and under. Learn more at www.thefloc.org.
According to a synopsis of the musical, New Yorkers Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas get lost on a vacation in the Scottish Highlands and stumble into Brigadoon. Brigadoon is a mythical village that, they learn, appears for a single day once every hundred years. At first, Tommy and Jeff are mystified by the villagers’ 18th century garb as they go to market, but they are soon charmed by romantic liaisons.
Tommy, who is engaged back in New York, falls terribly in love with headstrong Fiona, while Jeff enjoys a harmless flirtation with Meg Brockie. It is only when Harry Beaton, the rejected suitor of Fiona’s sister, Jean, tries to leave Brigadoon that the two men realize the complicated truth: at the end of the day, this town will disappear into the mist for the next hundred years — and if anyone succeeds in leaving Brigadoon, the town and the people in it will be lost, forever.
Director of the Flagstaff production, Katherine Fredericks said that she has as strong connection to the Lerner & Loewe musicals given her family’s love for the music and some of her own memories.
“My father would sing these songs while working in the yard,” she said. “Sometimes my whole family would sit on our front porch in Prescott and look up at the stars while listening to the cast albums.”
On Lerner & Loewe’s first musical, she noted that, “Beyond the enjoyable fantasy, ‘Brigadoon’ is about the tug we all sometimes feel between trusting our head, or our heart.”
The FLOC production stars Jim Dugan, a doctoral student at Northern Arizona University who also teaches English as a Second Language. In 2015, Dugan was featured in The Full Monty at Theatrikos and FLOC's production of Rent.
Abigail Stokley plays the female lead. Stokley is a new resident of Flagstaff with experience at the Loveland Light Opera Company in Colorado, and the Lamplighters in San Francisco.
Other featured roles are played by Flagstaff stage veterans Jessalyn Carpino, Rob Peters, Kirstin Nelson and Robert Carbajal. Doug Riddle serves as musical director and choreographer Kirstin Nelson brings a balletic ambiance to the dance numbers.
Director Fredricks was nominated for Outstanding Direction at the Planet Connections Festivity in New York City last summer, where she also won the award for Outstanding Lyrics.
STAGE BUDDY REVIEW BLACK HOLE WEDDING
Beautiful voices, catchy little tunes and lots of sweet science geekiness abound in Black Hole Wedding by Katherine Brann Fredericks and Paul Edward Nelson. This big, fun ambitious musical comedy has everything from a black hole trash compactor to the kidnapping of John Wayne to a world-domination-hungry boss who has a whole song about how much he loves the game of golf. Sound far-reaching? Oh, it is. In the most charming way.
Black Hole Wedding is a nearly two hour comedy musical about a young genius engineer, Raymond (Aaron Riesebeck), who is more or less kidnapped by a greedy oil monger and keeper of renewable energy inventions, Mr. Dean (Ravi Roth). In the kerfuffle of Dean’s archetypical world domination excesses, there is a litany of funny and well fleshed out characters dipping in and out of the story, as well as that dream invention mentioned before: a trash compactor that is actually a black hole, which could end world pollution as we know it.
Just typing that last line makes me smile, as did the entire, sometimes a tiny bit too convoluted musical. In fact, even when I didn’t understand what in the world was going on onstage (nothing a little scrubbing of the script/music won’t fix) I still smiled at the sheer cuteness of each character and situation.
The cast is incredibly strong individually. Aaron Riesebeck as Raymond, the heartthrob/nerdy engineer, gave a totally heart-warming performance. Hadley Cronk as Summer, the in-office massage therapist and love interest, is a truly lovely performer with a sparkling voice. Mr. Dean was brought to life with the perfect blend of endearment and smarminess by Ravi Roth, who has a twinkle in his eye and a glimmering voice. Ashanti J’Aria, as Calista, has a brilliant hold of comedic timing and sensibility that kept the audience wanting more of her. But what really keeps this show rolling is their commitment to each other. Their excellent work as an ensemble allows the audience to relax and have fun.
While there are many songs -- well written, I will add -- that do not further the plot (and therefore should be cut), a lot of greatness comes out in this piece of musical theatre. The topic is deeply relevant and far-reaching and its humor and charm is just as fresh. Just a tiny bit of tender-loving tweaking could make this a truly brilliant, scientifically sweet theatrical invention.
BROADWAY WORLD BLACK HOLE WEDDING
The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity presents Black Hole Wedding, a new musical fueled by shimmying electrons, with script and lyrics by Katherine Brann Fredricks and script and music by Paul Edward Nelson. Katherine Brann Fredricks directs a cast of eleven including Tommy Alsip*, Hadley Cronk*, Sean Hayden*, Ashanti J'Aria*, Anthony Michael Lopez*, David Marmanillo*, Meg McWhorter*, Rebecca Odorisio*, Aaron Riesebeck*, and Ravi Roth*. Four performances for Black Hole Wedding will be staged at the Paradise Factory, Upstairs Theatre, 64 E. 4th St., NYC from June 26-July 10 as part of The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The Festivity will take place June 15 - July 12 at the Paradise Factory in New York City.
Lying, stealing, forging, kidnapping, government-manipulating oil baron Dean captures and warehouses renewable energy discoveries. Alpha-geek Raymond fights back with a black hole trash compactor. Will Dean feed Raymond's fiancé to the black hole, in his campaign to promote capitalism by crushing competition? Will true love prevail in the face of ultimate greed, a chicken-bone fuel generator, and booth babes doing a strip tease where the black hole sucks their clothes off? Find out in the zany, musical satire Black Hole Wedding.
Today oil companies have more money than most countries. Corporate cheer-leaders in Congress say they'll believe global warming exists when they see the evidence, then they cut NASA's research budget to make sure no new evidence is found. Here's a little satire to remind us: we can all choose creativity over fossil fuels.
Black Hole Wedding has chosen to donate some of the proceeds from the production to NRDC. I hope you'll take a moment to take action at http://www.nrdc.org/action/ to protect imperiled wildlands and consider supporting them as well.
Black Hole Wedding is presented by the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Producer/Director/Script: Katherine Brann Fredrick's; Script & Composer: Paul Nelson; Musical Director: Julianne Merrill; Artistic Director: Shana McKay Burns; Lighting Designer: Andrew Schwaranth; Production Stage Manager & Props: David A. Vandervliet*; Graphics: Mary Williams; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.
Black Hole Wedding plays the following schedule as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity: Friday June 26th at 7pm; Saturday June 27th at 8:45pm; Sunday July 5th at 12pm; Friday, July 10th at 4pm.
Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/27385 or by calling 866-811-4111. Visit PlanetConnections.org for more information.
The runtime for Black Hole Wedding is approximately 2 Hours with no intermission.
Katherine Brann Fredricks (writer, director, producer) has written 7 musicals. Divine Chaos played regional theatres; Occasion for Sin received an Equity reading in New York; Walden, adapted from Thoreau, played the 2013 Planet Connections Festivity in New York City; and Angel of Hell's Kitchen, a low budget feature, is in preproduction. Katherine is President of Flagstaff Light Opera Company, where she directed Sound of Music. Katherine also wrote, produced & directed 2 feature documentaries: "The Price of the Pines" was a co-production with Canada's Banff Center for the Arts, and "The Yavapai Story," which aired on Cinemax, won a Bronze Apple at the National Educational Video & Film Festival, and was screened at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Paul Edward Nelson (composer) is the chief architect for Search Technologies. Paul started writing the code for his first search engine in 1989. Ten years later "RetrievalWare" had grown to be a market leading search engine with $50m annual sales. Today, RetrievalWare is owned by Microsoft, and it is still in use by customers on all five continents. During his 20+ years in the search engine industry, Paul has been involved in hundreds of search engine implementations, of all shapes and sizes. Recently, Paul has been engaged with major US Government projects in support of the Obama administration's freedom of information initiative, and he has architected a range of open source-based search applications for large commercial customers. Paul is the Chief Architect at Search Technologies, an independent search implementation services company, where he provides architectural oversight for customer projects and conducts design, technology research and training. Paul's Music Awards include Frederick Loewe/ASCAP Musical Theater Scholarship (2005), Virginia Carty deLillo Composition Competition (2004-1st, 2002-2nd), Prix D'ete Composition Competition for Music and Technology (2004-3rd), Randolph S. Rothschild Award (2004), P. Bruce Blair Award (2003), Philip D. Glass Scholarship (2004), Peabody Merit Scholarship (4 years).
Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York's premiere socially-conscious theatre, music and film festival. The entire festival is aligned to help artist shine a light on the issues facing our society and support the organizations working to make a difference. The 2015 Theatre Festivity will run from June 15-July 12 at the Paradise Factory (located at 64 East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue), and will also play host to special events at various locations in New York City's East Village. The full lineup for the Festivity will be announced shortly. For more information on Planet Connections visit: planetconnections.org.