THE COMIC BOOK THEATER FESTIVAL ISSUE #2 Plays the Brick, Now thru 6/29

The Brick Theater, Inc. announces The Comic Book Theater Festival Issue #2, today, June 3rd-29th, 2014.

PERFORMANCES: Repertory schedule from June 3rd through June 29th at The Brick, 579 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, one block from the L train Lorimer stop / G train Metropolitan stop. Tickets (FREE-$18) available at www.bricktheater.com or via OvationTix (212.352.3101).

For more information, visit http://www.bricktheater.com/comics.

3D COMICS ALIVE!

Presented by Jason Little

Sat 6/7, 7pm

Strap on your 3D SPACE GOGGLES (provided FREE with admission) and enter into the THIRD DIMENSION!

3D COMICS ALIVE presents 50s-era work from the Archer St. John Studio, the 1980s work of Ray Zone, and the little-known 60s underground work of Don Glassford. The 3D COMICS of the 50s through the 80s - projected large in BRICK-O-RAMA - come to LIFE in this MULTI-MEDIA PERFORMANCE! ROLES will be PERFORMED by ACTORS with MUSIC and LIVE SOUND EFFECTS!

The Astonishing Adventures of All American Girl & The Scarlet Skunk

Turn up the radio and get your decoder rings ready! Astonishing Adventures is a pulse-pounding tale of romance, comedy and action inspired by Golden Age comic books and radio shows. Thrill to the adventures of All American Girl and her plucky sidekick The Scarlet Skunk as they wage a two-fisted battle against injustice! Can they stand against the nefarious Doctor Mindshrinker and his deadly atomic ray gun? Will they find love on the rooftops of New York City? Find out in a tale unlike anything you have witnessed before! Brought to you by Chocolate Fluffo, the "Super delicious" dessert topping!

DMC - Live Reading

Written by Ron Wimberly Starring DMC of Run-DMC

Sat 6/21, 6:30pm

DMC is the graphic novel debut from Darryl Makes Comics, a joint venture between Studio Edgardo and Run DMC founding member Darryl McDaniels. The comic explores an alternate history 1980's NYC, where superpowered "heroes" serve the already powerful, unrest simmers in the streets, and a mysterious vigilante named DMC saves those without a voice.

Written and directed by Charles Battersby

Fri 6/6, 9pm
Tue 6/10, 8:45pm Fri 6/13, 10pm Wed 6/25, 9pm

El Coqui? Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom

Written by Matthew Barbot

Alex, a comic book artist recently out of work because his ideas might be "too Puerto Rican" has taken on the trappings of one of his creations: El Coqui? Espectacular, a hero that gets his powers from an enchanted carnival mask. When his brother Joe is fired from a project for not being Puerto Rican enough, the two, with the help of a young photographer, hatch a plan to debut El Coqui? at the Puerto Rican Day parade and redeem themselves.

Thu 6/5, 9pm Sat 6/7, 4:45pm Sun 6/15, 7pm Fri 6/27, 9pm

Hero How To

Dusky Projects/Konoa Joe Island Written by Wi-Moto Nyoka
Music by Wi-Moto Nyoka and Tommy Turnstyles

Directed by Charles Curtis

Hero How To is the origins story of the would-be hero Dusky Diana and the prologue to the web series The Last Days of Kartika. Hero How To uses Funk, Soul, and Hip Hop music to tell the story of the citizens of Kartika during their most troublesome times.

King Kirby

Written by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente

Jack "King of the Comics" Kirby is the most famous artist you've never heard of. Husband-and-wife playwriting team Fred Van Lente (award-winning, New York Times best selling comics writer of Cowboys & Aliens and Action Philosophers) and Crystal Skillman (NYIT Award-winning playwright of Geek, Cut, and The Vigil) combine their talents with director John Hurley (Action Philosophers!, Lickspittles, Buttonholers and Damned Pernicious Go Betweens, and The Vigil) to produce this hysterical and heartbreaking tale of how he poured his quintestially Twentith Century lide into his comics, and the fateful, tragic mistake that led him to obscurity, while his creation became known to every person on Earth.

Wed 6/4, 9pm
Fri 6/6, 7pm
Sun 6/8, 3pm
Sat 6/14, 6:30pm

Fri 6/20 & Wed 6/25, 7pm Sat 6/21, 3pm
Sat 6/28 & Sun 6/29, 5pm

Lifetime Supply

Written by Sarah Todes
Directed by John Kern and Andrew J. Scoville

Lifetime Supply is a live graphic novel in which Hannah collects a lifetime supply of Acai-Berry Supplements in her basement to win back the heart of the man she loves. When faced with a brutal rejection, Hannah attempts to commit suicide by swallowing all of the pills - but instead gains powers beyond her wildest imagination as her body, and the basement itself, transforms. Plunging into an ocean of Acai Supplements, Hannah will discover a world beyond the dark secrets of her past.

Mahogany Brown and the Case of The Disappearing Kid
Written by Gina Femia
Directed by Megan Kosmoski

Wed 6/11 & Wed 6/18, 7pm Sat 6/14, 3pm
Fri 6/20, 9pm

It was a day like any other, except different. It was different. The air was a little bit too still and the trees were a bit too tall. That day. The day Jimmy Jones' little boy disappeared. Follow Private Eye Mahogany Brown as she searches for the child supposedly taken by "The Nameless". As the case progresses, clues appear to reveal more about Mahogany Brown than she is ready to handle.

Masterpiece Comics Theater

Created by R. Sikoryak

Masterpiece Comics Theater - Where Classics and Cartoons Collide! This hour long multimedia show adapts R. Sikoryak's graphic novel "Masterpiece Comics" and its sequel and features re-tellings of classic literature in the styles of popular American comics. Inspired by epic poetry, Gothic romance, and Elizabethan tragedy, as well as superhero stories, cat cartoons, and gum wrappers, Masterpiece Comics Theater uses projections, a rotating cast of voice actors, and live sound effects in the manner of Sikoryak's long-running Carousel comics performance series.

Wed 6/4 & Fri 6/27, 7pm Sat 6/7, 3pm
Sat 6/14, 4:45pm

Sat 6/14, 8:15pm Tue 6/17, 7pm Sat 6/21, 4:45pm

Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles

Bobby Phobia Directed by Rob Blatt

Mon 6/23, 8pm

Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles is a live script read of the Ninja Turtles script, so bad even Michael Bay refused to make the movie. Join us for the teenage romance of teenage hockey goon Casey Jones, and CBS intern April O'Neil, that involves aliens, ninja turtles, the Technodrome and Dimension X. What a great way to ruin your childhood!

Mining the Moon

Written and Directed by Matthew Thurber

A werewolf who happens to be the president of the United States has remained in power by arresting the movement of the Moon. A cabal of businessmen have their sights on harvesting the lunar coal deposits, and attempt to depose him with the help of the last remaining Native Americans who hope to build a giant casino on their reservation that will reach into space - unless they can be stopped by President Furzedowne and his accomplice, a talking horse named Mr. Colostomy. Inspired by the deadpan theatrical works of Raymond Roussel and the puppetry-influenced plays of Alfred Jarry, as well as 19th century Bowery melodrama, Matthew Thurber's musical adaptation of his own comic is enhanced by elaborate costumes, painted backdrops, scrolls, and lo-fi special effects.

The Myth of Power with Caveman Robot & Drummond Pierce-Nez
Starsailor
Written by Adam McGovern and Jason Robert Bell

Long thought taped over by an Arizona PBS station for a less significant Bill Moyers segment, The Myth of Power is not just in your imagination! Archetype hunter and mail-order tribal initiate Drummond Pierce-Nez gets to meet and interview his favorite pop deity, comicbook paragon Caveman Robot, live and incarnate for one sleepless night only. Get a courtside seat to the conceptual cage-match of the last 150 million years as the mechanical manchild and the hero of a thousand of his own stories dish about what the elder gods and fire-breathing Yeti were really like when the scribes weren't carving.

Sun 6/8, 5pm
Tue 6/10 & Thu 6/26, 7pm Sat 6/21, 8pm

Thu 6/5, 7pm Tue 6/17, 9pm

Namor

Written by J. Anthony Roman

Appearing as part of Comic Strip Club Fri 6/13, 7pm

J. Anthony Roman's Namor is a look into duality that explores the strain that is put on an individual who is trying to succeed in two different worlds.

No, YOU Tell It!: Legacy

No, YOU Tell It!

Sun 6/8, 7pm

No, YOU Tell It! is a "switched-up" storytelling series where performers write their own true-life tales and then trade with a partner to present each other's story. For more information, visit www.noyoutellit.com.

For this special festival installment, the NYTI creative team, Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons, Mike Dressel, and Erika Iverson are working with a group of four storytellers as they develop their stories based around a piece of comic art created by Sha-Nee Williams. Switching stories gives all involved the opportunity to both craft their own story on the page and then watch as it's performed in front of an audience by their partner.

Out of Frame: Dance+Comics

Curated by Patrice Miller

Can Catwoman do the twist? What happens when Fire and Ice tango? [Out of Frame] brings choreographers and comic book artists together to answer these and other important questions. This bill of short dance and movement pieces explores the intersection of sequential art and movement, showcasing new and exciting collaborations from emerging and established choreographers, directors, and visual artists.

Tue 6/24, 9pm Sat 6/28, 9pm Sat 6/29, 3pm

The Retardedly Boring Misadventures of Apathy Boy

Foxy Henriques and The Circuit Theatre Company Written by Skylar Fox and Simon Henriques Animation by Alex Lee

"What part of 'I don't care' don't you understand?" he says in a measured tone, as he gives that signature "Whatever" shrug. It's Apathy Boy. Yay. In a world that cares too much, Apathy Boy is really good at saving himself. In an alternate world, a high school boy tells Apathy Boy's story as he draws it into life. As these worlds collide, a hero meets his maker, and nothing will ever be the same.

This new play from Foxy Henriques combines live action with animation to tell a story about ... whatever. If you want to know, come to the show. Or don't. Nothing matters anyway.

RETCONtroversy

Written by Natalie Zutter Directed by Shannon Lippert

*On a double bill with White Space

Thu 6/19 & Sun 6/22, 7pm Fri 6/20, 10:30pm

Thu 6/19, 9pm* Sun 6/22, 5pm* Tue 6/24, 7pm*

Sat 6/28, 3pm

Stinger (a.k.a. Nora Echolls) was everyone's favorite girl-wonder, rooftop-jumping sidekick, until a tragic attack left her partially paralyzed. Slowly and painfully, Eleanor recreated herself as Echo, a brainy superhero support system. But twenty years later, she's being retconned: Stinger is back, shiny and new, and was never paralyzed to begin with! Now, Echo has to use that big brain of hers to keep the canon from changing. Unfortunately, her smartest idea was to kidnap her younger self.

Swell

Adapted from the graphic novel by Juliacks Directed by Kathleen Amshoff
Assistant directed by Sam Creely

Thu 6/12, 7pm Fri 6/13, 8:30pm Sat 6/14, 10pm Sun 6/15, 3pm

Emmeline Grouse lives in a small town in Vermont, in a house overlooking an abandoned cemetery where she and her sister Lucy would often play. Adapted from the comic art novel by Juliacks, SWELL is an ongoing project that explores the memory-shifting and kaleidoscopic journey of grief, as Emmeline confronts her fears, dreams, and imagination. Following its March 2012 premiere at Culture Project's Women Center Stage Festival in Manhattan, and its reimagining at the Atomic Centre by a new team of New York-, Lyon- and Winnipeg-based artists, SWELL is reincarnated for the Comic Book Theater Festival in a new version that draws from SWELLs past to reenact moments in Emmeline's stream of recollections.

Switch to Kill

Gemini CollisionWorks Written by Dean Haspiel Directed by Ian W. Hill

In a world where no one knows anyone's true identity, professional hit men Dallas Twilite and Buck Dangerzone engage in a psychological duel that triggers cold-blooded acts of murder. Haunted by his younger brother's death years ago, Dallas, in a twist of events, realizes that he has never witnessed his partner, Buck, kill a man, while that partner insists that he's been responsible for every kill and won't admit how. Their disagreement breaks a trust that has bonded them since day one. All hell breaks loose when Frank the Shank sparks a distribution war, geriatric assassins Jimmy the Face and Massacre Mel deliver the wrong head to gang lord rival Bohannon, and gun salesman Stan the Man sells the right bullets to the wrong men. Through a series of harried gun play and emotional tests, a trust is reinstated and ghosts are lifted from the psyche of grief-stricken killers.

White Space

Written by Brett Ackerman Co-directed by Brett Ackerman and Nicola McEldowney

*On a double bill with RETCONtroversy

Set within three panels of an old space adventure comic book, "White Space" follows two background characters, Alex and Samantha, as they attempt to understand their purpose in the grand scheme of the comic's narrative. After part of Alex's panel falls off, he finds Samantha was living in the panel next to him for years. Together, they conspire to bust out of their square prisons and discover where their destiny lies. What Alex doesn't know is that his death is only a panel away.

Comic Strip Club

Tue 6/3, 7pm - FREE Fri 6/13, 7pm

Join us for an free opening night preview of our upcoming shows. And then join us again the following week, when we present an evening of original short works by a number of comics and theater artists, including J. Anthony Roman's "Namor" and more to be announced shortly!

Thu 6/12 & Thu 6/26, 9pm Sun 6/15, 5pm
Sat 6/28, 7pm

Thu 6/19, 9pm* Sat 6/22, 3pm Sun 6/22, 5pm* Tue 6/24, 7pm*

For more information email comics@bricktheater.com. The Brick, Winner of The New York Innovative Theatre Awards' 2009 Caffe Cino Fellowship Award!

The Brick is located at 579 Metropolitan Avenue (between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on the L & G subway lines (L: Lorimer stop; G: Metropolitan stop). For more detailed directions & further information, visit http://www.bricktheater.com. The Brick and its non-profit company, The Brick Theater, Inc. were founded in September of 2002 by Robert Honeywell and Michael Gardner. Formerly an auto- body shop, a storage space and a yoga center, this brick- walled garage was completely refurbished into a state-of- the-art theater complex, with a large sprung floor and professional lighting and sound package.

Winner of THE 2009 CAFFE CINO FELLOWSHIP AWARD, The Brick is Williamsburg, Brooklyn's destination for cutting-edge theatrical experience. Home to the critically acclaimed premieres of Bouffon Glass Menajoree (NY IT Award Winner-Outstanding Play), Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War (NY IT Award Winner-Outstanding Play), Craven Monkey and the Mountain of Fury (NY IT Award Nominee-Outstanding Performance Art Production), Greed: A Musical Love $tory (NY IT Award Nominee-Outstanding Musical), Red Cloud Rising, Theatre of the Arcade and Suspicious Package (NY IT Award Nominee-Outstanding Play), The Brick has hosted some of downtown theater's most innovative artists, including Annie Baker, Young Jean Lee, The Debate Society, Banana Bag & Bodice, Thomas Bradshaw, and Jollyship the Whiz-Bang's Nick Jones. The Brick has also hosted The Iranian Theater Festival, The Comic Book Theater Festival, Fight Fest, Game Play: A Celebration of Video Game Theater, five years of the international NY Clown Theatre Festival, Gemini CollisionWorks' August repertory festival (The Collisionworks), The Too Soon Festival, The Antidepressant Festival, You're Welcome, Adventure Quest, The Nosemaker's Apprentice, The Protestants, The Granduncle Quadrilogy, Lord Oxford Presents the Second American Revolution, Live!, Third Lows' 2-year Penny Dreadful serial, Richard Foreman's Harry in Love, The Film Festival: A Theater Festival, Babylon Babylon, Notes from Underground, Bitch Macbeth, A Thought about Raya, World Gone Wrong, The Pretentious Festival (including Every Play Ever Written and Macbeth without Words), Strom Thurmond Is Not a Racist/Cleansed, The Death of Griffin Hunter, Untitled Theater Co. #61's Havel Festival, Sexadelic Cemetery, The Kung Fu Importance of Being Earnest, The $ellout Festival, Adventures of Caveman Robot, The Baby Jesus One-Act Jubilee, Memoirs of My Nervous Illness, The Moral Values Festival, World Gone Wrong, Tupperware Orgy, Bizarre Science Fantasy, Who Is Wilford Brimley? The Musical, Jenna is nuts, Habitat, In a Strange Room (based on William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying), Assurbanipal Babilla's Assyrian Monkey Fantasy and Stanislaw Witkiewicz's The Pragmatists.

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