A SPLASH OF IMPROV

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

by Christopher Durang Directed by Matthew Parent

A Tony-Award winning, deliriously funny comedy!

Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia share a home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where they bicker and complain about the circumstances of their lives. Suddenly, their movie-star sister, Masha, swoops in with her new boy toy, Spike. Old resentments flare up, eventually leading to threats to sell the house. Also on the scene are sassy maid Cassandra, who can predict the future, and a lovely young aspiring actress named Nina, whose prettiness somewhat worries the imperious Masha.

LINDSAY AND HER PUPPET PALS

Lindsay’s funny, fast-paced, and highly interactive variety show delights the young and the young at heart! Kids will meet several larger-than-life, hand-crafted puppets... Perhaps a goofy moose, a heroic tiger, or a lovable bear. Oh my! Maybe a dancing robot or flamingo, an adorable mouse, a stubborn goat, a shy dragon, or a singing dinosaur! Come find out who's making an appearance this time!

Lindsay has been performing full-time since 2011, presenting to several thousand children each year. Through animated storytelling and thoughtful messaging, she hopes to inspire creative play, resilience, and empathy in even the youngest. She also believes shared joy and laughter strengthen communities.

This program is a great fit for ages 3-8 and families.

TRICK AND TREAT

An Original Musical by Joshua Goldberg

Produced by Upside Arts

It's almost Halloween and Mindi can't wait! What could be better than dressing up and getting tons of candy? And best of all, the scares! But the quiet town of Sleepy Hollow lives up to its name: nothing exciting ever happens. Meanwhile in Frightsburgh, Wendy the little witch is sick and tired of all the Halloween preparations. She just wants to go trick or treating like a normal kid! And so Mindi and Wendy decide to take matters into their own hands, with frightfully fun results...

This workshop production, performed by kids and for kids, is the culmination of 5 weeks of rehearsals focused on collaboration and the creative process.

A TUNA CHRISTMAS

By Ed Howard, Joe Sears, Jaston Williams

Directed by Jenry Towle

Starring Bretton Reis and Michael Towle

In this hilarious sequel to Greater Tuna, it’s Christmas in the third-smallest town in Texas. Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including the hot competition in the annual lawn-display contest. In other news, voracious Joe Bob Lipsey’s production of A Christmas Carol is jeopardized by unpaid electric bills. Many colorful Tuna denizens, some you will recognize from Greater Tuna and some appearing here for the first time, join in the holiday fun. A Tuna Christmas is a total delight for all seasons, whether performed by two quick-changing comedians as it was on Broadway, or by twenty or more. Production requirements are minimal, making the play suitable for school and community producers as well as large venues. Audiences who have and who have not seen Greater Tuna will enjoy this laugh-filled evening.

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

Music and Lyrics by Johnny Marks

Script Adaptation by Robert Penola

Based on the animated television special

Produced by Upside Arts

Because of his shiny nose, Rudolph doesn't feel like he belongs in Christmastown and sets off to find a place that accepts him. Filled with holiday hits like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas," Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  features all of your favorite characters including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph. It’s an adventure that teaches us that what makes you different can be what makes you special.

AS SMALL AS STARS

By Will Murdock
Directed by Kelli Leigh-Ann Connors

A heartwarming drama sprinkled with fantastical elements inspired by J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan”

Night after night, George and Mary Darling wait for their children to return from wherever they've gone. If they ever knew of Neverland, they've long forgotten. George is imminently practical, while Mary can’t stop dreaming of their return. When magic starts creeping into their lives, Mary and George have to decide: should they keep going as they have been... or finally choose to believe? A love story between grieving parents, As Small As Stars is based on the novel Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES

By Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Tyler Christie

This irresistibly unconventional drama tells of a different kind of love through sharp humor and even sharper insights into the human condition.

After the success of “Is Edward Snowden Single?” and “The Aliens”, Players’ Ring and Bardo present a thrilling and atypical love story. Doug and Kayleen meet at the nurse’s office in their elementary school; she’s got a painful stomach ache, and he’s all banged up from a running dive off the roof of the school. Over the next thirty years, these scar-crossed lovers meet again and again, brought together by injury, heartbreak, and their own self-destructive tendencies. With great compassion and humor, playwright Rajiv Joseph (Broadway’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) crafts a compelling and unconventional story about the intimacy between two people when they allow their defenses to drop and their wounds to show.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City

By Halley Feiffer
Directed by Maggie O’Neill

An irreverent, rageful, and tender play about the hilarity of grief and the power of trust.

This New York Times Critics' Pick tells the story of a struggling young stand-up comic and a wealthy middle-aged divorcée cooped up in a hospital room shared by their cancer-stricken mothers. Forced to confront their relationships with their respective mothers, Karla and Don cope with their new reality by making some of the world's most inappropriate jokes. Feiffer's unique and insightful comedy demonstrates how shared experiences create unexpected kinship, and how comedy and tragedy often operate in unsettling tandem.

THE END OF THE RAINBOW

An Original Musical by Joshua Goldberg

Produced by Upside Arts

Chroma County is a happy, busy, and colorful place full of happy, busy, and colorful people. Or at least it was... until unlucky local leprechaun Devlin O'Doherty's pot of gold was stolen, and the rainbow along with it! Now it's a sad, gloomy, and grey place with sad, gloomy, and grey people. What's a leprechaun to do? Put together a ragtag team of adventurous locals and restore the town to its former glory one color at a time... that's what!

This workshop production, performed by kids and for kids, is the culmination of 5 weeks of rehearsals focused on collaboration and the creative process.