Brass Tacks Ensemble's 2015 Season to Feature HENRY V, 'EAT ME' & More

Artistic Director James Ingagiola and Executive Director Isaac Ellis have announced The Brass Tacks Ensemble's 2015 season. The season will begin with William Shakespeare's Henry V on Friday, May 1, 2015.

"After two successful productions--Life Is A Dream and A Midsummer Night's Dream--in 2014, we're proud to offer what promises to be a terrific lineup in 2015," commented Ingagiola. "The Brass Tacks Ensemble is expanding artistically and professionally, and we hope that audiences will enjoy more of the quality work that the BTE has been offering in the Ann Arbor area for the past several years."

Themes of war, national identity, leadership, and above all, the power of language to persuade, to change, to evoke are present in Shakespeare's play about a young king of England who leads his armies to France to reclaim what he feels is his. Masses of characters played by a small group of actors will "on your imaginary forces work" as history unfolds before your eyes. Adam Miller-Batteau directs Henry V at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre Studio Space (322 W. Ann Street in Ann Arbor) for three weekends in May. Performances will be Fridays - Sundays, May 1st - 17th with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances at 2 p.m.

In August, Brass Tacks Ensemble's Artistic Director James Ingagiola will direct the World Premiere of his original farce, Pros & Cons. Faced with dwindling revenue and apathetic audiences, a small theater makes a last-ditch effort to hang with the big boys. But the "revolutionary approach" has the theater folks biting off a little more than they can chew. And, in the end, the innovation isn't what it's cracked up to be. Or is it? Actors, directors, producers, playwrights, performance artists, critics, and audiences are all fair game in this satirical farce that pokes fun at the reality, the illusion, the disillusionment, and the hope that we come to expect from theater. Performances will be Thursday, August 6th at 8 p.m., Friday, August 7th at 8 p.m., and Saturday, August 8th at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Kerrytown Concert House (415 N. 4th Avenue in Ann Arbor).

Rounding out the season will be the World Premiere of Eat Me: Alice's Adventures in the Working Class, written and directed by Isaac Ellis. Alice is a disillusioned Office Manager stuck in the doldrums of corporate life. When a high profile exec suddenly starts acting like a rabbit and escapes from a board meeting, Alice's work world begins to crumble into chaos. A building of employees who enjoy pushing the limits of policies and egotism collides with the whimsical personas of Wonderland to send Alice on an adventure that explores her place among them all. Based on the books by Lewis Carroll, the beloved characters come to life in this grown-up reimagining of the children's classics. Performances will be Fridays - Sundays, November 6th - 22nd with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Children's Creative Center (1600 Pauline Blvd. in Ann Arbor).

Full cast and crew announcements for all three productions and ticketing information is forthcoming. For additional information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrassTacksEnsemble.

Since 1999, with their inaugural production of King Lear, The Brass Tacks Ensemble has been dedicated to producing shows that strip away the excess and focus on the essentials of theater: Actor. Text. Audience. The Brass Tacks Ensemble is devoted to connecting to the audience through the essential elements of theater to spark the imagination; presenting established and original works with a focus on clarity, universality, and entertainment; and providing actors, directors, designers, and writers opportunity to develop as artists.

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