National Touring Artist Drew Richardson Performs At Nettle Creek Players

Nettle Creek Players, a 501c3 not-for-profit arts organization, will present "WHAT THE FOOL?!!?" by Dramatic Fool Drew Richardson at 7:00pm on Friday, April 20, 2018 on the Auditorium stage in Hagerstown High School at 701 Baker Road in Hagerstown. Tickets for each of the concerts are $15 for Adults & $5 for Students and can be purchased at www.nettlecreekplayers.com.

Dramatic Fool Drew Richardson combines high-stakes drama with new circus, magic, and physical theatre. Inspired by animated cartoons, silent comedians, and absurdist plays, Drew creates comedy with heart for audiences who love to laugh. "WHAT THE FOOL?!!?" is a site-specific show about an accident-prone office worker who goes to the theater and discovers he's actually a dramatic fool. Using film and live interaction, it starts in the parking lot and ends up onstage. Customized to the theater where it's performed, the show celebrates the arts and the places where live performance happens.

In addition to the stage show, Drew and a group of 12 Hagerstown High School students will produce a short silent movie in the week leading up to the performance while participating in an after-school residency workshop. Students will get an overview of digital filmmaking while writing, acting, and editing. The finished movie will be shown as part of Drew's public show, and the workshop participants will each get a copy on DVD.

As a youngster, Drew Richardson began performing magic and juggling to compensate for his shyness. Now he plays the fool to take advantage of his increasing baldness. Drew's life-long personal tension between drama and foolishness gelled while studying Theatrical Clowning with John Towsen 25 years ago at Ohio University, where Drew received a BFA in Theatre. He continued his studies in physical theatre with Jacques Lecoq in Paris and recently earned an MFA in Performance Pedagogy from VCU. Drew the Dramatic Fool has performed his solo stage shows in theaters and festivals all over the United States and abroad, from Austin to Austria to China. Drew has created six one-man shows including The Psychology of Clumsiness (twice picked as "Critic's Choice" by The Chicago Reader) and the current "Help! Help! I Know This Title Is Long, But Somebody's Trying to Kill Me!" directed by Avner Eisenberg Broadway's "Avner the Eccentric"). Drew is best known as the first person in the 21st century to have new silent movies shown in major motion picture theaters across the United States. Drew's first short silent moving picture, The Guy Who Lived on a Chair, was screened at The Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival, Pittsburgh Film Kitchen, and The Silent Film Society of Chicago. Drew has been a guest teaching artist at such institutions as Point Park Conservatory, the University of Michigan, Roosevelt University, Columbia College, and The Art Institute of Chicago. Drew also taught "Improvising Physical Comedy" at The Big Stinkin' Improv Festival in Austin, Texas, and "Creating Visual Comedy" at MotionFest in Baltimore. In Chicago, he served as clown consultant/instructor for 500 Clown Macbeth, Strawdog Theatre, and Powertap Productions/Next Theatre Lab. Drew served as Artist in Residence for the Chicago Park District and Free Street Theatre, where he combined circus skills, movement, and poetry writing to create performances with at-risk youths. At Little City Foundation in Palatine, Illinois, he worked with residents with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. He also taught medical students at Northwestern University where to find their funny bones and how to use humor as a healing tool. Most recently, Drew collaborated with high school students in Virginia and Maryland to make their own silent movies. More information is available at www.dramaticfool.com.

For tickets and information visit www.nettlecreekplayers.com and Facebook/NettleCreekPlayers, email info@nettlecreekplayers.com or call 765-312-2722.

To post a comment, you must register and login.