Company of Fools Mini Bee Musical Producer Report

Producer Report

Inside, Outside, Upside Down!

APR 21, 6pm APR 22, 2pm, 2018 Liberty Theatre, Hailey

A MINI-MUSICAL COMMISSIONED by

Company of Fools and Sun Valley Center for the Arts Book and Lyrics by

Music by

Maggie-Kate Coleman

Erato A. Kremmyda

Co-created and Directed by

Ilana Becker Featuring

Annabelle Lewis & Melodie Taylor-Mauldin Stage Management

Chris Henderson Generously sponsored by a Springcreek Foundation grant directed by Local Food Alliance.

Additional support for student matinees from Michael S. Engl Family Foundation, Joyce B. Friedman, Hailey Rotary, Heart of Gold Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of Hailey and the Wood River Valley and the Papoose Club.

22nd SEASON SPONSORS:

Anonymous, The Shubert Foundation, Carr Foundation, Linda & Bob Edwards, Ken Lewis, Scott Miley Roofing, Priscilla Pittiglio, Linda & Bill Potter, Mary Ann & John Underwood, Barbara & Stanley Zax and media sponsor The Weekly Sun

Overview The Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Company of Fools presented the BIG IDEA project Bees from April 13 to June 22, 2018. Through visual arts, theatre, the humanities and film, Bees explores the critical role that pollinators play in maintaining the health of our food supply and ecosystems. The multidisciplinary project considers the many challenges that pollinator species face, from colony collapse disorder to shrinking habitat. In partnership with local organizations, The Center included a live observation hive in the museum and is creating a pollinator pasture on an empty lot in Ketchum, Idaho.

As a core component of this BIG IDEA project, Company of Fools commissioned two award-winning musical theatre writers, Maggie-Kate Coleman and Erato A. Kremmyda, to develop a short musical for young audiences inspired by the visual artwork in the Bees exhibition.

Thoughts from R.L. Rowsey, Company of Fools 23rd Season Producer From the beginning it was clear that the integration of the “mini-bee musical” into the Bees BIG IDEA project was a good idea, but I’m not certain anyone knew just what a brilliant idea it was. Below is a list of notable successes surrounding the creation and sharing of this work: • 2018 may long be noted as the year when the BIG IDEA exploded. Successful integration of theatre into the BIG IDEA is one of the impulses that brought new life to the concept of cross-generational explorations of significant topics. Following the impact of The Diary of Anne Frank and Clybourne Park, the doors were wide open for the success of Inside, Outside, Upside Down! Indeed, whether evaluating based on attendance numbers or relevance and educational value of content, the musical far exceeded expectations.

• Engaging new artists expanded Company of Fools’ voice. Erato and Maggie-Kate’s involvement brought a fresh perspective to the project and offered them an opportunity to strengthen their working relationship and create new work. They wrote with the specific location of this valley in mind and responded with adjustments based on student reactions.

• Anecdotal response indicates that students and teachers were pleased with the readings.

Entertained and educated, the students were attentive, responsive and grateful.

• As a work in progress, Inside, Outside, Upside Down! landed at the perfect time, offering Company of Fools’ staff the opportunity to produce a piece internally without all of the trappings of a full production.

• From an internal standpoint, the play was cast wonderfully. The lighting was simple but more than appropriate. The minimalist storytelling devised by the director allowed the students to engage creatively to complete the physical space for themselves.

• The script was wonderfully informative without ever seeming to reveal itself as educational.

• The study guide developed by the education department seemed to have been truly helpful in preparing students to participate in the play.

• Although Company of Fools’ role in this production has come to an end, we hope the play continues to reach audiences across the country.

What a pleasure to be a part of this creative endeavor. Thanks to all who made it possible!

R.L.

Inside, Outside, Upside Down!

The Playwrights MAGGIE-KATE COLEMAN is an NYC-based playwright, bookwriter, and lyricist from Happy Day Farm (Keedysville, MD): Book & lyrics for POP!— music by Anna K. Jacobs—(Yale Rep, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Studio Theatre DC, etc.) POP! received three Connecticut Critics Circle Awards, seven Helen Hayes Award nominations, and was a Pittsburgh Tribune Top Ten choice of 2012. Other recent: The Map of Lost Things (Hangar Theatre, Ithaca), and with Erato A. Kremmyda, lyrics for Field Trip: A Climate Cabaret (Superhero Clubhouse NYC), Hotel Mediteranee (Between The Seas Festival/ Wild Project), The Way They Live (The Civilians at the Met) and more. Current work: The Gift of the Magi with Jeffrey Hatcher and Andrew Cooke (Arkansas Rep), and Marie in Tomorrowland with Erato A. Kremmyda and Sam Pinkleton, developed through The Civilians R&D Group, The Orchard Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and Catwalk Institute. MK is a 2017 Jonathan Larson grant recipient. MacDowell Fellow 2015, MFA NYU Musical Theatre Writing, BA Ithaca College.

ERATO A. KREMMYDA is a NYC based composer born and raised in Athens, Greece.

Current work: Marie in Tomorrowland (with Maggie-Kate Coleman and Sam Pinkleton) developed at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Catwalk Institute, The Orchard Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and The Civilians R&D Group; and Io (with Laura Tesman) for the International Filippi Festival 2017. Recent: Riot Antigone by Seonjae Kim (La Mama) and with Maggie-Kate Coleman: The Way They Live (The Met/The Civilians); Hotel Mediteranee (Wild Project/ Between The Seas Festival); Field Trip: A Climate Cabaret (Superhero Clubhouse, NYC) and more. Erato is a 2017 Larson Grant winner, a Fulbright Fellow, and an Anna Sosenko Trust grant recipient. Her compositions have been heard at Megaron (Athens), Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova, NYMF, BRIC, HERE, Irondale, Teatro Duo (Rome), Bios (Athens) etc. MFA NYU (Musical Theater Writing, Dean’s scholar), MM NYU (Film Scoring), Athens University, Athens Conservatoire.

The Process Maggie-Kate and Errato started writing the play in September 2017. They came to Idaho in April 2018, and under the direction of Ilana Becker, the musical, named Inside Outside, Upside Down!, was work-shopped and presented for the first time at The Liberty Theatre in Hailey, Idaho. A workshop production is a form of theatrical performance in which a play or musical is staged in a modest form that does not include some aspects of a full production, such as a set. A workshop production of a new play allows the writers to gauge audience reaction and make subsequent adjustments and rewrites. Workshopping the piece in Hailey allowed the writers to incorporate local pollinators and plants, which clearly resonated with the audience and reinforced the theme of the BIG IDEA project.

Inside, Outside, Upside Down!

The Cast ANNABELLE LEWIS lit up the stage as Kimi, a young adventurer on a musical journey through our ecosystem. Annabelle currently attends Wood River High School while appearing in plays and readings throughout the Wood River Valley.

MELODIE TAYLOR-MAULDIN skillfully played four different local pollinators, from the bee determined to teach Kimi a lesson, to a dignified hummingbird, a pragmatic moth and a fanciful butterfly.

A versatile actor, choreographer, director and teacher, Melodie is currently teaching dance and choreographing for companies in Utah and Idaho. Some of her previous work and credits include The Glenn Miller Big Band Show, Comedy Tonight, South Pacific, Oklahoma!, 42nd Street, Quilters, Jacques Brel, The Barber of Seville, Little Women, The King and I and My Fair Lady. Mel is a graduate of Weber State University in Music, Dance and Theater.

Annabelle Lewis Kimi

Melodie Taylor-Mauldin Pollinators

The Audience & Run The Center and Company of Fools offered four student matinees of Inside, Outside, Upside Down! for K–4th grade students (with unique post-show workshops) and two public performances, reaching a total of almost 1,000 students, families and teachers.

STUDENT MATINEES: 768 students, 68 teachers, 35 chaperones PUBLIC PERFORMANCES: 112 attendees

Inside, Outside, Upside Down!

Audience Response I have a newcomer to my classroom straight from Peru. He does not speak any English. He had never been on a school bus or in a theater before. He was absolutely beaming the entire time. When he heard Spanish on stage he couldn't believe that it was possible. I had not heard him attempt to speak in English since coming to our class, but today he was asking how to say words in English so he could answer the questions if given a chance. On the way back he was practicing the words he learned at the show (butterfly, proboscis, tastes great)! What an amazing experience!

—Teacher, Hemingway Elementary

Thank you to everyone who put on the Bee Musical!

What an incredible job you all did! After we left and our students were discussing the show, I overheard one say, ‘That was so cool, and I really learned a lot of stuff too!’ The Wood River Home School Co-op appreciates all you guys do to share the arts with our students!

—Abby Rinella, Wood River Homeschool Co-op

Inside, Outside, Upside, Down! was superb!!! Hope they take it around the country to educate everyone on the importance of bees and other pollinators.

—Jim Reid, Audience Member

THANK YOU To Our Generous Sponsors & Partners Inside, Outside, Upside Down! was generously sponsored by a Springcreek Foundation grant directed by Local Food Alliance, with additional support for student matinees from Michael S. Engl Family Foundation, Joyce B. Friedman, Hailey Rotary, Heart of Gold Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of Hailey and the Wood River Valley and the Papoose Club.

Additional support for the Bees BIG IDEA project came from the Dawson family, who generously supported the Bees visual arts exhibition. In addition, The Center’s Pollinator Pasture is made possible through generous donations of time, materials and expertise from Krekow Jennings Inc., Caroline and Steve Hobbs, Lunceford Excavation, A.C. Houston Lumber, Excel Fabrication and Diamond D Welding.

The Center has partnered with the following individuals and organizations to bring the Bees BIG IDEA project to fruition: Local Food Alliance Five Bee Hives/Tom Harned The Haven Squash Blossom Farm/ Sara Berman Ernest Hemingway STEAM School

The Sage School Wood River Sustainability Center Sawtooth Botanical Garden Idaho Department of Fish and Game Environmental Resource Center

Boulder Mountain Clayworks Native Landscapes Magic Valley Beekeepers Wood River Community YMCA City of Ketchum

Inside, Outside, Upside Down!