READY, SET,STORY!

Ready, Set, Story opened October 10th and we're all so incredibly excited!

I have always loved mythology. As a kid, I spent hours poring over stories of enchanted animals, bickering gods and goddesses, and brave heroes (and heroines!) on impossible quests. My favorites were the clever tricksters who didn't look like much, but always managed to outsmart even the scariest monsters. These tales were epic yet familiar, magical yet human, ancient yet totally alive, and I couldn’t get enough of them.

With Ready, Set, Story! I set out to recapture the sense of wonder and excitement that I always got from my favorite myths, as well as their incredible imaginative power. These stories have been around for centuries but they never get old, and I wanted to invite audiences of all ages to explore their fantastical worlds with me.

The process of bringing this play to life has been more fun than I can say, thanks to the brilliance of the cast and production team. Spending the last month with these “actors at play” has been a joy for me, and I am sure you will enjoy their company as much as I do. So, as Anansi the Spider says, “Ready, Set... Story!”

 

-Rose Ginsberg, Director of Ready, Set, Story!

Ready, Set, Story! runs this Saturday, October 10 through November 22. Performances are every Saturday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and every Sunday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

News from Justine Lambert & The Looking Glass Theatre!

WELL... Our fall season is upon us! Everyone always says that summer flies by, but when you’re producing three plays and a festival, it really zooms!

Ask Someone Else, God is happening now - in fact, it opens tomorrow (9/9/09)! I’m so excited by this show. The texture of the project is just what I love: deep emotion mixed with complex theatricality. Read more thoughts on this project and subject on our blog at http://lookingglasstheatre.blogspot.com/.

We also have a fun new children’s show coming up: Ready, Set, Story! How Katie Saved the Sneaky Spider’s Tales. You wouldn’t believe how much discussion went into that title!

In fact, titles have been a big issue this season. A lot of people were a bit scared of the Ask Someone Else, God choice. Many suggested changes, all of which included removing the word “God.” Yes, I admit I am a bit afraid to alienate people with that one word. But God is universal, whatever you call her, and so is this play. It’s based on a bible story and tells us about modern pain, through surreal comedy. What could be better? Check out photos at http://www.facebook.com/TheLookingGlassTheatre?ref=ts.

Ready, Set, Story! is about the stories of religion, the myths created by different cultures to explain the unexplainable. We all need some explanation. This play explores through the eyes of a child some of the funniest explanations humanity has come up with. This play (so well written by Emily Paul) manages to be funny and adorable entertainment while still imparting some real wisdom to our littlest theatre goers.

Next up, we have Are You There Zeus? It’s Me, Electra about a teenager who has REAL parental issues. No problems with the title on this one. We all LOVE it! And yes, there’s a deity in there, too. Perhaps our fear of the all-powerful is manifesting itself in our theatrical choices this season. We disenfranchised, poor, rebellious artists are seeking something bigger in this time of economic crisis. Luckily for our audience, rarely has there been assembled a more entertaining yet thought provoking trilogy of plays.

Last, but oh-so-not-least, one of my favorite collaborative and creative events within our programming: the Writer/Director Forum. Our semi-annual festival of new works features the wonderful talents of emerging female playwrights and directors…we have a fantastic group onboard and it’s going to be an amazing Forum!

AND, offstage this October, as part of our Breast Cancer Awareness efforts, we’re doing a GREAT event with Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Mark Garrison Salon – a group hair donation! We encourage everyone to join our staff and artists and donate their hair to create free, real-hair wigs for women who've lost their hair due to cancer. Spread the word and snip, snip, snip for an important cause with us!

Have I mentioned that I’m pretty excited about Fall ’09?

By the way, our managing director will want to be sure we ask for money. GOD knows we need it! Whether you can give one dollar, 10 dollars, 100 dollars or more… your contribution will go a long way this Fall!

All the best and enjoy the show… make that shows!
Justine :)

Justine Lambert
Artistic Director
The Looking Glass Theatre
http://www.lookingglasstheatrenyc.com/

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