United Solo Festival Hosts Premiere of One-woman Rock Opera Psychedelic Cartoon Slideshow, With Puppets

Song of Seamus and the Psychedelic Squirrel takes you to Fort Tryon Park, under the shadow of the George Washington Bridge, where the animal gangs of gritty 1970's New York are fighting over our garbage. Battling the forces of pigeons (and other monsters), and the hazards of sex, drugs and rock & roll, one squirrel will give everything he has to save his brother!

Song of Seamus and the Psychedelic Squirrel is a United Solo Festival 2018 Official Selection. It is written & performed by Kassi Dougherty, directed by Marcus Bishop-Wright; with original music & lyrics by Kassi Dougherty; musical direction by Jody Shelton; and Produced by Brian Barnhart.

The performance is Wednesday, October 17 at 3:30pm at the Studio Theatre on Theatre Row: 410 West 42nd Street, New York City. TICKETS, with a price of $45 (plus a $2.25 Theatre Restoration Charge) are available at the Theatre Row Box Office and online through Telecharge at www.telecharge.com. You may also call Telecharge at 212-239-6200. When placing your reservation, please provide: the FESTIVAL name (United Solo Theatre Festival), the name of THEATRE (Theatre Row - The Studio Theatre), and the specific DAY and TIME of SHOW you would like to see.

Kassi Dougherty is a writer, actor, singer/songwriter, and visual artist, currently living in New York City. Before moving to New York City she studied improv with the legendary Del Close in Chicago. Her one-woman multi-media productions of It Happened in the Park and Auntie Fionnualla's Magic Disco Room have been recently seen in Emerging Artist Theater's (NYC) Fall New Works Series; at One Woman Standing; as well as at the Magnet Theater and the PIT (NYC). She has performed with many NYC sketch and improv groups: Film Noir and Harsh at the Upright Citizen's Brigade and the People's Improv Theater; The Sound and the Fury musical house team at the Magnet in NYC; and on Harold teams at Improv Olympic, Chicago. She's performed at the Del Close Marathon in NYC and at the Toronto, Philadelphia, and Dirty South Improv festivals. She was recently seen in the Web Series, "The Thing"; as part of the Country music/comedy sensation The Drelles; and in The Pit-alogues. She is currently belting out songs as part of the improvised musical revue, The 29th St Revue.

Jody Shelton began his career as musical director for the Second City National Touring Company, and performed with renowned musical improv ensemble Baby Wants Candyfor fifteen years. In 2012, he co-wrote the parody 50 Shades! The Musical, which had an extended run at the Elektra Theatre in New York, and has been performed throughout South America, Asia, Europe and North America. 50 Shades!can currently be seen at Bally's in Las Vegas. Jody's latest musical, co-written with Emmy and Peabody winner Peter Gwinn (The Colbert Report) is the Jeff recommended The Story of a Story (The Untold Story), which opened at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago in October, 2015. Jody has also released three critically acclaimed albums as solo artist, and two more with his band, Daughter & Son. Jody's next project is a documentary series for television chronicling the artistic process of writing and rehearsing a new musical.

Marcus Bishop-Wright is a graduate of LaGuardia Performing Arts High School. Marcus spent three years directing at Syracuse University before studying improv and sketch comedy with Chicago City Limits, the Upright Citizens Brigade and Magnet Theaters. He has been a member of several UCB house teams, and has co-created numerous improv shows including Film Noir Improv, and The Puppet Regime. Marcus has also appeared on Chappelle's Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brienand Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Brian Barnhart is the Producing Director for Drama Desk-nominated Axis Theatre Company in New York City. Since 2003 he has produced a variety of performances, plays and musicals for Axis including Glance at New York(Edinburgh, NYC); Marc Palmieri's The Groundling;Last Man Club; High Noon; and their original musicals Solitary Lightand Evening - 1910(from Axis Artistic Director Randy Sharp and Paul Carbonara, from Blondie). In 2017 he produced Edgar Oliver's London Parisat La MaMa. After producing all three of Edgar Oliver's previously performed solo shows (East 10th Street[Edinburgh Fringe First]; In the Parkand Attorney Street) he recently collaborated again with Oliver and director Randy Sharp on Edgar Oliver's New York Trilogy, a repertory production of all three critically acclaimed shows. As an actor Brian has performed with Debbie Harry in the US Premiere of Sarah Kane's Crave; Sheer Madness,at the Kennedy Center; and Angels in America, Parts I &2 (Kansas City Drama Desk Award, Best Supporting Actor).