Sarah Palin may not think much of the polar bears, but the middle school-aged cast of Chocolate Soup disagrees and is protesting against Palin on September 21st during the performance at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
Like a scene from the musical, the tween aged cast will protest against Palin and raise awareness for the polar bears' plight from 4:30 – 5:00 pm in front of the Zipper Theatre at 336 West 37th Street in between their 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm performances. They will carry handmade signs stating "We Can't Bear Palin," and "Palin is Failin' the Polar Bears," while singing "It's Up to Us," an original song about saving the polar bears from the musical and handing out materials from Polar Bear International – a non-profit organization dedicated to research and education to benefit the world's polar bears.
"Palin has opposed actions against the safety of the polar bears, and is clearly out of touch with this country's consciousness." says
Jill Jaysen of
Center Stage, writer and producer of Chocolate Soup. "These kids are our future leaders and they truly care about what's happening with our world and the future of the polar bears. They want to speak out."
Chocolate Soup is an upbeat musical that deals with the familiar challenges that face tweens, including the issues of global warming and the plight of the polar bears. The plot centers on Mia's ancient family recipe for an Aztec chocolate soup, the popular kids (Excessives) who scheme to alter it just to make it more extreme, the not-as-popular Extras who channel their desire for acceptance into saving the polar bears, and the hero Justin - Mia's self confident new neighbor whose Dad heads up General Electric's new Eco-Imagination campaign and who shakes up everyone's ideas about what really matters
When the Extras assemble at the mall to raise awareness about global warming and how it might lead to the polar bears' extinction they sing a heartfelt song, "Making a Difference." The lyrics share messages about not only saving the planet and polar bears, but other serious issues such as world hunger, human rights, AIDS, war and disease. When Justin persuades Mia that protesting at the mall is cooler and better than going to the Excessives blow-out party and the not so new-and-improved Chocolate Soup, the messages come across loud and clear.
As the plot proceeds, Justin and Mia bottle and sell the original Chocolate Soup to raise money for the polar bear cause and audiences get a glimpse into the future lives of the musical's characters, including Mia and Justin who partner in a charitable foundation and convince Ben & Jerry's to create and sell Chocolate Soup ice cream to raise money for the polar bears.
This is not the first and only effort by Jaysen and the cast of Chocolate Soup to bring their art to life. They have gotten the Ben & Jerry's in Times Square to hold a "Polar Bear Ice Cream Sunday" event to raise money for Polar Bear International the day of the performance, and have launched www.chocolatesoupthemusical.com – a website devoted to education and awareness of global warming and the plight of the polar bears, including a blog and sales of eco-friendly Chocolate Soup merchandise benefiting Polar Bear International.
"Chocolate Soup is more than just an opportunity to act on stage for these kids," says Jaysen. "It's an experience of acting for life. Theatre is a wonderful platform for kids to discover themselves, learn about life, and to gain the confidence and power to express themselves and make a difference."
The Zipper Theatre is located at 336 West 37th Street. Performances are September 21 at 3:00PM & 6:30 PM. Tickets are $20 and available at www.thezipperfactory.com. Visit www.nymf.org for more information.
