Producers of Pip's Island, the brand new, wholly immersive and groundbreaking theatrical event for all audiences, will kick off this Saturday, November 12 for a strictly limited engagement through January 8, 2017 at Skylight Modern (537 West 27th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues). Tickets, now on sale, are available at www.PipsIsland.com or by calling OvationTix at 866.811.4111.
Born out of an urgent need to break the mold of traditional family entertainment, and to create high-quality, immersive, and rewarding experiences for children, Pip's Island is the brainchild of brother-and-sister co-creators Rami and Rania Ajami and Creative Director Walter Kudrop. During its three-year workshop and development process, the Ajamis and Kudrop assembled an extraordinary team of internationally renowned artists, designers, puppeteers, technology gurus and performers all responsible for bringing the boundless magic of Pip's Island to life, assuring an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience for its young audiences.
The team includes:
Performers and puppeteers: Rebekkah Alson, Joe Bach, Jeff Brooks, Lute Breuer, Lawrence Carillo, Dylan Cote, Joey Ama Dio, Camrus Johnson, Charlie Kanev, Adam James King, Nick Lehane, Monica Lerch, Katie Melby, Katrina Michaels, Tom Mezger, Sarah Nolen, Alexander Sanders, Johnny Shea, Rachael Shane, Lake Simons, and ElAnna White.
Rania Ajami (Co-Founder Chief Creative Officer): Rania is an award-winning writer, director and producer based in New York City. She is the founder of the multi-media children's company 'Jumping Pages', through which she employed new technologies as interactive storytelling platforms. Rania and her team have brought to life both classic and original children's stories in the form of highly innovative, animated and interactive story apps for the iPad and other tablet devices.
Rami Ajami (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer) is a corporate finance professional and entrepreneur with eight years of international experience in establishing, managing, and advising businesses in a wide range of geographies and markets. Rami has worked with City Capital Corporation, a London-based boutique investment bank, and Strata Capital UK LLP, a corporate finance group which has led several successful projects to IPO with a combined value of over £1bn at listing. He currently serves on the board of several start-ups.
Walter Kudrop (Creative Director) works in all creative aspects at Pip's Island, from story, to sets, to branding, to animation. His previous work includes eighteen published children's books and additional work as a creative director in the marketing, gaming and animation industries, where he worked with teams, bringing together storytelling and pictures through the medium of visual arts.
Bruce Landon Yauger (Composer and Sound Designer), principal of falconmusik LLC, a Virginia-based Production Company that provides services ranging from music composition, studio recording and production, and music publishing, to audio design and engineering of live events with a particular focus on Broadway Shows and creative children's entertainment.
John Coyne (Production Designer) has designed scenery and costumes for numerous theatre and opera companies throughout the country, including New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, Washington Opera, The Joseph Papp Public Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, The Juilliard School, The Old Globe, Shakespeare Theatre, Center Stage, The Guthrie Theatre, and Goodspeed Musicals among many others. As a licensed architect, John has designed numerous buildings ranging from private homes, university and corporate projects, as well as corporate and private interiors.
Fabio Toblini (Costume Designer) has designed for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Regional theater as well as opera. Recent credits include: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Guthrie Theater; My Fair Lady, Guthrie Theater (both directed by Joe Dowling); Kiss me Kate, Hartford Stage and The Old Globe Theater (Sand Diego); Hamlet, Hartford Stage; L'Impresario and Le Rossignol, Santa Fe Opera. Fabio also designed the Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet in 2013 starring Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad.
Al Crawford (Principal Lighting Designer) has been the Lighting Director for the world renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for 19 years, and lights a variety of genres including high end special events, art installations, music concerts, dance and non-traditional theater. His work can be seen around the globe as he and his team have worked in over 60 countries.
Rocco DiSanti (Projection Designer and Interactive Technology Specialist) is responsible for technological integration, utilizing technology, science, engineering, and computer programming to bring to life the digital portion of Pip's Island. Credits include Broadway, Off Broadway, and various regional theaters across the country.
Chris Green (Interactive Kinetics and Puppet Design), is the founder and director of Chris Green Kinetics, an award-winning Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary team of designers and builders dedicated to creating unique, time-based projects for a broad public. His theatrical and installation works have been presented over the past 20 years both nationally and internationally.
For Pip's Island, Green has assembled a team of builders including Acheson Walsh, Monkey Boys Productions, and Dash 7.
Acheson Walsh Studios is a kinetic creation studio providing design, fabrication, direction and performance services. Founded by Matt Acheson and Fergus J Walsh, AchesonWalsh Studios produces high quality, hand-made, direct manipulation puppets, masks, sets and specialty props.
Monkey Boys Productionsis a Philadelphia area Production Company that creates puppets, props, creatures, costumes, practical effects, and entertainment for film, television, and stage. Co-founders Michael Latini and Marc Petrosino blend their experience in entertainment, their unique sense of fun, and their clients' needs, along with old and new techniques, to create work that is exciting and inspiring for both children and adults.
Dash 7 Design is a team of fabricators who specialize in disciplines within art, architecture and engineering to create unique environments, structures and installations.
Lili Chasen (Associate Director) has been involved with theater and children for over 12 years. She is a graduate of Boston College with degrees in theater arts and psychology.
Maryanne Franzese Chasen (Child Development Specialist and Educator) MA,MS. Child development specialist, Certified Teacher, and Creative Arts Therapist. An educator with over 30 years of experience, she serves as the Principal of the Kid Esteem Montessori School and devised an original curriculum that inspires creativity and social emotional learning
An interactive first in children's entertainment, Pip's Island boasts a synthesis of animation, live actors, multi-sensorial environments, and a compelling narrative, which the audience helps shape through explorer challenges.
Graphic novels, web series, broadcast animated series, mobile apps and video games will be used to explore the rich story world using the fully developed visual language developed by the in-house animation team.
Pip's Island is a wildly entertaining, revolutionary new theatrical adventure blending brilliant artistry with the latest in modern technology to create a unique, unparalleled experience. Each 60-minute journey (interactive performance) plays out based on the wild imaginations of its enthusiastic young participants -- the explorer, dreamer, artist, scientist and action-hero in your life - who are invited to take a direct part of the storytelling and help the Island's inhabitants save the day!
Upon entering this exciting new immersive experience, the entire family will be instantly transported straight to Pip's Island, a magical, faraway island: a realm of sights, sounds and wild adventures with an array of amazing characters to stimulate and inspire every child's imagination.
The whole hour-long fantasy world has been created for guided groups of children aged 4-10 with hour-long immersive "expeditions."
Pip's Island launches Saturday, November 12 at Chelsea's Skylight Modern, 537 West 27th Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues), New York, NY, 10011 for a strictly limited engagement through January 8, 2017. Tickets are now on sale at www.pipsisland.com or by calling OvationTix at 866.811.4111. For great deals on groups, or for photos or media requests, please email info@pipisland.com.
Start the journey today by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @pipsisland.
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