EPIC Players Inclusion Company To Present A Neuro-Inclusive Adaptation Of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

EPIC Players Inclusion Company announced their final production of 2019, a neuro-inclusive adaptation of Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice. The production runs December 6 - 15 at HERE's mainstage in SoHo. Opening night is slated for December 6.

The creative team at EPIC, a neuro-inclusive theater company, helms this production where they continue to use the stage to elevate the talented voices of artists living with neuro-diversities such as autism. Featuring over a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable characters, this Peter and the Starcatcher shows the limitless possibilities of imagination and the power of inclusion that can bring a story to life. Associate Artistic Director Travis Burbee, directs.

Executive Artistic Director, Aubrie Therrien, shared why they choose Peter and the Starcatcher, "EPIC picked this production to show the power a neuro-diverse ensemble can have on bringing a story to life. The piece is heavily reliant on group movement, sound and story-telling, that it truly illustrated the abilities our performers have to work together as an ensemble to tell a powerful story. The 'Boy" in the story is also an outsider looking for purpose - and for someone to believe in him and his powers. A theme that resonates with our players and our community."

Tony Award-winning Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a young orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair; along with discovering who you are and the bonds of friendship and love.

When an orphan and his friends are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island, they know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain's cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the orphans are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training, who realizes that the trunk's precious cargo is a magical substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates - led by the fearsome Black Stache - the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure for our unlikely heroes.

The cast features Nick Amodio (A Night of Too Many Stars hosted by Jon Stewart), Jordan Boyatt (EPIC Cabaret/Joe's Pub), Miles Butler (A Midsummer Night's Dream/Boomerang Theatre), Whitney Blythe (Little Shop of Horrors/EPIC), Samantha Elisofon (Keep the Change/Tribeca Film Festival), Kylie Hogrefe (EPIC Cabaret/Joe's Pub & Lincoln Center), Preston Burger (Night of 1000 Stevies), Anton Spivack (The Little Prince/EPIC), Max Baudsich (The Tempest/EPIC), Gianluca Cirafici (Little Shop of Horrors/EPIC), Dante Jayce (The Owl Girl/THML Theater), Harrison Gottfried (EPIC Players Underground), Zach Lichterman (Keep the Change/Tribeca Film Festival), Jesus Chevez (The Little Prince/EPIC), Amaker Smith (Priscilla Queen of the Desert/Broadway), Andrew Kader (You're a Good Man Charlie Brown/EPIC) and Gideon Pianko (Little Shop of Horrors/EPIC).

The creative team includes music direction/keyboard by Joshua Coyne, percussion by Larry Spivack, scenic design by Matthew Imhoff, lighting design by Zach Weeks, costume design by Catherine Fisher, costume assistant Kim Carter, sound design by Megan Culley, properties design by Wells Thorne, assistant director Lauren Callen, stage management by Michael Fernandez-Fortna, assistant stage managers Carol Hoverman and Ari Sloan. The production team includes Executive Artistic Director Aubrie Therrien and Director of Operations Talia Eapen.

Tickets are $25 (general), $55 (VIP), and $65 (opening night reception) and are available at www.here.org/shows/peter-and-the-starcatcher. The opening night reception starts at 5:30 pm and includes an open bar and hors d'oeuvres. Running time: 90 minutes, plus intermission. Recommended for all ages.

Performances take place at 145 6th Avenue (between Dominick & Spring Street), New York City, NY 10013. Subways: C/E to Spring Street, 1 to Houston, N/R to Prince Street.

More info is available at www.epicplayersnyc.org.

Award-winning playwright, Rick Elice's recent theatre credits include the musical My Very Own British Invasion which opened at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey (February 2019) and writing the book for The Cher Show. Other Broadway credits include co-writing Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical) with Marshall Brickman, Peter and the Starcatcher (nine Tony Award nominations/5 Tony Award wins), and The Addams Family (with Marshall Brickman, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa).

Director Travis Burbee is the Associate Artistic Director of EPIC Players. His previous directing work for EPIC includes The Little Prince, The Tempest, and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (assistant director) at The Flea Theater. Travis has performed with several theatre companies in the past and was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for his performance of Beethoven in EPIC's production of Dog Sees God. In addition, Travis also heads up the in school and community outreach for EPIC's education classes and performances. Travis graduated from Missouri State University with a BFA in Musical Theatre.

About EPIC Players
The EPIC Players--which stands for empower, perform, include and create--is a nonprofit, neuro-diverse theatre company in New York City founded in 2016 to provide opportunities for performers with developmental disabilities to represent themselves on stage and screen. EPIC seeks to use the performing arts as a vehicle to empower artists with developmental disabilities and pioneer increased inclusion in the arts.

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