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Berlin B erlin is at once an epic family saga and a love story for our times. It tells the story of one ordinary man with an extraordinary heart and the two people his sacrifice brings together.
Set in divided, occupied Berlin following WWII, the formerly exiled Ernst Reuter and his courageous family return to their decimated homeland to find their niece, Stephanie, who has suffered the ravages of war. As multi-national political powers come to bear on the day-to-day life of the defeated German nation, Reuter must decide how much he will risk in opposing the imminent threat to his family and beloved city, Berlin.
Stephanie finds herself emerging from a disturbing past to discover love in a most unexpected place. As U.S. pilots engage in a battle to save the city from oppression and starvation, Lt. Hansen and Stephanie come to discover that, despite the hatred that war engenders, they can no longer consider themselves enemies.
Based on the inspiring true events of the Berlin Airlift, BERLIN tells a story of uncommon love and unlikely heroes.
Angels “Angels” is an original musical that combines a strong story with powerful music. The concept of “Angels” allows the opportunity for spectacular lighting effects and aerial choreography beyond anything previously seen on the stage. The unique staging possibilities presented by this story has the potential to truly enthral audiences.
“Angels” tells the epic story of the ancient war between the Angels and Lucifer’s fallen minions. The conflict is told through the eyes of Sera, the Angel of Light. Though she is gifted with the power to control light with spectacular effect, she aspires for a more heroic role. Her ambition is manipulated by Lucifer, which results in tragic consequences to the Angels and the humans they protect.
Sera must decide how far she is willing to go and what she must sacrifice to turn the tide in this celestial battle.
Busker Alley Busker Alley combines the life of street performers (known as buskers) with the glamour of the theatre in London’s West End, prior to and during World War II.
Happy-go-lucky Charlie, a busker upwards of middle age, takes as his protégé, Libby, a gutsy young street-thief. Under his tutelage, her talent blossoms along with his infatuation for her. Life is good amongst the buskers. They’re fun, colorful, and care for each other like family. But soon an ambitious Libby wants more. She is loaded with talent and chutzpah and the combination drives her to the attention of a big producer who launches her musical theatre career.
Charlie doesn’t fit into Libby’s new life on the “inside”, which is how the buskers refer to a real theatre. He is greatly saddened, questioning how foolish he was to fall for this girl. Distraught, he leaves the busker life and attempts to “find himself” in a series of meaningless jobs, ultimately doing a bout in prison while Libby’s celebrity continues to rise.
When Charlie and Libby reconnect after a chance meeting years later, she convinces him to go back to entertaining and arranges an audition for a legitimate show. He gives an embarrassing audition that ultimately brings him to the bittersweet realization that he and Libby truly belong in different worlds.
Earthlings G eorge, a very sophisticated, jaded and famous cartoonist is asked to develop a cartoon series for the newspaper he works for. He creates a sweet and typical family [Harry, Mary and Junior] and tells their story from the beginning…when Harry meets Mary to mid-life, when life seems as if it had not been fulfilling…[since it wasn’t for George, who is miserable, despite his worldly success]. At the end, the family has to decide if Life has been worth living because all along the story, George has been leading Harry to commit suicide…in order to spice up his cartoon series. In the dramatic conclusion, Harry and his family discover that the experiences in life have, indeed, been fulfilling…and they invite George into the cartoon with them….because they have learned that they can create the world in which they live…George joyfully agrees…and decides that all people could do the same thing and life would be wonderful. With this in mind he calls the cartoon, “Earthlings”
Live Actors on stage with Animated Characters:
The show has a minimum of 5 live actors and a cast of animated characters appearing on video screens, and surface projections around the theater. There is the option of creating some of the “Chorus” characters at each production location using local community members…teaching them musical numbers and then with the help of special fx…turning them into animated cartoon characters as part of the video segments.
Children of Eden C hildren of Eden may be headed for Broadway in the 2008 - 2009 season. Stephen Schwartz participated in a backer's audition in August of 2007. According to a news report, the production is set to be a family affair, with Scott Schwartz— Stephen's son, a respected New York and regional director — slated to stage the musical. (Schwartz and Schwartz are currently working together as a composer/director team for an opera.)
An early version of Children of Eden opened on London's West End in early 1991. Stephen Schwartz and John Caird substantially revised the work when it came to America, and then Music Theatre International made it available for licensing.
In 2004 Schwartz answered a frequently asked question about Children of Eden on Broadway. He said, "I would love to see a Broadway production of Children of Eden. But because of the cast size requirements (a choir of Storytellers, a chorus of children to be the Animals, etc.), it would be necessary to obtain concessions from Equity and perhaps other unions to make it economically feasible. This would, obviously, be difficult, and thus far no producer has emerged who is willing to try to accomplish the negotiations."
The casting of the forthcoming venture is not yet known, or whether or not Schwartz and Caird will change the requirements. Erik Orton, of O Productions, is lead producer with Alan Wasser Associates serving as general management for the production. Orton and producing partner Karen Walter Goodwin embark on familiar Biblical territory with Children of Eden; they produced the 2005 Off-Broadway production of The Ark, about Noah, his family and the famous flood.
Children of Eden is Stephen Schwartz's favorite of his own shows. He wrote, in answer to a question, "I think the work of which I am most proud is Children of Eden, for several reasons. To begin with, I think it’s my best score musically. It also contains the song that is maybe my personal favorite of my songs from a purely visceral point of view, “Stranger to the Rain”, a song that embodies how I feel about parenting (which is very important to me), “The Hardest Part of Love”, and above all, the song that most most espouses my philosophy of life and which, if I had one song to be remembered by, is the one I would choose: “In the Beginning”. There are more of the themes that I return to over and over – personal responsibility, rebellion, intellectual independence, as well as overcoming family dysfunctions -- in this work than in any of my other shows. And I am proud of the fact that I kept working on the show after its initial failure in its London premiere, so that it has become a viable and often performed piece that I know will live on after I’m gone." |
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