Kids Musical EDNA THE STOMPER Makes NYC Debut Today at The Tank

The Tank in association with Rebel Playhouse will present the New York Premiere of the musical Edna the Stomper at The Tank's new home at 312 West 36th Street.

Performances will be today, October 7 at 10am, Sunday, October 8 at 2pm, Saturday, October 14 at 10am, Sunday, October 15 at 2pm, Saturday, October 21 at 10am, Sunday, October 22 at 2pm, Saturday, October 28 at 10am, Sunday, October 29 at 2pm, Saturday, November 4 at 10am, Sunday, November 5 at 2pm, Saturday, November 11 at 10am, andSunday, November 12 at 2pm.

Tickets ($35 for adults; $25 for children) are available for advance purchase at www.thetanknyc.org. (Early Bird pricing good for ticket purchases through October 2: $25 for adults; $15 for children.)

In EDNA THE STOMPER, seven-year-old Edna stomps everywhere and stomps a lot. It is driving her very talented family crazy! EDNA THE STOMPER is a musical for all ages complete with songs, stomps, and some puny monster puppets! This heartfelt tale deals with the issues of self worth, creative expression, and finding one's place in the family. Rebel Playhouse's production gets audiences moving and grooving along with Edna as she sets off to find out just what makes her unique!

EDNA THE STOMPER is recommended for ages 4 and up. Each show will be followed by an optional workshop for kids.

EDNA THE STOMPER features a book by Laura Toffenetti, and music by Janet Jungden, directed and choreographed by Sarah Sutliff, with musical direction by Christina Bottley. The cast features Alaina Fragoso (Once On This Island, Blue Spruce Theatre), Julia Karis (Seussical, Once Upon a Time Players), Clara Kundin (Pedro Reyes' Doomocracy), Jackie Richards (Macbeth, Theatre Y), Jessica Rogers (Play Me a Story, Portland Stage Company), and Greer Samuels (Saint Joan, The Secret Theater) with Swing Sarah Sutliff (The Tempest, Torn Out Theater).

Sarah Sutliff (Director/Choreographer) is a director, choreographer, and performer. She has directed and choreographed over a dozen Jr. and full-length productions with Saratoga Children's Theatre, the Shenendehowa Summer Adventure theater program, and the Galli Theater NY among others. Sarah is a resident performer with How We GLOW a play exploring gender identities of LGBTQ+ teenagers in NYC. She co-founded Rebel Playhouse in 2016 and is proud to serve as artistic director. She directed/choreographed Old Turtle and the Broken Truth, for Rebel Playhouse, which was nominated for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Musical at the 2017 New York Innovative Theatre Awards.

Janet Jungden (Composer) began her musical career at the age of 9 by learning to play the accordion. During high school she added flute and keyboards. After graduating from the University of Connecticut with high honors in education, she went on to study jazz at the University of Bridgeport. For over 35 years Jan has performed throughout the northeast with various groups playing jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock 'n roll. She currently heads the jazz group, the Jan Jungden Trio and has released a jazz CD of primarily original music, Smooth Ride. She was a quarter finalist in the American Songwriters Festival. For ten years she was musical director for shows at the Mansfield Middle School in Connecticut. This is where she met and began collaborating with Laura Toffenetti on her original musical, Tailor!, and later Edna the Stomper and Transylvania Bed and Breakfast, Miami.

Laura Toffenetti (Playwright) is a playwright, book writer and lyricist. In 1985 she collaborated with five women creating the play Going to see the Elephant, published by Dramatists. It won best play for that year by Drama Logue, LA Reader, and the International PEN award. It was also nominated for LA Drama Critic's Circle Award and was listed in LA TIMES Best Bets for the entire year. Without a Parachute was produced by Pasta Fazule Players, 2009, Des Plaines, IL, and was chosen for South Camden Reading Festival 2013. Other plays include Blue Heron, 1945 (semi-finalist Greenhouse Project, Strange Sun, NYC) and Sinkhole (semi-finalist Route 66, Chicago). She has three teenage one acts published by Heure. She has also written the book and lyrics for Tailor!, Edna the Stomper, and Transylvania Bed and Breakfast, Miami with her collaborator Jan Jungden.

Rebel Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational theater company based out of Brooklyn, New York. Founded in the fall of 2016 by Executive Director Clara Kundin, Artistic Director Sarah Sutliff, and Educational Director Greer Samuels, Rebel Playhouse is a theater for young audiences committed to empowering, educating, and entertaining NYC audiences. The Rebel Playhouse produces works for children and families based on stories that break traditions and challenge normative thinking, and offers classes designed to foster creative development. In May 2017, Rebel Playhouse presented their inaugural production Old Turtle and the Broken Truth in NYC to critical acclaim with an encore run in Troy, NY, and their world premiere of Edna the Stomper was the best seller at the 2017 Chicago Fringe Festival Kids Fringe. Visit www.rebelplayhouse.org for more information.

The Tank is a non-profit arts presenter serving emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. We serve over 1,000 artists every year in over 400 performances, and work across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, public affairs, and storytelling. Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusiveness and remove the burden of cost from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. The heart of our services is providing free performance space in our 98 seat proscenium and 56 seat blackbox that we operate in Manhattan, and we also offer a suite of other services such as free rehearsal space, promotional support, artist fees, and much more. We keep ticket prices affordable and view our work as democratic, opening up both the creation and attendance of the arts to all. Since its founding in 2003, artists who have come through The Tank include Alex Timbers, Amy Herzog, Lucy Alibar, Mike Daisey, Reggie Watts, Kyle Abraham, Andrew Bujalski, We Are Scientists, and tens of thousands of others. Go to www.thetanknyc.org.

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