Asheville Creative Arts Launches Incubator Series with JOURNEYING JACK Tonight

Asheville, NC -- Co-Founders Abby Felder and Robbie Jaeger announce JOURNEYING JACK, a script-in-hand staged reading that kicks off Asheville Creative Arts' brand new INCUBATOR Series, a program designed to develop and nurture new works for multi-generational audiences.

This first look at a new play from acclaimed storyteller David Novak and his son, award-winning playwright Jack Novak, will be directed by Robbie Jaeger, and feature original music composed by Jonesalee's Gina Stewart and Brenda Lee Gambill, performed live. The event will be held at NC Stage (15 Stage Lane) tonight, September 19 at 4:00pm, and suggested donation of $10 per person is collected at the door.

JOURNEYING JACK is a moving and heartfelt piece about a father and son's nighttime ritual, where the bedroom comes alive with stories in which young Jack is the hero. In addition to Jonesalee, the staged-reading will feature performances from Kelli Cayman Cozlin and Willie Repoley. The reading is open to all ages, and will be followed by a q&a session and light refreshments.

INCUBATOR Series is a new program that will occur annually, in which, under the guidance of Artistic Director Robbie Jaeger, Producing Director Abby Felder, and Resident Artists Gina Stewart and Brenda Gambill of Jonesalee, artists will receive dramaturgical and artistic support during intensive rehearsals, culminating in a staged-reading for public audiences.

According to Artistic Director Robbie Jaeger, "JOURNEYING JACK is the result of a wonderful creative collaboration between father and son, about a father and son connecting through stories. The style draws beautifully from the playwrights' disparate backgrounds: David is a veteran storyteller whose work has been seen locally, nationally and internationally; Jack is a graduate of Northwestern University where he studied acting and playwriting and is a fixture on the theater scene in Washington, DC." Continues Producing Director Abby Felder, "the goal of this program is to provide a safe and creative place for artists to develop work aligned with our mission, work that is sophisticated and challenging and has content both for kids and parents, and this is the perfect piece to launch this exciting series!"

ACA's work has been called "Dazzling!" by the Mountain Xpress and "Excellent!" by the Asheville Citizen Times, and through the INCUBATOR Series, the company is laying the groundwork for developing original theatrical productions that represent the signature style the company is known for, such as past productions A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, CHARLOTTE'S WEB, and most recently, MISS NELSON IS MISSING!.

To reserve seats, RSVP in advance by emailing ashevillecreativearts@gmail.com. Questions call 914/830-3000.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS:

David Novak: Awarded the Circle of Excellence from the National Storytelling Network, David Novak is a veteran of the National Storytelling Festival. He recently presented his original retelling of the Gilgamesh Epic at The Provincetown Playhouse in New York. David has written and performed original stories and plays for family audiences since 1973. As resident playwright for The Looking Glass Theatre in Providence, RI, and Theatre Project Company in St. Louis, MO, he wrote and directed numerous plays including THE WRATH OF ACHILLES and THE GREAT PLAYGROUND PLOT. His musical, THE MAGIC IS ME, was recently produced at Piedmont College in Georgia. In 2014, he made several tours of international schools throughout China. A member of Actors Equity Association, David has appeared many times at NC Stage Company, including a tour-de-force performance as R. Buckminster Fuller, which he recently toured to Wroclaw Institute of Technology in Poland. David lives in Asheville.

Jack Novak: a D.C. based actor, playwright, improviser, and teaching artist. His writing credits include THE GREAT LIEUTENANT SPRINKLE DIDN'T SAVE ME (Field Trip Theatre); and the plays for young actors FANATICS AND INTERFACE (Speak Out Onstage at Imagination Stage). He also recently helped devise and produce FOX CRIED at the Back Alley Theatre, which originally premiered at the 2013 Source Festival. D.C. Acting credits include PINOCCHIO, FRANKENSTEIN (Faction of Fools), STONE TAPE PARTY (Nu Sass Productions, winner: Capital Fringe Audience Awards for Best Comedy & Best Overall), and NOT MY MONKEY (InterAct Story Theatre). He is a member of improv ensemble Commonwealth (Washington Improv Theatre) which performed last year at the North Carolina improv festival. Jack studied acting and playwriting at Northwestern University, where his play cycle TALES FROM THE DECADE OF WANDERING won the Agnes Nixon Playwriting Award, and received a staged reading.

Asheville's critically acclaimed, award winning theatre devoted to creating works for children of all ages, Asheville Creative Arts was founded in 2013. Led by Abby Felder and Robbie Jaeger, with Resident Artists Gina Jones Stewart and Brenda Lee Gambill of Jonesalee, the company has the following mission: -To produce, present and create professional and innovative theatre for the very young to the young at heart, and embrace diverse cultures with a main stage season of productions of musical, literary adaptations, and puppet based work that push the boundaries of children's theatre; -To train the next generation of artists; - And to ensure that all families in Western NC and beyond have access to theatre arts through outreach such as touring, and "in-reach" such as specially discounted performances for school and community groups. In honor of contributions to the cultural landscape, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer declared July 18, 2014 "Asheville Creative Arts Day;" and ACA's production of CHARLOTTE'S WEB was the 2014 recipient of a Grassroots Partnership Award- a grant from the NC Arts Council, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, distributed by the Asheville Area Arts Council.

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