Based on Denis Woychuk's beloved picture books about a hippopotamus, Mimi, and a mouse, Gustav, who get what they wish for: adventure, excitement & each other. Big & little, everyone has a special gift. Denis has adapted his stories for the stage with new lyrics & dialogue, Stephen Brennan directs, original music by Caitlin Rodgers. FREE GIFTS FOR THE KIDS!
Mimi & Gustav In Love and PIRATES! will feature Michael Goldlist, Chris Krenning, and Victoria Pace.
The production, presented by Horse Trade Theater Group will play at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery), November 6-December 19, Saturdays at 1pm and Sundays at noon. Tickets ($20, $15 kids, students, & seniors) are available by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444 or online at www.horseTRADE.info.
DENIS WOYCHUK (Playwright) is the writer and lyricist of this new children's musical, based on his two beloved picture books, Mimi & Gustav in The Other Side Of The Wall, a funny story of how two very different individuals come to love and respect each other, and Mimi & Gustav in Pirates!, a thrilling adventure on the high seas. His last show, Attorney for the Damned, a rock musical based on a book he'd written of the same name, was lauded by The New York Times as "Maybe what musical theater, at its best, can still be."
STEVE BRENNAN (Director) has worked as a circus clown, book editor and author, teacher, cabaret artist, actor, director, playwright and sheepherder. He was a founding member of the resident Acting Company at the Perry Street Theatre in NYC where he appeared in over fifty productions, and directed the Experimental Unit for over ten years. Other New York acting credits include work with the New York Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater, The Actors Studio, Ubu Rep, Theatre of the Open Eye, John Houseman Studio Theater and The Harold Clurman Theater Company. His TV and film credits are numerous and include the short film "la dolce Gilda" for the original Saturday Night Live. He also acted in London's fringe theatre for a spell and was a circus clown for two seasons with Circus Vargas. His published works include fifteen anthologies including The Greatest Circus Stories Ever Told, Classic Adventure Stories, The Gigantic Book of Pirate Stories, The Adventurous Boy's Guide, The Adventurous Girl's Guide, The Greatest Cowboy Stories Ever Told, and Hit The Nerve / New Voices of the American Theater. His last directing assignment for the Kraine Theater was the acclaimed 2008 production of Attorney For The Damned about which the New York Times said "Maybe what musical theater, at its best, can still be." He is now a playwright and director with the Kaufman Center on the Upper West Side, where he has written and directed (over twenty plays for young people) for the Merkin Concert Hall stage.
CAITLIN RODGERS (Music Director) is a singer-songwriter currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. She writes a groove- based variety of folk music that combines thoughtful lyrics with innovative beats. Hailing from Boston, where she studied at Berklee College of Music, Caitlin has performed in many clubs across the Northeast. Audiences enjoy her presence on stage. In addition to her performing group, Caitlin teaches and writes music for children.
HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP is a self-sustaining theater development group; with a focus on new work, it has produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. Horse Trade's Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent Theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. It is also the home of FRIGID New York - the first and only festival of its kind in New York City.
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