Axis Theatre Presents SEVEN IN ONE BLOW

"What could be better than a play that asks you to shout? Well, one that asks you to sing. All this fun is part of an updated version of "The Brave Little Tailor..." My son also thought of another reason that Seven in One Blow is the greatest play ever: the actors pass out candy at the end."-The New York Times

Axis Theatre Company continues its 20th anniversary season with the 18th annual production of its beloved family holiday show, Seven in One Blow, or the Brave Little Kid. Adapted from the classic fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm, this festive, interactive winter play runs December 6-22 and is written and directed by Axis Artistic Director Randy Sharp (Axis Company's High Noon, Edgar Oliver's Victor). Though the poignant tale was created for kids, the Axis production-which teases out some of the many plausible subtexts and includes timely pop cultural references-resonates equally well for adults.

Set just before the holidays on a snowy winter day, Seven in One Blow, or the Brave Little Kid tells the story of a child living in the city who kills seven flies with a single swat and makes a belt emblazoned with "Seven in One Blow" to commemorate the event. The Kid travels through the snow and meets numerous colorful characters along the way, including the Scarlet Pimpernel, a Pea, December, a Witch, an Ogre, and a Princess. Most people think this belt refers to seven people and assign the Kid all kinds of difficult tasks based on this faulty presumption. Over the course of the take, invaluable lessons are learned: an Ogre finds that you don't always have to show how strong you are to be strong; a girl realizes that when you tease someone, you may be hurting a person who is just like you; and a scary monster understands that because she is loved, she may not be so scary after all. In the end, after a surprise twist, the Kid discovers that the love and care of a parent has no limits.

The cast of Seven in One Blow, or the Brave Little Kid-many of whom have participated since the first production, in 2002- includes Spencer Aste, Brian Barnhart, Regina Betancourt, George Demas, Britt Genelin, Laurie Kilmartin, Emily Kratter, Lynn Mancinelli, Edgar Oliver, Brian Parks, and Jim Sterling.

Written and directed by Randy Sharp, Seven in One Blow, or the Brave Little Kid features lighting design by David Zeffren (Amy Harper is Assistant Lighting Designer); sound design, music production and arrangements by Steve Fontaine, with additional sound design and music by Paul Carbonara; original music by Randy Sharp; costume coordination and styling by Karl Ruckdeschel; choreography by Lynn Mancinelli; set design by Chad Yarborough; prop design and construction by Lynn Mancinelli; illustration by Dan Killeen; and original production design by Kate Aronsson-Brown. Erik Savage serves as production stage manager.

Ten performances of Seven in One Blow, or the Brave Little Kid will take place December 6-22 at Axis Theatre, located at 1 Sheridan Square in Manhattan's West Village. Performances are Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm with an added show on Thursday, December 19 at 7pm. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $5 for kids. The running time is 50 minutes and is appropriate for ages 4 and up. Tickets can be purchased online at axiscompany.org or by calling TheaterMania at 212.352.3101.

All proceeds for the performance on Saturday, December 14 at 3pm will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Seven in One Blow, or the Brave Little Kid is now published and is part of an eclectic repertoire of original and published plays that Axis Theatre Company has produced.

Randy Sharp (writer and director) is Axis Theatre Company's founder and Artistic Director. Her plays include the Drama Desk Award-nominated Last Man Club (published by DPS), Nothing on Earth, Down There, Seven in One Blow (published by DPS and performed every December in NYC and around the country) and the long-running serial Hospital. Sharp wrote and directed The Vast Machine (2015) and co-wrote (with former Blondie member Paul Carbonara) and directed Solitary Light (2014) and Evening - 1910, which premiered to acclaim at Axis in 2016. Sharp's directing credits also include Last Man Club; Nothing on Earth; Down There; Seven in One Blow; Hospital; Edgar Oliver's New York Trilogy (including East 10th Street: Self Portrait with Empty House, winner of the Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Fringe, In the Park, and Attorney Street) and London Paris; A Glance at New York (Edinburgh Fringe & NYC), Julius Caesar; and the U.S premiere of Sarah Kane's Crave, starring Deborah Harry. She also directed the feature film Henry May Long, winner of 13 international awards, and is the host of the popular YouTube cooking show "Dinner Party Tonight."

Axis Theatre Company was founded in 1996 by Randy Sharp as a theatrical haven for stories that awaken an audience's curiosity for little known parts of American history. Through Sharp's plays and that of like-minded artists like Edgar Oliver, David Crabb, and Marc Palmieri, Axis Theatre uses intricate visual and sound design to maximize a viewer's insight into these historical moments and shared experiences.

In 1998, Axis acquired a permanent home at 1 Sheridan Square in New York City's West Village. Built in 1834 by Samuel Whitmore, the building once housed Café Society, the historic site of performances by Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughn, Art Tatum, Big Joe Turner and other jazz greats; and later was the home of Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company. Axis transformed the interior performance space into one where audiences are totally immersed, surrounded by the experience of a theatrical production the moment they enter. Distractions from the material are minimal.

Among the wide variety of works that Axis has produced in the theater are Beckett's Play; Benjamin Baker's 1848 vaudeville A Glance at New York (also at the Edinburgh Festival); the U.S. premiere of Sarah Kane's Crave, starring Deborah Harry; the premieres of Edgar Oliver's East 10th Street (New York Times Critic Pick; Fringe First Award at Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Spoleto Festival, USA) and In the Park; David Crabb's Bad Kid (New York Times Critic Pick, now an acclaimed book published by HarperCollins Perennial); Marc Palmieri's The Groundling; and Sharp's The Vast Machine, Last Man Club (Drama Desk nomination), Solitary Light, Nothing on Earth, Down There, Seven in One Blow, Hospital, Dead End, and High Noon.

Axis Theatre is accessible via the 1 train at Christopher St./Sheridan Square and the A, B, C, D, E, F and M trains at West 4th Street.

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