PIE Story Theatre Holiday CD Celebrates 10 Years

The PIE Story Theatre Holiday Stories and Carols CD is celebrating ten years this month. Produced in 2012, the CD features original and adapted holiday stories and carols to celebrate the season. The program was originally a live show that premiered at North Pier Festival Market in Chicago in 1993. Since that time the program has been presented through Arts Horizons in the tri-state area and also at Casa 0101 in Los Angeles produced in conjunction with All Seasons Theatre Company.

The CD celebrates the traditions of Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah with classics like The Elves and The Shoemaker and a ten-minute adaptation of A Christmas Carol titled Old Mr. Scrooge. It also features original stories by the company: The Armadillo's Feliz Navidad and A Kwanzaa Story as well as interactive material.

Featured on the CD is Kellie Johnson, a two-time Drama Circle Critic Award Winner who has starred in theater, film and television and is best known for playing Jackie Cochran in the New York Premiere of The Fastest Woman Alive written by Outer Critics Circle Best Play nominee Karen Sundeand. Kellie has also starred as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun at Sharon Playhouse and as Evita Peron in Evita, Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. She is also known for her incomparable cabaret shows and is an accomplished pianist. Also sharing their talents on the CD are Michael Menger, Babsy Malecki, Melissa Center and Patrick Riviere. The cover art was created by Shane Adams.

Inspired by the work and legacy of Viola Spolin and Paul Sills PIE (which stands for Projects In Education) has been bringing educational and interactive "story theater" to children of all ages since 1990 when it debuted in Central Park. It was an evolution of a program that its founder, Patrick Riviere performed and directed while at Niagara University and ArtPark - A.R.T. which was developed by the late Brother Augustine Towey, C.M. and Mary Furlong. PIE Story Theatre most recently had a touring company produced by Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater on Cape Cod.

The CD can be found on iTunes and Amazon just in time for the holidays!