Adirondack Fest Stages Melissa James Gibson's New Play, All Is Not
By Kenneth Jones
10 Apr 2006
Adirondack Theatre Festival in upstate Glens Falls, NY, will produce the commissioned world premiere of All Is Not by [sic] playwright Melissa James Gibson.
Also on the 2006 slate is the hip-hop musical Bomb-Itty of Errors, Caryl Churchill's A Number and a reading of Bad Cat, a new work-in-progress by Leslie Ayvazian, directed by Blair Brown.
The ATF season plays at the Charles Wood Theater, a former five and dime, June 21–July 29.
All Is Not (June 21-July 1) is a seven-character play by OBIE winner Gibson. Her work was previously seen on ATF's stage as part of "The Five & Dime Plays," an evening of short plays produced in 2000. All Is Not was seen as a work-in-progress reading in 2005, when its title was Lost.
"Those who remember Melissa's short play which was the culmination of 'The Five & Dime Plays' at ATF know that she has one of the most unique voices writing for the theatre today," artistic director Martha Banta, who will direct All Is Not, said in a statement. "Her plays [sic], Suitcase and Brooklyn Bridge have all had productions at prominent theatres around the country, and ATF is thrilled to have been able to commission and produce this work."
All Is Not "intertwines the story of a woman at a dry cleaner, a couple on their front porch, a man in front of his mirror, and a 10-year-old boy, all of whom have lost something trivial, or something important.
The cast will include Mark Setlock, an ATF veteran.
Bomb-Itty of Errors is a new pop/hip-hop version of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.
"I saw Bomb-Itty when it was Off-Broadway and thought it had energy and humor which was spectacular," said ATF artistic director Banta, "and I think that since hip-hop has become such a huge force in our pop culture it's great fun to explore its use in theatre. And it has become as much a method of storytelling in our culture as rhymed verse was in the time Shakespeare was writing — it's really a great match."
Bomb-Itty will be directed by Nick Corley and will run July 5–15.
The season will end with British playwright Churchill's drama about cloning and parenting, A Number, directed by Sturgis Warner, July 19-29.
Leslie Ayvazian's black comedy Bad Cat will be seen in a two night work-in-progress presentation. She previously appeared at ATF in her solo show High Dive in 2005.
The new work "is about a suburban couple who turn their traditional roles upside down in an experiment of power and sex." Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Blair Brown will direct.
ATF's producing director is David Turner. This will be The Adirondack Theatre Festival's 12th season.
For information, visit www.ATFestival.org.
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