ART HEIST EXPERIENCE Comes to Jacksonville

Put your NCIS, CSI and Law & Order skills to use and walk off the quarantine poundage to solve a ripped-from-the-walls, real-life master robbery of thirteen works of art, valued at half a billion dollars. Based on a true story of the world's biggest art caper, Art Heist is a true crime walking show where socially distanced groups of 30 -35 will move through five Jacksonville walkable locations to gather clues. The amateur gumshoes interact with a wild group of wily career criminals, slimy con men, rumpled art recovery specialists, a possible inside man, a gentle psychopath, and the larger-than-life but definitely real self-proclaimed Greatest Art Thief of All Time. The show premiered last September at the Vancouver Fringe Festival.

The story is based on the biggest art heist in history and took place on March 18, 1990, when two thieves disguised as police officers entered Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the middle of the night, telling guards they were investigating a disturbance. Valued at a half a billion dollars, 13 works of art, including paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Manet were stolen. The $500 million pieces as well as the robbers remain at large today.

Actors, through conversation, will reveal clues to the detective audience but then again, a red herring or two might present itself. Sharp sleuths will guess who the liars are and ultimately solve the enigma. No two performances will ever be the same as the actors improvise with every interaction.

"In these times, we're looking to create new opportunities, not only for audiences to enjoy theatre experiences, but also for the actors and crew members out there who have found themselves out of work. It's been a very tough time for our industry and Right Angle is reimagining and repurposing live entertainment to fit today's reality," said Justin Sudds who along with Alison Spiriti is producing.

Art Heist was conceived as a form of theatre that can work while respecting all COVID-19 safety protocols. Produced by Right Angle Entertainment, this unique show was created by Justin Sudds and written/directed by TJ Dawe and Ming Hudson. The world premiere cast in Vancouver included: Jayson MacDonald, Sara Bynoe, Michael Unger, Arthi Chandra, Nevada Banks, Drew Carlson, Mily Mumford, Rodney Decroo and Stefano Guilanetti. Design Coordination by Erika Conway.

TJ Dawe is a writer, director and performer of new theatre. He co-created internationally The One Man Star Wars Trilogy, One Woman Sex and the City, and PostSecret: the Show, which have toured internationally. He co-wrote the play Toothpaste and Cigars, which was adapted into the feature film What If, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan and Adam Driver. He helped Richard Dreyfuss create a multimedia career retrospective stage show titled Richard Dreyfuss: a Diminishing Resource. He teaches a course on solo performance at Langara College. You can find his monologue Medicine on YouTube. Ming Hudson is a physical theatre practitioner, freelance performer, devised theatre creator and teacher. She's worked with a variety of theatre companies including Bard on the Beach, the Arts Club, Boca Del Lupo, Theatre Replacement, Atomic Vaudeville and The Firehall Arts Centre. She's an instructor at the Canadian College of Performing Arts.

"COVID-19 has changed the game for everyone in the arts," said Director TJ Dawe. "Many of the elements we took for granted are gone, or at least on hold for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, there's nothing like a career as a freelancing artist working in new theatre to cultivate adaptability and openness to innovation. With that mentality, every project is a unique challenge already."

Guided walking tour groups of 30 -35 will begin at various start times starting outside at the Times-Union Center. Restrooms will be available inside the Times-Union Center prior to the start of each tour. Tours are approximately 90 minutes long.

Tickets for Art Heist start at $45.50 , plus applicable fees. Tickets can be purchased online 24/7 at fscjartistseries.org.

Ticket Link: https://www.fscjartistseries.org/tickets/art-heist-experience

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