A VERY PHOENIX XMAS 4: Our Stockings Are Stuffed Runs 11/27-12/20 At The Phoenix Theatre Of Indianapolis

The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis will produce A Very Phoenix Xmas 4: Our Stockings Are Stuffed! as its annual alternative holiday production from November 27 through December 20, 2009. The Mainstage production, conceived and directed by Phoenix Theatre Producing Director Bryan Fonseca, harkens us back to a time when there were only three channels on TV and Holiday Variety Specials were something we looked forward to as soon as the turkey was out of the oven. Family gathered around the small screen to watch irreverent sketches featuring exciting guest stars who sang and danced their way through traditional holiday favorites. These holiday memories were the inspiration for this show, the fourth installment (in four years) of A Very Phoenix Xmas. After receiving over 60 submissions from playwrights across the country, Bryan begins to shape the show with the selection of sketches - mostly humorous, but some poignant - which send up the winter holidays. The next ingredient is music - everything from traditional holiday tunes to wacky songs about Hanukah and tipsy co-workers at the office Christmas party.

The Phoenix Theatre continues its "tradition" of providing counter-programming to the traditions of other arts organizations, starting with all-new sketches. Some highlights from this year's show are: Happy Hannu-Clog by Brett Hursey, which features a burley construction worker with an out-of-control boot fetish; The Forty-Three Second Kiss by Isabella Russell-Ides, which illustrates why sometimes office party romances can be the best part of the holidays; Who Is Kris Kringle? by Eric Pfeffinger, which starts out as an innocent visit to Santa at the mall and develops into a political statement that is both shocking and hilarious; Death of a Snowman by Daniel Guyton, which brings to life with humor and poignancy the struggle of a little girl coming to terms with the loss of her mother and a snowman coming to terms with the realization of his brief lifespan.

In addition to these and other sketches, this celebration of theatrical vaudeville and television variety shows will round out the evening with music that features everything from Little Drummer Boy to How Do You Spell Channukkahh? by Adam Gardner and Dave Schneider. By popular demand, a tap number will be included again in this year's show.

The cast includes three veterans of the Phoenix Xmas productions: Sara Riemen, Michael Shelton and Gayle Steigerwald. Rounding out the ensemble is Jason Gloye, Stephen Hunt and Amanda Lynn Meyer.

For A Very Phoenix Xmas 4: Our Stockings Are Stuffed, Bryan Fonseca directs, Kevin D. Smith is musical director, Karen Witting is the costumer, Branden Galvin will stage manage and Bryan Fonseca, Christopher Hansen and Lori Raffel are designing the set.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AND TICKETS
A Very Phoenix Xmas 4: Our Stockings Are Stuffed! will be performed on The Phoenix Theatre Mainstage November 27 through December 20, 2009. Performances are Thursdays at 7:00pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Thanks to the generosity of Duke Energy, our CheapSeats performances have expanded to Thursdays and Sundays, so our prices for the Xmas show and the entire 2009-2010 Season will be $15.00 per person on Thursdays and Sundays. In response to the economy, and because we know that there are only so many entertainment dollars to go around, we are offering a discounted rate of $20.00 per person on Fridays and Saturdays (down from $25.00 last season). The Phoenix will continue to offer a youth rate of $15 for those 24 and under.

Tickets for all Phoenix Theatre shows may be purchased by calling the box office at 317.635.PLAY (7529) or may be charged on-line at phoenixtheatre.org. All seating is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis. The Phoenix Pub, located inside the theatre, offers beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee, and bottled water, as well as treats, and all refreshments may be taken into either theatre and consumed during the performance.

For more information about any Phoenix programs or to purchase tickets, call The Phoenix Theatre box office at 317.635.PLAY(7529). The theatre's website is www.phoenixtheatre.org.

The Phoenix Theatre is Indiana's only professional contemporary theatre, and has presented productions to challenge and entertain the Indianapolis community for 26 years. An Equity house, the Theatre presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and has presented more than 70 world premieres in its quarter century. The Phoenix operates the 130-seat proscenium Mainstage as well as the 75-seat cabaret-style black box Frank & Katrina Basile (buh-SEAL) Theatre. The Phoenix Pub, located in the Basile Theatre, serves beer, wine, coffee, soft drinks, water, and treats, and patrons may take all refreshments into either theatre. Both venues are housed along with administrative offices in a renovated 1907 church in downtown Indianapolis' historic Chatham Arch neighborhood, part of the Mass Ave Arts & Theatre District. The Phoenix Theatre is a member of the National New Play Network and the League of Indianapolis Theatres, and is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as local corporate and foundation funders and more than 500 individual donors. The Phoenix Theatre: Indy's Off-Broadway Theatre.

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