New Folk-Rock Musical KING OF THE HOBOS to Play Upstairs Theater at St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Odes and Nonsense Productions presents King of the Hobos, a new American folk-rock musical conceived, written and performed by Jara Jones*. Directed by Abigail Taylor-Sansom. Elevenperformances will be staged at newly-restored Upstairs Theater at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 334 South 5th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn from November 5-21, 2015. *Member, Actors' Equity Association. AEA Showcase.

July 27th, 1930. On this night, a charismatic hobo named Gilly tricks a passel of strangers into attending an impromptu funeral for a prominent activist and hobo icon, James Eads How (1874-1930). A real-life heir to a wealthy St. Louis family, How lived as a hobo to bring awareness and help to homeless migrant workers, inspiring a legacy of advocacy as the founder of hobo colleges, unions, news and other groups. Performed by actor/singer/songwriter Jara Jones on a homemade cigar-box guitar in an immersive setting, King of the Hobos examines hobo culture as well as the Depression-era hardships and social ideals which still resonate throughout our nation today.

"I was drawn to the idea of combining my love of folk-rock with the examination of transient culture due to my unique history as a child of a migrant worker," states playwright Jara Jones. "My mother and grandmother emigrated here from Mexico and worked the fields picking strawberries. Their harrowing stories of the campesino experience led me to seek out more information about hobo culture and its decline by the turn of the Great Depression."

Tickets are $18, $15 for students, and can be purchased by visiting BrownPaperTickets.com. For more information, visit the show website at www.kingofthehobos.com.

Performances will be held from November 5-21, 2015. Preview: Thursday, November 5th at 7pm. Opening night: Friday, November 6th at 7pm and 9pm. Subsequent performances will be staged on Fridays at 7pm and 9pm and Saturdays at 5pm and 7pm. There are no performances on Saturday, November 7th.

The runtime for King of the Hobos is 90 minutes with no intermission.

Jara Jones (composer/lyricist/performer) - Off-Broadway: Piggy Nation; The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. Along with King of the Hobos, he is also an award-winning solo performance artist. His prior semi-autobiographical show Ghost on a Stick opened in 2013 to critical acclaim. Graduate of the University of Southern California: BA Theatre.

Abigail Taylor-Sansom (director) is a director, writer, and actor. She has been involved with King of the Hobos since its inception. Recent projects include: the Off-Broadway production of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (Lucy/White Witch), the short film Don't Call Us (We'll Call You) (Writer), and a concert reading of Guinevere at Theater for the New City (Playwright). Diploma in drama, UNCSA. B.A. in dramatic art, UNC Chapel Hill. www.abigailtaylorsansom.com.

The Upstairs Theatre at St. Paul's Lutheran Church was newly restored and reopened in 2015. Click here for the story.