Sideshow Theatre Company is offering pay-what-you-wish online streaming of its 2016 hit production The Happiest Place on Earth, written and performed by Jeff Award-winning playwright and Sideshow artistic associate Philip Dawkins and directed by Sideshow artistic director Jonathan L. Green. To stream the video, visit sideshowtheatre.org/stream. After filling out a short registration form, patrons will receive an e-mail with a link and password to watch the video. This streaming video will be available throughout the spring during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Winner of the 2017 Jeff Award for Solo Performance, Dawkins' autobiographical work was hailed by critics as "exceptional" and "witty and heartbreaking," taking audiences on an intimate journey through the lens of one unhappy family to the "happiest place on earth."
Once upon a time in an Anaheim, California orange grove, a magical kingdom was built and dedicated to America's history, dreams and wildest hopes. Eight years later, one family's American prince died on live television while delivering the Albuquerque sports scores, leaving his four daughters and their mother behind. Left reeling from the loss of their patriarch, the family underwent a quest to reach the magical kingdom and seek solace and recovery. Now, more than fifty years after their journey, acclaimed playwright Philip Dawkins retraces and illustrates the true story of the women in his family, exploring their history and asking if there really is a place where the dream that we wish can come true.
The production team for The Happiest Place on Earth includes Mike Mroch (scenic/props design), Ellie Rabinowitz (lighting design), Michael Huey (sound design), Benno Nelson (dramaturg), Ellen Willett (production manager) and Darek Lane (stage manager).
The Happiest Place on Earth enjoyed its world premiere September 17 - October 30, 2016, as part of the Solo Celebration! Series at Greenhouse Theater Center, co-produced by Sideshow Theatre Company, Greenhouse Theater Center and the Wendy and Bill Spatz Charitable Foundation.
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