Photo Flash: Theatre Three presents SOLSTICE: STORIES & SONGS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Let some of Dallas' best actors tell you a story! The winter solstice has inspired storytellers for thousands of years from cultures all over the world. Dallas-favorite performers Denise Lee, Paul Taylor, Marti Etheridge, Ian Mead Moore, and Sara Prejean will celebrate the holidays with Solstice: Stories and Songs for the Holidays, a unique family-friendly collaboration from Michael Federico and Jeffrey Schmidt.

"When Jeffrey and I first talked about the show, we said we wanted to do something that gave us the feeling we got when we were kids and would watch the old holiday specials with our families," says Michael Federico, who curated the stories, songs and poems of the show. "That led us to find pieces with the sense of warmth and a little bit of that magic that go hand-in-hand with the season."

The evening revolves around Aunt Brighid, who keeps her niece calm through the winter solstice-the longest night of the year-by eliciting the help of magical creatures and other beings to tell the girl stories and sing her songs related to the holiday season. Pieces performed and interpreted throughout the evening a mostly forgotten Santa Claus origin story by Frank L. Baum (author of The Wizard of Oz), a story about an Italian witch from Philidelphia who encounters the Three Wise Men, poems from Longfellow, Frost and contemporary poet Susan Cooper, as well as short plays and new music created by local Dallas storytellers and musicians.

"It's new and different while still feeling traditional," says director Jeffrey Schmidt, who collaborated on Federico's last project at Theatre Three, the critically acclaimed New York-bound musical On the Eve. "One moment the show is magical, then turns funny and just a little bit irreverent."

With such a fun and family-focused show as Solstice, Theatre Three will also be introducing a special $10 ticket for children ages 8-12, with an accompanying adult.

Audiences can also get into the giving spirit by participating in Theatre Three's Solstice Book Drive, benefiting local non-profit Readers 2 Leaders. The organization is a Dallas-based literacy program helping underserved children ages 3-12 so that they succeed in school and graduate prepared to live productive lives. Theatre Three will be collecting gently used children's and early reader books in the lobby, and all materials will be donated to Readers 2 Leaders' Lending Library. For a list of specific books the organization is seeking, please visit their Amazon Wish List: http://amzn.com/w/BBI567NQTKOI.

Solstice: Stories & Songs for the Holidays is curated by Michael Federico with additional material written and adapted by Jonathan Norton and Scott A. Eckert. Theatre Three Artistic Director Jeffrey Schmidt serves as Director and Set Designer, with Musical Director Cherish Robinson, Assistant Musical Director Ian Mead Moore and Choreographer Zenobia Taylor. Local designer Sid Curtis, who has worked on projects ranging from Britney Spears and N'Sync television specials to Disney's Bear in the Big Blue House, will create original animation and puppets for the show. The five-person cast stars Marti Etheridge (Wood Spirit, La Befana), Denise Lee (Aunt Brighid), Ian Mead Moore (Young Flanders, Greg), Sara Prejean (Girl) and Paul Taylor (Wood Spirit, Stuart, Narrator).

WHEN

November 24 - December 17, 2017

Performances: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays - Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.;

Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Interpreted Performance - Thursday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Hooky Matinee - Wednesday, December 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday Matinee - December 16 at 2:30

WHERE

Norma Young Arena Stage

Theatre Three Dallas / 2800 Routh Street, Ste #168, Dallas

TICKETS

Tickets range from $10-50 and are on sale:

• online at Theatre3Dallas.com

• by phone at 214.871.3300, option #1

• in person at the Theatre Three Box Office

$3 off seniors/military

$3 off each ticket for groups of 10 or more

$5 off tickets to KERA members

$10 tickets for children 8-12 years old, with an adult (no lap children)

$10 student tickets (valid student ID required)

$5 student rush tickets 30 minutes prior to curtain (valid student ID required)

Half price subscriber tickets for Theatre Too shows

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