JACK & THE BEANSTALK Promotes Equality and Joy Starting Today at Abrons Arts Center

Abrons Arts Center and ONEOFUS will present the world premiere of Jack & The Beanstalk, a holiday extravaganza that promotes radical joy and equality in all forms. Running today, December 6, through December 23, Jack & The Beanstalk features a diverse cast of 22 Lower East Side performers.

Written by disabled actor and writer Mat Fraser and directed by legendary feminist performer Julie Atlas Muz, Jack & the Beanstalkbrings tap-dancing animals, puppets, pie fights, pop music, cross-dressing characters and the glitteriest of sets to the Lower East Side. Returning to Abrons Arts Center after their critically acclaimed show Beauty and the Beast, Fraser and Muz are thrilled to be making their first all-ages event.

"Now more than ever, New York City needs family theater that is inherently irreverent and lightly political-with good eventually triumphing over evil," says Fraser and Muz. "We got married in the Playhouse 2012, performed Beauty and the Beast in 2014 to critical acclaim, and consider Abrons to be our artistic home. Let's celebrate surviving 2017 together and bring the whole family to this riotous, all-ages spectacular."

The cast of Jack & the Beanstalk, a mix of veteran and up-and-coming performers, includes Dirty Martini, Hawthorn Albatross III, Michael Johnnie Lynch, Matt Roper, Jenni Gil, David Ilku, Christina Duryea, Sarah Folkins, Ekaterina Sknarina, Jonathan Rodriguez, Poison Ivory, Allison Jane, Mikey Giordano, Lute Breuer, Rachael Wickham Shane and Kate Brehm, as well as a chorus of six children: Belle Breuer, Annabel Cole, Oliver Medlin, Dylan Cox, Briseis Mendez, and Nate Maxwell.

The creative team includes Neelam Vaswani (Production Design), David Quinn (Costume Designer), Steven Hammel (Scenic), Ben Williams (Sound), Jon Harper (Lights), Meghan Kelleher (Music Director), Randy Luna (Choreographer), Basil Twist (Puppet Consultant), Kristina Auten (Stage Manager), and Michelle Stern (Associate Producer).

Performances of Jack & The Beanstalk will take place December 6-23 (see schedule above) at Abrons Arts Center, located at 466 Grant Street in Manhattan. Critics are welcome as of December 7 for an opening on Sunday, December 10 at 2pm. Tickets, priced at $25-$45, can be purchased by visiting abronsartscenter.org or by calling 212-352-3101.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Mat Fraser is best known for his role as Paul the Illustrated Seal in American Horror Story: Freak Show, and is a legendary sideshow artist who's worked in Coney Island's sideshow since 2000. He is a seasoned stage actor, having recently played the title role in Richard III in the UK, and look out for him in Peter Farrelly's new TV comedy this fall, Loudermilk. Fraser is also a well-known drummer (he played with Coldplay in the 2012 Paralympics ceremony) and is a keen disability advocate.

Julie Atlas Muz, one of the most acclaimed, legendary and prolific conceptual performers in New York, is a multi-laureate: a Whitney Biennial Artist, Lambent Fellow, a Franklin Furnace Artist to name a few. Deemed "Royalty of Burlesque" by The New York Times, winning both Miss Exotic World and Miss Coney Island 2006, Julie has appeared on the large and small screens, including the Cannes-Award-winning film, Tournée.

ONEOFUS: We are outsiders, with inclusivity at the heart of what we do. Traversing the world as radical artists looking for alternative ways to be inside, the main thrust of our work is to highlight, question and poke fun at the absurdity of normality, using a loving cup of artistic agitation. We accept you, one of us. ONEOFUS is Julie Atlas Muz and Mat Fraser. We live just down the road and are integrated members of the Abrons Arts Center Community.

The Abrons Arts Center is the OBIE Award-winning performing and visual arts program O. Henry Street Settlement. Abrons supports the creation and presentation of innovative, multi-disciplinary work; cultivates artists in all stages of their practice with educational programs, mentorships, residencies and commissions; and serves as an intersection of engagement for local, national and international audiences and arts-workers.

Each year the Abrons offers over 250 performances, 12 gallery exhibitions and 30 residencies for performing and studio artists, and 100 different classes in dance, music, theater, and visual art. The Abrons also provides New York City public schools with teaching artists, introducing more than 3,000 students to the arts. For more information, go to www.abronsartscenter.org.

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