Catskill's Bridge Street Theatre Announces Ambitious 2016 Season

Following a short winter hiatus, Catskill's Bridge Street Theatre is now ready to spring back into action. With a new marquee providing greater visibility to travelers along the West Bridge Street corridor and continuing improvements to its interior spaces, 2016 promises to be even more seriously entertaining at what one reviewer has called "the ballsiest theater in the region."

"The grant we received recently from New York State's Homes and Community Renewal Agency's Main Street Downtown Anchor Project is making possible the conversion of our Raw Space, a big empty room where we performed several shows last season, into a fully-functioning, state of the art, 84-seat auditorium. Construction has just commenced and we anticipate that the space will be open for business by midsummer. That's made it possible for us to schedule an even more ambitious 2016 than we could even have dreamed of just a few months ago." says John Sowle, Bridge Street Theatre's Managing Director. "As time goes on we're becoming not only a vital part of this region's burgeoning cultural life, but an essential component of our community as well."

Things for the theater kick off in high style on February 20 at 6:00pm with a special benefit appearance in BST's Speakeasy by internationally renowned performer/playwright Charles Busch - a special sneak preview performance of his new cabaret act "The Lady at the Mic", which will have its 'official' premiere the following week as part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook Series. In the show, Busch pays tribute to four cabaret legends (Elaine Stritch, Polly Bergen, Julie Wilson, and Mary Cleere Harran) as well as Joan Rivers, all of whom were close personal friends. He'll be joined onstage by long-time musical director (and Catskill resident) Tom Judson at the piano, Joe Gallant on upright bass, and Guy Klucevsek on the accordion. This gala evening - the first public performance of this new show - will be followed by an intimate champagne meet-and-greet with the artists.

Also planned for 2016 is a first-time six-show Subscription Series from Bridge Street Theatre's resident company, Kaliyuga Arts. The series opens with "A Life in a Day: Lucky Lindy", a side-splitting sideshow romp through the life of Charles A. Lindbergh penned by Dick D. Zigun, the "Unofficial Mayor of Coney Island" (April 14-24) and continues with Johnna Adams "Gidion's Knot", a shattering contemporary drama set in an elementary school classroom (May 12-22), Walton Beacham's "I Am Barbie", an hilarious look at what it's like to be a Barbie Girl in a not-so-Barbie world (June 9-19), George M. Cohan's affectionate send-up of old-time melodrama "The Tavern" (September 15-25), "Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus", Jim Helsinger's virtuoso adaptation for a single performer of Mary Shelley's classic tale of terror (October 13-23), and "Holiday Memories" adapted by Russell Vandenbroucke from Truman Capote's tales of his childhood in the Deep South during the Great Depression (December 8-18). Thursday - Saturday performances begin at 7:30pm, with Sunday matinees at 2:00pm.

New as well this year is a bi-monthly Cabaret series curated by performer Tom Andersen. "Words & Music: The Songbook Series" kicks off on Friday evening April 1 with a performance by Eric Michael Gillett of "Man About Town - the Wit and Wisdom of Noel Coward". Saturday June 4brings Grammy Award-winning songwriter Julie Gold ("From a Distance") to the Speakeasy stage for "An Evening with Julie Gold", followed by Mark Nadler's "Let's Misbehave - A Cole Porter Soiree" on Saturday August 6, and the cabaret duo Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano in"Masterful. Magical. Married." on October 1. All "Words & Music" performances begin at 8:00pm.

Also on tap - more of the eclectic and entertaining mix of imported theater, music, magic, and more that Bridge Street Theatre's patrons have come to expect. Currently scheduled (with plenty more to come): a rare solo appearance by jazz pianist Armen Donelian, Bonita Jackson's "Empty Valuables (A One-Woman Show in Two Acts)", a reading of Eric Coble's "The Velocity of Autumn" from Rhinebeck Readers Theatre, a concert preview of Frank Cuthbert's musical "Coney Island", a concert by contemporary bluegrass duo Quiles & Cloud, a hilarious evening with Anna Carol's "Aunt Nona" from North Dakota, a trio of one-acts from Blue Horse Repertory Company called "Leading Ladies", "Upon This Rock: The Magdalene Speaks" - a new solo show from Roxanne Fay (last season's "Home Fires Burning"), "Building Bridges: The Hop-O-Nose Story & Music Project", a production of "The Property Known as Garland" by Billy Van Zandt directed by Flo Hayle, Ryan Haddad's NYC smash hit "Hi, Are You Single?" about being young, gay, horny, and disabled, a summer student workshop production of David Mamet's "The Revenge of the Space Pandas", contemporary classical music from Riot With Three, "The Bellagio Fountain has been known to Make Me Cry" from Concrete Temple Theatre, and a reading of Dan Carbone's "The Pilgrim Project" for Thanksgiving.

Audiences can always find out more information about what's coming up at Bridge Street by visiting the theater's website at BridgeSt.org or by checking out the Bridge Street Theatre page on Facebook. While tickets for many of the imported events are sold only at the door on the day of performance, tickets for "Words & Music", for the productions in Kaliyuga Arts' theatre series, and for certain special events can be purchased ahead of time at BrownPaperTickets.com or by calling them at (800) 838-3006.

"James Yeara, in Metroland's Round-Up of the Best of 2015 called Bridge Street Theatre 'Best Theatre Bang for the Buck.' 2016 promises to be even more seriously entertaining," says Sowle. "You should definitely visit us in Catskill and see what all the excitement's about!"

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