Franklin Stage Company Opens Twenty-Third Season With Visual Theater and Art

Franklin Stage Company presents their season opener, Horsetale, created by Hit the Lights!, an innovative New York City-based theater company, and presents art show The Feel of the Artist's Hand with works by Jody Isaacson. Both the performance and gallery show focus on strong visuals and fascinating narratives.

Horsetale is inspired by tall tales, Looney Tunes, cowboy songs, and the landscape of the American frontier. This original shadow play, which recently received a coveted residency at the New Victory Theater in Manhattan, combines shadow puppetry, overhead projections and film stills with rich visual jokes. In this sly epic, our hero is a horse, whose adventures and troubles take him through lonely Western landscapes reminiscent of faded 70s technicolor films. Here he encounters obstacles, meets the West Wind, and eventually arrives at a rodeo where he reunites with his most treasured friend.

"When we saw Horsetale, we couldn't wait to bring it to our audience" said Co-Artistic Director Patricia Buckley, "it's smart, technically innovative, and visually beautiful." Added Co-Artistic Director Leslie Noble, "There are so many theatrical elements that create a home-made yet sophisticated feel to this fantastic piece. It combines great storytelling with rocking music and hilarious comic timing."

As Horsetale is a feast for both eyes and ears, FSC presents it in conjunction with the annual Stagecoach Run Art Festival, which takes place this year on July 6th and 7thin and around Franklin, NY, showcasing the work of more than 45 visual artists.

As part of the twenty-fourth Stagecoach Festival, Franklin Stage Company will open its lobby and theater as a gallery venue to present the work of Ms. Isaacson. The Feel of the Artist's Hand includes wax sculpture, cast wax, sewn fabric, assemblage, gallery installation, video, and sound. "Isaacson's pieces are a history of a visual subject's evolution through disparate disciplines and mediums" said FSC's curator Jack Siman. Isaacson describes her work as "a meditation on loss and memory...active in the present and future." The Feel of the Artist's Hand opens with a public reception on Saturday, July 6 from 3:00-5:00 pm.

Performances of Horsetale are July 5-7, Friday & Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 5:00 pm. Admission is free-suggested donation is $20 per person. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve and for more information:www.franklinstagecompany.org or 607-829-3700.

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