2009-10 SEASON

Dates:
Saturdays & Sundays
May 30th - July 11th

Times:
Saturdays @ 3:00pm
Sundays @ 4:30pm

Telephone: 212-633-6629
Email: admin@childrenstheatercompany.org

Reservation & Group Bookings
Audition Appointment
School & Summer Camp Bookings
After School / In-School Residencies
Assembly Performances
Train-the-trainer Workshops
Chapter Training & Production Kits

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MUSICAL TRIPLE-BILL

HENRY "BOX" BROWN - World Premiere !!!
Written by Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
Additional Music & Lyrics by Eric Dozier and Celestina Bradsher Layne
Directed by Mehr Mansuri & Jill Bolstridge

Based on the original narrative, The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia, this World Premiere musical of Henry ‘Box’ Brown, tells the story of a 19th century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom by shipping himself in a dry goods crate to be received by abolitionists in Philadelphia. Surviving the claustrophobic box was the culmination of a life where he watched his mother, father, siblings, and finally his wife and children be taken from him. With a score which incorporates gospel, R&B and gently infused with traditional musical theater and a hint of old fashioned rap (the Gossip Song), Henry Box Brown is an inspiring message about the power of the community and the strength of the human spirit. The true ensemble piece is enforced by stirring and soulful African American Spirituals, where, as the show’s creators, like to say- “Les Miz meets soul”.

BLOSSOM THE POSSUM & TYSON THE BISON
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by Lory Lazarus
Piano Arrangements by Frank Sanchez
Directed by Jill Bolstridge

Inspired by the biblical passage, the judgment of Solomon, this courtroom musical begins with Blossom the Possum, a Las Vegas show girl who wants to go on a Puerto Rican Cruise Ship. She rolls up to Compadre who tips her off on Tyson the Bison as a good candidate to take care of her newborn possum. Months pass and Blossom doesn't return as promised until Tyson and the baby Possum become famous on the local news. Wanting to cash-in on the loot, Blossom returns to town- reclaiming her child. Judge Sal Solomon tests the two parents by suggesting that whoever pulls hardest on the baby’s arms can take it. When the 'real parent' refuses to pull, Judge Sal knows who the true parent is.


FARMER RABBIT'S FIESTA
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by: Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
Directed by: Nellie Vishnevsky


On a cold, blustery day, Roscoe Rabbit hops down the path to Farmer Haystack's vegetable patch where he collects all the potatoes, corn, turnips, carrots, apples, and berries that Farmer Haystack left behind. Roscoe Rabbit was very content as he filled every corner of his burrow with food for the winter. Later, as he sat outside eating his turnip, his neighbors passed by; Billy Chipmunk, Molly Mouse. Tina Chickadee and Rusty Robin, each hungry and shivering with cold because they could find no food for the winter. How can Farmer Rabbit show compassion to his neighbors? In this story Roscoe Rabbit prepares a big feast / fiesta and invites all his neighbors and friends.

CTC Staff & Crew

Founder & Artistic Director:	Mehr Mansuri
Co-Artistic Director:	Jill Bolstridge
Associate Directors:	Celestina Bradsher-Layne, Nellie Vishnevsky
Choral Directors:	Kim & Michael Harley, Carmela Sinco
Choreographers:	Alison Courter, Nathalie Dispange
Composers:	Eric Dozier, Lory Lazarus, Frank Sanchez
Communications Director:	Desi K. Robinson
Costume Designer:	Denise Maroney, Susan Soetart
Set Designer:	Denise Camporeale, Andreea Mincic, Martin Miotk
Development Directors:	Kate Digby, Rebecca Myles
Education Consultants:	Belinda Chiu, Neda Neyestani
Ethics/Character Education:	Ladan Behrouz, Stephanie Gilbert, Hoda Hosseini, Candace Majedi, Anissa Moenni, Riaz Parisiani, Jessica Turner, Monette van Lith, Denali Weiler, Pat, Susan
Legal Counsel:	Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Stage Manager:	La Toya Mason
Production Stage Manager:	Diana Sheivpresad
Speech & Diction:	Ethan Baum, Megan Larche
Video & Photography:	Ramin Talaie, Mashid Mohadjerin, Bill Aristovulos
Video Editors:	Alan Abrams, Roja Mirzadeh, Gil Muro Sr., Charlie Kirby
Website & Graphics:	Azita Shahidi (Tuti Design), Ridvan Foxhall
Board of Directors:	Aref Amanat, Leda Duif, Karida Griffith, Jack Lenz, Mehr Mansuri, Nuvyn Peters, Desi Robinson, Reja Sabet, Hamid Samandari, Eugene Zee
Chapter Coordinators:	Anna De La Cruz (Los Angeles, CA), Ridvan Foxhall (Peekskill, NY), Suzan Kalantar (Chapel Hill, NC), Harminder Kaur (Rockville, MD), Margie Maher (Providence, RI), Robert McLaughlin (IFC, Wash., DC), Soma Stout (Boston, MA), Bushra Vahdat (Long Island, NY)
Electronic Marketing:	Allynne Perkins
Vocal Coaching / Tutorial Album Vocal Artists	Eymard Cabling, Debralee Daco, Michael Harley, Kim Harley, Loresa Lacenta, Jeremy Michael, Camille Newman, Karen Paulemon, Veronica Reyes, Adam Shapiro, Aaron Thompson

 

CTC MUSICAL & PLAY CATALOGUE

MUSICAL REPERTOIRE

BATTLE OF NORWOOD & NORWICH
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by Lory Lazarus
Piano Arrangements by Frank Sanchez
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

Torn apart for generations, Mattias and Matilda were from two different families of two neighboring towns of Norwood and Norwich. Destiny brought them together on a mountaintop above the Wall of Separation, built over 100 years of unforgiven hate. Matilda did not know why they were in a war with Norwood Town, but she knew the first rule of her village was this: Never let them know you’re coming. Be silent and swift. She knew what her job was. Scout the area. Kill anyone who got in her way. This was a war, and her village took no prisoners. Fate, however, saw it fit to give the twin towns another chance.

BLOSSOM THE POSSUM & TYSON THE BISON
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by Lory Lazarus
Piano Arrangements by Frank Sanchez
Directed by Jill Bolstridge
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

Inspired by the biblical passage, the judgment of Solomon, this courtroom musical begins with Blossom the Possum who wantsto be a Las Vegas showgirl so she begs Tyson the Bison to take care of her newborn possum so she can go on a Puerto Rican cruise ship as a showgirl. Months pass and Blossom doesn't return as promised until Tyson and the baby Possum become famous on the local news. Wanting to cash-in on the loot, Blossom returns to town- reclaiming her child. Judge Sal tests the two parents by suggesting that whoever pulls hardest on the baby’s arms can take it. When the 'real parent' refuses to pull, Judge Sal knows who the true parent is.

HENRY "BOX" BROWN - World Premiere !!!
Written by Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
Additional Music & Lyrics by Eric Dozier and Celestina Bradsher Layne
Directed by Mehr Mansuri & Jill Bolstridge
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

Based on the original narrative, The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia, this World Premiere musical of Henry ‘Box’ Brown, tells the story of a 19th century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom by shipping himself in a dry goods crate to be received by abolitionists in Philadelphia. Surviving the claustrophobic box was the culmination of a life where he watched his mother, father, siblings, and finally his wife and children be taken from him. With a score which incorporates gospel, R&B and gently infused with traditional musical theater and a hint of old fashioned rap (the Gossip Song), Henry Box Brown is an inspiring message about the power of the community and the strength of the human spirit. The true ensemble piece is enforced by stirring and soulful African American Spirituals, where, as the show’s creators, like to say- “Les Miz meets soul”.

KING KUNKA BUNKA & HIS ROTTEN ROYAL RASCALS
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by: Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
Additional Music & Lyrics by: Lory Lazarus
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

An original musical in rap with rousing Russian-style music and dance --this is the story of the land of Kunka Bunka which is ruled by a kind and benevolent King, who is consumed with worry as he discovers that none of his rotten royal rascal children are suited to govern the land. There are the three Princess sisters, Proudeska, Jealousina and Chatterina and their Prince brothers, Rudekov, Slackoff, and Coughkof - the sickly one, with the glum disposition. To discover which child might be best as royal heir, the King asks each of his children to wear the magical 'see-through spectacles' that allows them to see 'inside themselves'. As none of the rotten royal rascals are fit to fill royal shoes, the despondent King banishes his children from the palace assigned to work as common citizens, until they have learned the secret to happiness.



MISS SPIDER'S TEA PARTY
Adaptation by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by: Lory Lazarus
Additional Music & Lyrics by: Mehr Mansuri
Inspired by Original Story by David Kirk

Miss Spider is shunned, despite the fact that she was so nice. All the bugs were afraid because of who they thought she was. But when a wet moth seeks her shelter, he sees her for who she really is. When Miss Spider proves herself a friend, all the other insects come back to play. Miss Spider's Tea Party brings home the notion that what we see on the outside isn't always what is in the inside. Therefore, we should give everyone a chance to be our friend. This musical adaptation by Lory Lazarus perfectly illustrates the colorful bugs beginning with the sweet and melancholy song of Miss Spider's lonely days to colorful numbers such as "Bumble Bee Buzz Band" and the "Six Legged Side Walker" -- all with a lively 6 person band!

MONEYBAGS AND THE MAGIC ROOT EXTRACT
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by Lory Lazarus
Piano Arrangements by Frank Sanchez
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

Enchanted by the beauty of a rare and powerful ‘root extract’ found in the Amazon jungle, Caliban (aka Moneybags), a wall-street millionaire, boasts about a cure-all household cleanser drawn from the exotic plant.  When the plant starts to diminish, the insatiable villain starts to mow down the entire Amazon Forest in search of one more petal or leaf. He doesn’t cease his search until he has mowed down or blown up every crack and crevice of the forest. Before he knows it, he has contaminated the water, the air and removed the food source for the entire habitat. With the growing demand for the multi-purpose concoction, Caliban starts to sell bogus bottles to his investors and friends until they are on to his scheme.  A darkly funny musical about the ecological footprint measuring the human demand on the earth’s ecosystem and which speaks to the dark-side of free enterprise at its most depraved state.

PROVIDENCE: The Story of Roger Williams
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by: Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

Told in the voice of Roger Williams' young daughter, Mary, who witnesses the court case in Boston where her father is accused of standing up for preaching for religious freedom and against the Europeans' right to Indian land. In perhaps the most dramatic period of American history, and opening with a dramatic court hearing, Providence tells the story of Roger Williams who was driven from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 to expulsion into the wilderness, where he survives with the help of his Narraganset Indian friends and goes on to found the settlement of Providence, Rhode Island. Providence tells the story of a man's integrity, conviction and belief in human rights and diversity in all forms, race, ethnicity as well as religion.

STONE SOUP
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by: Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

Once upon a time, somewhere in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which people jealously hoarded whatever food they could find, hiding it even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering group of gypsies came marching down the road towards the village asking to stay for the night. The townspeople seeing them coming, suddenly became very busy, for gypsies are often hungry. So all the food washidden under mattresses or in barns. There followed a battle of wits, with the gypsies equal to the occasion. Stone soup? Why, of course, they could make a wonderful soup of stones...but, of course, one must add a carrot or cabbage...some meat and so it went. The very next day, the gypsies continued their journey, leaving the little town and its people behind. But the villagers never forgot them, NOR the lesson they had learned.In fact, during the hardest of times, in such a time as this tale, that little village thrived, because the townsfolk never forgot how to make "stone soup"

Ugly Duckling
Music & Lyrics by: Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
Adaptation by: Mehr Mansuri
Based on Original Story by: Hans Christian Andersen
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal &
Instrumental CD)

A mother duck hatches her egg and while most of her ducklings are 'normal', one is grey, too large and too clumsy to fit in among the others. Though she tries to help the other animals of barnyard accept the 'ugly duckling', they can't see past the outer appearance or how different the duckling is. Blending the old with the new, contemporary characters depicting kids with disabilities, those who have been discriminated against, or those who simply seek kindness are introduced into this heart-warming story of the search for love and a place in the world.

Wayward Knight
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Music & Lyrics by: Frank Sanchez & Mehr Mansuri
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

This is the tale of a brave knight who sets out one day to serve his King. "Will you be slaying fire-breathing dragons and saving beautiful maidens?" asks his squire. "If the King commands me," he replies. "I will not be an errant knight, wandering about seeking adventure." But as he rides toward the castle, frightened travelers seek the knight's aid and protection. Though he resists, something inside will not allow him to refuse. He presses on, but his mission is delayed again and again as the knight stops to help those in need. Has he been loyal to the King by following his heart, or has he been an errant knight after all? Has the King's Knight been loyal to the King by following his heart, or has he been a wayward knight after all?

FREEDOM SONG: Youth Can Move the World
Written by: Mehr Mansuri
Dramaturgy & Research: Eric Dozier & Mehr Mansuri
Music Directors: Eric Dozier, Kim & Michael Harley
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

Civil Rights through Sit-ins, Slogans, and Song
Wyatt Tee Walker: "I don't think any white person can really understand what it is to be a Negro in America."
Martin Luther King, Jr.: "There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights."
Laurie Pritchett: "We didn't want to be forced into doing something, which is one sense what it was. We were intimidated, we were threatened."
Today we will travel to many communities and relive the voices of the peoples' songs and their stories, testimonies and mass meetings. We're hear to tell you the story of the youth, the children as well as an impressionistic history of the civil rights movement from Montgomery through Nashville, Albany, Birmingham and Mississippi- while tracing the development and spread of the freedom repertoire.

RESCUE ME: A Musical History of Women
Based on the book RESPECT by Dorothy Marcic
Adapted by: Mehr Mansuri
Music Editing by: Eric Dozier & Jack Lenz
MUSICAL & CURRICULUM KIT (available with Vocal & Instrumental CD)

For more than the first half of the last century, the voice of women in Top-40 popular music has been one of neediness and dependency. "I'll do anything for you; just be my baby-even if you're no good and treat me bad- just LOVE me and I'll stand by my man; " to landmark songs, like "I will survive" …R.E.S.P.E.C.T is the musical evolution of women in songs tracking the Top 40 from 1900 to modern day.

Building Character Onstage
Youth Animator & Children's Classes & Gallery

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Weekly character education workshops will engage children and youth in discussion, service projects, spiritual and personal reflection and visual arts projects.

From essays to puppets & marionettes to clay, plaster statues and sculptures, each child and youth will produce a final project that embodies the themes of their play.

Weekly Honor Devotional Circle
Cast and Crew participate in a weekly devotional 'honor circle' to highlight and encourage one another's qualities of moral and ethical leadership.

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Reservation & Group Bookings
Audition Appointment
School & Summer Camp Bookings
After School / In-School Residencies
Assembly Performances
Train-the-trainer Workshops
Chapter Training & Production Kits


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