The Theatre Magazine By and For Teens
PLAY BY PLAY
ONCE What have YOU
always wanted to do?
PETER AND THE
STARCATCHER
You Know Peter Pan? Think again...
NEWSIES
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
SUMMER FESTIVAL GUIDE
Free and cheap theatre around town all summer long VOL. 16 | ISSUE 4 | SUMMER 2012
pxp.tdf.org
Summertime, and the living is easy. Think you know where the lyric comes from? Tell us. Name that play at www.tdf.com/pxp
Scan to answer.
PLAY BY PLAY PxP is a quarterly theatre magazine published by Theatre Development Fund Editor Julia Rosenfeld Associate Editor Patrick Berger Assistant Editor Sabrina Khan Teacher Guide Creator Ginger B. Meagher Layout and Design Matthew Davis Theatre Development Fund Executive Director Victoria Bailey Managing Director Michael Nauman Director of Education Daniel Renner Director of Web Services Doug Smith If you have any questions or would like to request additional copies of this issue, please contact PxP at: PxP, TDF, 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018-6507, (212) 912-9770, playbyplay@tdf.org, www.tdf.org/pxp Theatre Development Fund (TDF) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of professional theatre, music and dance productions of merit. TDF makes the performing arts affordable through TKTS, the half-price ticket booths, and many other programs. You can join TDF’s mailing list for a $30 annual fee to receive discount ticket offerings online and through the mail. To join, visit www.tdf.org/application. PxP is made possible in part by the generous support of Con Edison and the Xerox Corporation. Additional funding from The Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., The Hecksher Foundation for Children, and SONY Corporation of America. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and The New York State Council for the Arts. Photo Credits: Joan Marcus: Once, Peter and the Starcatcher; Deen van Meer: Newsies.
The tony awards are coming!
All three plays featured in this issue have been nominated for several Tonys! Root for your favorites and find out who wins on June 10th.
tkts
®
TO GO:
You can get instant updates on what’s available at the tkts booths! Available for iPhone and Android.
Don’t forget theatre this summer!
TDF’s three TKTS booths are open all summer long with discount tickets for all of the shows you want to see. Check out the back page for more info.
The Main TKTS Booth on 47th and Broadway
2
Peter
anD the
starcatcher
“
#magic #fairytale #neverland #starstuff #firstlove #growingup Olivia Munk, 12th Grade, Bronx Science High School Oumar Berte, 11th Grade, International Community High School Serra Akkyuz, 11th Grade, Staten Island Academy Olivia: Peter and the Starcatcher rewinds J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan many years to tell how Peter Pan and his Lost Boys end up in Neverland. Oumar: The story follows a miserable orphan, later named Peter Pan, and his friend Molly on a mission to guard magical starstuff. Serra: Molly is an independent girl who teaches Peter how to love, care and to be brave. Olivia: While Peter and Molly try to prevent the starstuff from getting into the wrong hands (the evil Black Stache and a mollusk king), Peter becomes exposed to the starstuff and develops special powers—such as the ability to fly and stay young forever.
I was never worried about growing up, and I wasn’t afraid of it. I’ve always been somebody—both to my detriment and to positive effects—that is pretty easily engaged in the moment. Even as a kid, I didn’t have very much anxiety about the future, and I remember at a young age having people say I was an “old soul.” So the idea of growing up, to me, never felt like something I was waiting for. And at least as a kid, I wanted to be perceived as older than I was. – Celia Keenan-Bolger (Molly) Playwright Rick Elice tells us:
Serra: Peter represents the inner child through his transition from an insecure and lonely kid to the hero that we are familiar with.
Serra: Peter and the Starcatcher reminds teenagers that we don’t have to try to grow up so quickly.
47TH ST
42ND ST
TIMES SQUARE
6TH AVE
52ND ST
BROADWAY 7TH AVE
Olivia: I love the message that everyone, whether they are flying boys or evil Staches, has a backstory filled with people who helped them get to be who they are today.
Read more at www.tdf.org/pxp
8TH AVE
Oumar: The play is hilarious–and by hilarious I mean hysterical– but it also shows a Peter Pan that I never knew. We think of Peter as a carefree boy who will never grow up, but this play made me feel bad for him. Maybe it’s good to be able to grow up, to be able to get out of Neverland and discover the rest of the world. Superheroes don’t necessarily have a super life.
TICKETs:
$27 lottery rush tickets Enter 2 hours before the performance; drawing takes place 30 minutes later. Brooks Atkinson Theater, 256 W. 47th St. www.peterandthestarcatcher.com
3
Once #chance #music #love #family #home #nameless #desire
Argent Alija, Karina Chamorro, Sabrina Dominique, Ledia Gjoka, Erin Relos & Anthony Tsouristakis Academy of American Studies
Argent: Once is about chances and something that happens out of complete odds.
Sabrina: They don’t have names because names complicate things.
Erin: It’s about that once in a lifetime moment. Even if it only lasts for a short time, it leaves a lasting impact.
Erin: It allows the audience to be creative and imaginative – we can take the characters where we feel they should go.
Ledia: A guy and a girl meet on the street and fall in love while making music.
Argent: My favorite part is when the guy and the girl are playing music in the same scene, but don’t make any contact.
Karina: We see how they get to know each other and connect through their love of music. Erin: They struggle with their feelings for each other while they are faced with many obstacles. Anthony: The guy is full of potential, but lacks hope. The girl is spunky and outgoing, but is confused about what she wants.
Karina: Teenagers would like this show because it shows us to pursue our dreams. Sabrina: Music makes the story move along and the music imitates life. Ledia: It’s funny and true. It leaves us wanting more.
Anne Nathan, Will Connolly, Cristin Milioti, Elizabeth Davis & Lucas Papaelias
tickets:
45TH ST
42ND ST
TIMES SQUARE
6TH AVE
8TH AVE
52ND ST
BROADWAY 7TH AVE
$26.50 general rush sold for that day’s performance when the box office opens. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St. www.oncethemusical.com
We asked Once actors Will Connolly, Elizabeth Davis, Lucas Papaelias and Erikka Walsh what Once means to them: Will: Once is about two people who are in the process of letting go – of fear, of heartbreak, of doubt, of expectation, of self-hatred. And their vehicle for achieving this goal is their music, but more importantly, it’s the shared love that goes into playing that music. Erikka: It’s about community, survival, and celebrating humanity through the power of music. Lucas: Once is about love winning out over fear. The love that the Guy and the Girl discover for each other, through making music, is what enables the Guy to face his fear of moving forward in his life (and his music), and enables the Girl to see that she still has love to give. And what would they like to do ONCE? Elizabeth: If I could do something once, I would be somebody else for a day—or race down the Autobahn in a souped-up hot rod.
From Students: Just once I want to… Perform on Broadway Fly a plane Write a song Hitchhike Sit in the front row at a play Skydive Star in my own show Inspire someone What would YOU like to do ONCE? Tell us at www.tdf.org/pxp
Erikka: Sail around the Mediterranean. Will: Just once, I would like to go to an airport with no destination in mind, buy a ticket, and live like a gypsy for several months.
“
Once is about love winning out over fear
5
NEWSIES
12th Grade, Hunter College High School
6
Theresa Reed
11th Grade, Curtis High School
Tickets:
52ND ST
46TH ST
TIMES SQUARE 41ST ST
6TH AVE
$30 lottery rush tickets Enter your name 2½ hours before the performance, drawing 30 minutes later. Nederlander Theatre, 208 W. 41st St. www.newsiesthemusical.com 7TH AVE
Newsies the Musical is a story dreams, determination, and love. Set in New York City in 1899, we meet Jack Kelly. To some he may be an escaped convict, but to others, he is a charismatic young man who dreams big. Jack is a newsie and must hawk newspapers all over town in order to make a living. Jack and the other newsies are a close-knit group, and their bond is clear when they unite to protest an unfair change in their working conditions. With a bit of outside help (and a little flirting), Jack and the newsies stage a strike and seize the day! Though Newsies takes place many years ago, many themes are still relevant today; such as unions, strikes, protests, and fighting for worker rights. The musical also shows how willpower and courage are necessary to make change happen.
WAY
Ben Wolfson
of
BROAD
Ever since I saw Newsies the movie, I have been in search of the perfect newsie hat. I have gone to upwards of twenty stores asking for “a newsie hat, the type hooligans my age used to wear in the early 1900’s.” The shopkeepers usually smile and start rifling through their collection of fedoras, baseball hats and occasionally top hats to locate my newsie cap. So far, they have had little success. It is either too thick, too thin, off color, or without a protruding brim. When I went to see Newsies the Musical, I was looking forward to seeing my favorite movie in musical form. It proved to be a wonderful adaptation with extra song lyrics, enthralling dancing, and a glamorous ending. On my way out, I was delighted to see newsie hats on sale. They were overpriced, but I bought one anyway. I am now ready to protest injustice.
THE MUSICAL
8TH AVE
#protest #kids #newspaper #strike #power #nyc #occupy
SUMMER festival guide You don’t have to go far this summer to find a summer festival featuring something that will catch your interest. Theatre? Dance? Outside in the sunshine? Yes, yes and yes. Many are even free! See you there.
#theatre 15-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL 5/23 thru 6/7 $18 • Celebrates short, well-crafted plays. American Globe Theatre, 145 W. 46 St. www.15minuteplayfestival.org
soloNOVA Arts Festival 5/29 thru 6/17 $20 • Premier festival for solo performers in NYC New Ohio Theatre, 154 Christopher St. www.terranovacollective.org/soloartsfestival.php
#theatre #music #dance
CLUBBED THUMB SUMMERWORKS 5/26 thru 6/30 • Three new plays by new writers. HERE Arts, 145 6 Ave. www.clubbedthumb.org
NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 7/9 thru 7/29 • $20 • New musicals! Various Locations, check online: www.nymf.org
DEMOCRACY THEATER FESTIVAL 5/31 thru 7/1 $15 • Theatre inspired by the coming election. The Brick Theater, 575 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn www.bricktheater.com
PLANET CONNECTIONS THEATRE FESTIVITY 5/30 thru 6/24 • $18 Eco-friendly, socially conscious theatre festival. Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St. www.planetconnections.org
GALLERY PLAYERS 15th Annual Black Box New Play Festival 5/31 thru 6/24 • Students $14 The Gallery Players, 119 14 St., Brooklyn www.galleryplayers.com GAME PLAY 2012 7/6 thru 7/28 $15 • Video game inspired performances. The Brick Theater, 576 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn. www.bricktheater.com THE ICE FACTORY 6/27 thru 8/4 Students $12 • Festival of new work. New Ohio Theatre, 154 Christopher St. www.sohothinktank.org NEW PLAYS FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES 6/9 thru 6/24 • FREE Readings of new plays for young audiences. Black Box Theatre, Pless Hall, 82 Washington Sq. E. www.steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/edtheatre SAMUEL FRENCH OFF OFF BROADWAY short PLAY FESTIVAL 10/23 thru 10/28 • $18 Beckett Theatre, Theatre Row, 410 W. 42 St. oob.samuelfrench.com THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL 8/3 thru 8/18 • $37 • A play competition. The audience judges. Theatre at St. Clements, 423 W. 46 St. www.therianttheatre.com
#outside #theatre #music #dance BoCoCa ARTS FESTIVAL 6/22 thru 6/30 FREE • 10 days of music, theater, visual and performing arts in BoCoCa. www.bococaartsfestival.com DAC - ART UNDER THE BRIDGE FESIVAL 9/28 thru 9/30 • FREE • Three days of art. DUMBO, Brooklyn, btwn Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. www.dumboartsfestival.com LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 7/5 thru 8/5 Prices vary • Theater, music, dance and opera from around the world. Various locations, check online: www.lincolncenterfestival.org
MIDTOWN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 7/16 thru 8/12 • Students $15 Celebration of new works; plays, musicals, dance. Various locations, check online: www.midtownfestival.org
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL 8/10 thru 8/26 • $15 or FREE for volunteers Multi-arts festival throughout NYC, even outside. Various locations, check online: www.fringenyc.org
TORCH MUSIC FEST 2011 ONE DAY 6/8 6:30pm $5 advance, $10 at the door Talent competition for NYC high school students. Kaye Play House, Hunter College, 695 Park Ave. www.torchmusicfest.org
RIVERtoRIVER Festival 6/17 thru 7/15 Prices vary • Manhattan’s festival of arts and events. Various locations, check online: www.rivertorivernyc.com
#outside #theatre NEW YORK CLASSICAL THEATRE 5/29 thru 7/22 FREE • Twelfth Night (Shakespeare) rehearsals, workshops and performances open to public. Central Park West at 103 Street; Battery Park www.newyorkclassical.org
SUMMERSTAGE - MAINSTAGE and CITYWIDE June thru August • FREE • Performing arts festival in Central Park (Mainstage) and other NYC parks. Central Park’s Ramsey Playfield, Enter at W. 72 St. or E. 69 St. other locations check online: www.summerstage.org
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK 6/5 thru 6/30 FREE • As You Like It • Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Enter at W. 81 St. or E. 79 St. www.publictheater.org
CELEBRATE BROOKLYN 5/5 thru the fall Most shows FREE • Music, dance, film, and spoken word. Prospect Park Bandshell, Prospect Park at 9 St. www.bricartsmedia.org/events
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK 7/23 thru 8/25 FREE • Into The Woods Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Enter at W. 81 St. or E. 79 St. www.publictheater.org
RED HOOK FEST 6/1 thru 6/2 FREE • Outdoor arts festival on the waterfront in Red Hook. Red Hook Waterfront at PS 15 and Louis J. Valentine Jr. Park, Brooklyn www.redhookfest.com
You can see and create art
all summer
long!
7
find Discounted THEATRE TICKETS!
KEY: SR: Student Rush GR: General Rush LR: Lottery
Broadway
Anything Goes • $30 GR • Sondheim Theatre 124 W. 43 St. www.anythinggoesonbroadway.com The Best Man • $31.50 SR • Schoenfeld Theatre 236 W. 45 St. www.thebestmanonbroadway.com The Book of Mormon • $31.50 LR • O’Neill Theatre 230 W. 49 St. www.bookofmormonbroadway.com Chicago • $36.50 GR • Ambassador Theatre 219 W. 49th St. www.chicagothemusical.com The Columnist • $27 SR • Friedman Theatre 261 W. 47 St. www.mtc-nyc.com Clybourne Park • $30 GR • Walter Kerr Theatre 219 W. 48 St. www.clybournepark.com Death of a Salesman • $30 GR • Barrymore Theatre 243 W. 47 St. www.deathofasalesmanbroadway.com Don’t Dress for Dinner • $30 GR • American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42 St. www.roundabouttheatre.com End of the Rainbow • $31.50 GR • Belasco Theatre 111 W. 44 St. www.endoftherainbow.com Evita • $38 SR • The Marquis Theatre 1535 B’way www.evitaonbroadway.com The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess • $37 SR Richard Rogers Theatre, 226 W. 46 St. www.porgyandbessonbroadway.com Ghost • $25 LR • Lunt-Fontanne Theatre 205 W. 46 St. www.ghostonbroadway.com Godspell • $30 LR • Circle in the Square Theatre 1633 B’way @ 50 St. www.godspell.com How to Succeed • $30 GR • Hirschfeld Theatre 302 W. 45 St. www.howtosucceedbroadway.com Jersey Boys • $27 SR •August Wilson Theatre 245 W. 52 St. www.jerseyboysinfo.com Jesus Christ Superstar • $27 SR • Neil Simon Theatre 250 W. 52 St. www.superstaronbroadway.com The Lyons • $26.50 SR • Cort Theatre 138 W. 48 St. www.thelyonsbroadway.com Mamma Mia • $31.50 SR • Winter Garden Theatre, 1634 B’way www.mamma-mia.com Mary Poppins • $32 SR • New Amsterdam Theatre 214 W. 42 St. www.marypoppins.com Memphis • $26.50 SR • Shubert Theatre 225 W. 44 St. www.memphisthemusical.com Nice Work If You Can Get It • $36.50 SR • Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45 St. www.niceworkonbroadway.com Newsies • $30 LR • Nederlander Theatre 208 W. 41 St. www.newsiesthemusical.com Once • $26.50 GR • Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre 242 W. 45 St. www.oncemusical.com Other Desert Cities • $31.50 SR • Booth Theatre 222 W. 45 St. www.lct.org Peter and the Starcatcher • $27 LR • Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 W. 47 St. www.peterandthestarcatcher.com The Phantom of the Opera • $26.25 tix • Majestic Theatre 247 W. 44 St. www.thephantomoftheopera.com Priscilla Queen of the Desert• $40 LR • Palace Theatre 1564 B’way www.priscillaonbroadway.com Rock of Ages • $27 SR • Helen Hayes Theatre 240 W. 44 St. www.rockofagesmusical.com Sister Act • $26.50 GR • Broadway Theatre 1681 B’way www.sisteractbroadway.com Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark • $39 GR • Foxwoods Theatre, 213 W. 42 St. www.spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com A Streetcar Named Desire • $29.50 SR • Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44 St. www.streetcaronbroadway.com Venus in Fur • $33 tix • Lyceum Theatre 149 W. 45 St. www.venusinfurbroadway.com War Horse • $30 SR •Lincoln Center Theater – Vivian Beaumont, 150 W. 65 St. www.warhorseonbroadway.com Wicked • $26.50 LR • Gershwin Theatre 222 W. 51 St. www.wickedthemusical.com
YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN TDF AS A FULL TIME STUDENT Once a member, you can purchase tickets online for less than $37 a ticket. There is an annual fee of $30. Join at www.tdf.org/application or call 212-912-9770
Off Broadway
4000 MILES thru 7/9 • $20 SR • Lincoln Center Theatre Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 130 W. 63 St. www.lct.org Avenue Q • $26.50 GR • The New Group at New World Stages, 340 W. 50 St. www.avenueq.com Blue Man Group • $29 SR (except Fri.Sat night) Astor Place Theatre, 434 Lafayette St. www.blueman.com Food and Fadwa thru 6/24 • $25 SR New York Theatre Workshop, 79 E 4 St. www. nytw.org Fuerzabruta • $25 GR • Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 E. 15 St. www.fuerzabrutanyc.com Medieval Play thru 6/24 • $25 tix • Signature Center Diamond Theatre, 480 W. 42 St. www.signaturetheatre.org Million Dollar Quartet • $25.50 GR • New World Stages 340 W. 50 St. www.newworldstages.com My Children, My Africa! thru 6/10 • $25 tix Signature Center – Linney Theatre, 480 W. 42 St. www.signaturetheatre.org Rapture, Blister, Burn thru 6/24 • $15 SR Playwrights Horizons – Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 W. 42 St. www.playwrightshorizons.org Sistas: The Muscical thru 7/29 • $29.50 SR St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 Lafayette www.publictheater.org Store Front Church thru 6/24 • $10 SR Atlantic Theater Company, The Linda Gross Theater 336 W. 20 St. www.atlantictheater.org Traces • $26.50 GR • Union Square Theatre,100 E. 17 St. www.tracesusa.com Tribes thru 9/2 • $20 SR • Barrow Street Theatre 27 Barrow St. www.barrowstreettheatre.com
TIPS AND TERMS • Bring cash, it may be the only way to pay. • Bring your student ID to every Student Rush. • Tickets are subject to availability.
RUSH: Tickets sold last-minute at the theatre box office. Lines for rush tickets often start early! LOTTERY: Tickets set aside for each performance that are sold to the lucky few that win a raffle. Arrive at the box office before the lottery and enter your name. If your slip is drawn, you get tickets! Keep in mind that some shows have very popular lotteries and weekends are always busier than the weekdays.
ThetdfConnection:
Discount tickets at the tkts booths and thru tdf membership In addition to bringing you PxP, the Theatre Development Fund ticket programs offer great discounts to New York’s hottest shows.
The main TKTS booth is located at Duffy Square, on 47th and Broadway. Tickets for same-day evening performances are available 3pm-8pm Monday thru Saturday, and 3pm-7pm on Sunday. Tickets for same-day matinee performances are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays 10am–2pm, and 11am–3pm on Sundays. The South Street Seaport TKTS booth is located at the corner of Front and John Streets. Tickets available for same-day evening and next day matinee performances. It is open Monday-Saturday 11am–6pm, Sundays 11am–4pm. The Downtown Brooklyn TKTS booth is located at the corner of Jay and Myrtle Streets. Tickets available for same-day evening and next day matinee performances. It is open Tuesday thru Saturday 11am–6pm.