Accidents of Being by Mary Rohrer Dann, Tempest Productions. “On summer afternoons, Burholme Park in Philadelphia becomes a golden prairie…” Across the decades, friends and neighbors tell stories of their Philadelphia neighborhood, the uncles and the aunts, laborers, bakers, homemakers and dreamers and schemers…voices familiar to us all. We hear their stories in Accidents of Being.
An Improvised Evening on Zoom, Happy Valley Improv. Three of Happy Valley Improv’s house teams will perform longform improvised sets. Will it be funny? Will it be serious? Will it be thought provoking? We don’t know. But we do know this. It will be unscripted. It will be an escape. It will be fun. Each team will bring it’s own form to the virtual stage.
Dance Showcase with Allied Motion Dance Company, Dmitry Myers with guest Kai Phoenix, and VanDance Inc.
- Out of Isolation. Allied Motion Dance Company. How does a dance company built on contact improvisation survive social distancing? Four short works showcase Allied Motion’s adaption to the new reality. An eclectic mix of styles, the program highlights works in progress in anticipation of our return to the stage in November 2021.
- Worlds Collide. Dmitry Myers with guest Kai Phoenix. Encounter three of the world’s oldest physical art forms as they come together in a fusion of balance, collaboration and modernization. Experience, as they create a new way to feel and enjoy the performing arts by blending different types of active movement. Become captivated by the world of Ballet, Belly-dance and the Arial Arts.
- Firebird. VanDance Inc.VanDance’s JazzBird unites contemporary jazz music with modern choreography to create a new rendition of the classic “Firebird” folktale, transporting the story from the Siberian forest to an urban jazz night club.
Deranged Durang. 7 Short Plays by Christopher Durang, Tempest Productions. Stelllllllaaa! From the DMV tyrant to women in a playground, bickering sisters, chance encounters with not so close friends, a comedic Medea, and of course, the infamous Tennessee Williams’ gang, This reading includes Mrs. Sorken, DMV Tyrant, Women in a Playground, Phyllis & Xenobia, Desire, Desire Desire, One Minute Play, and Medea.
God’s Trombones, Loaves and Fish Theatre, is a collection of sermons by Southern preachers, mostly African American. Originally the collection was put together by James Weldon Johnson, the composer of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and head of the NAACP. It was one of the first plays, written by an African American, ever done at Penn State back in 1995. Three of the actors in the original production, Carla Hargrove, Cynthia Henderson and Charles Dumas, perform in this one.
Heroes on Hand, Adam Swartz Puppets. Join forces with puppet superheroes to save the day! The “Heroes on Hand” will need lots of help from the audience during their comic book inspired adventures. This original, interactive show features three stories of friendship, citizenship, heroes and villains (and a puppet rap battle!) Everyone can be a hero-what’s your super power?!
The Lyric Voice with Jud Caswell, Carolann Solebello, and Rod Picott. Hosted by Jim Colbert. Join us for a set of exclusive performances by three of today’s most engaging singer songwriters: Rod Picott, Carolann Solebello and Jud Caswell.
Nile Raqs, Black Cat Belly Dance. Including performances from US and Cairo based dancers, with featured performances by Lauren Zaira Chung and our headliner, the incredible زارا Zara Dance – Nile Raqs!
This show will feature Raqs Sharqi (belly dance) and many of the exciting folkloric dances of Egypt. Don’t miss this one of a kind show!
Seven Years of FUSE, FUSE Productions. A retrospective of FUSE musicals and cabaret performances from ANNIE to MATILDA. We’ll show clips from live performances along with solo songs from our monthly cabarets.
spotlite
dance! with Central PA Dance Workshop Children’s Ensemble and Centre Dance. CPDW’s Children’s Ensemble will share highlights of past festival performances, including excerpts from “Peter & the Wolf,” “Carnival of the Animals,” “Dinosaurs’ Dance,” and “The Mother Goose Project.” Children’s dance theatre performed by children for children. Centre Dance Presents. Videos from our 2020-2021 pandemic season! We traveled around Pennsylvania as a team (AVID Dance Productions), put on the full length Nutcracker at the beautiful Mishler Theatre in Altoona, had an unconventional recital at the Super 322 Drive Inn, and offered classes each day at the studio!
for kids and families! with Capvara Variety Show, Central PA Dance Workshop Children’s Ensemble, Storyteller Jon Vickers Jones, theLASTree Toy Theatre with Laurencio Ruiz, and State High Thespians.
- The Capvara Variety Show exhibits the many talents of the Brazilian circus performer, Capvara! This original show brings out the inner child through physical comedy, juggling, tricks and object manipulation. Perfect for all ages and families, Capvara speaks a universal language of circus performance with special effects to connect to the audience during social distancing.
- CPDW’s Children’s Ensemble will share highlights of past festival performances, including excerpts from “Peter & the Wolf,” “Carnival of the Animals,” “Dinosaurs’ Dance,” and “The Mother Goose Project.” Children’s dance theatre performed by children for children.
- Enjoy State High Thespian’s Isaac Video Performance of a selection from HONK.
- theLASTree Toy Theatre is a puppet show about Mother Nature calling for help to stop the damage already done to our natural resources and ecosystems. She is the storyteller who reminds us how essential and fragile life is: “If we don’t stop polluting the planet now, the living things we love will be gone forever. After all, this is our home, the only one we have.”
Improv-QVC Commentary with Michelle and Stella. We comment on QVC! And life! And break into characters! We think there’s truth in comedy and comedy in truth. We love love and hate hate. QVC inspires us to comment, become characters, and interact with a live audience. Since our performance will be recorded, we will imagine you! You can still send us psychic suggestions.
theatre and poetry in performance. with Next Stage Inc., State High Thespians, and poets Jim Colbert, Jared Conti, and Jon Vickers Jones with a bit of Edgar Allan Poe as well.