1812 Productions Adds ALLS I KNOW IS THIS to 20th Anniversary Season

1812 Productions has added to its 20th anniversary season the limited engagement special event, Alls I Know Is This.

Alls I Know Is This is written and performed by Jennifer Childs as her beloved South Philadelphia character, Patsy. For the past 10 years, Patsy has been a celebrated character in 1812 Productions' annual political satire, This Is The Week That Is. The character's ongoing popularity has given her a life of her own with special engagement events, taking to the airwaves as a satirical news correspondent for WHYY, and even sharing stage and screen time with former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Senator Bob Casey, and then-councilman Jim Kenney.

Ms. Childs created Alls I Know Is This, a title taken from Patsy's signature story-telling introduction, in response to 2016's unprecedented presidential election. She says, "We finished our most recent run of This Is The Week That Is on the night before the election. For five weeks leading up to it, I had the opportunity to be in the theater with a diverse cast and audience, battling the tension and divisiveness of the campaign with laughter and a shared sense of community. Suddenly, the election was over, the show was over, and there was this surreal and sad sense of isolation. Half the country was in deep mourning and half was joyful. And that division continues. There has been no rallying cry for post-election unity and many on both sides are angry-swastikas are being spray-painted on playgrounds and it is unclear as to whether they are there as condemnation or celebration of our President-Elect. There are some decidedly unfunny and dangerous things happening in the country right now. As an artist, a comedy writer, a woman, a mother, and a citizen, I feel obligated to respond to these events and to reach out to a broader community to continue the conversation we started during This Is The Week That Is. Patsy helps me hone in on a voice of reason and, over the years, she has provided some much needed common sense and laughter to our audiences."

Alls I know Is This finds Patsy preparing for Christmas, inviting the audience to her iconic Shunk Street Stoop. It's a time for celebration and she has rolled out the welcome mat. Ms. Childs continues, "I created Patsy as an homage to the smart, strong South Philadelphia women I've loved since I moved to this city 30 years ago. I am honored that audiences have embraced her so warmly. She's become a living example of 1812's guiding philosophy that when people are laughing, they're open-to ideas, to being together, to conversation, to letting go of frustrations. I'm excited to get her back on stage and to laugh with a room full of people as we try and work through some of this insanity together."

Alls I Know Is This will be performed at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place in Center City on Monday, December 19th and Tuesday, December 20th at 7:30. Seating is limited. All tickets are $25 ($20 for 1812 subscribers) and are available at 215-592-9560 or at www.1812productions.org.

Alls I Know Is This replaces the previously announced Cherry Bomb Reunion Concert. The Cherry Bomb Reunion Concert has been canceled due to scheduling difficulties. Should the concert be rescheduled, a new announcement will be made.

About Jennifer Childs (Writer/ Performer): Jennifer Childs is the Producing Artistic Director and Co-Founder of 1812 Productions. For 1812 she has created over a dozen original works of theater including This Is The Week That Is, Always a Lady, Our Show of Shows, Cherry Bomb, It's My Party: The Women and Comedy Project, To The Moon, and I Will Not Go Gently, which was recently honored with three Barrymore Award nominations for Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical (winner), and Outstanding Original Music. Her one-woman show Why I'm Scared of Dance by Jen Childs premiered at 1812 and has since been performed at Delaware Theatre Company, the Kohler Arts Center in Wisconsin, Act II Playhouse, and City Theatre in Pittsburgh. Favorite performances outside of 1812 include The Happiness Lecture with Bill Irwin at Philadelphia Theater Company, Spin at the Wilma Theater, Red Herring and Dex and Julie Sittin' in a Tree at Arden Theatre Company.

1812 Productions was founded in 1997 and is the only professional theater company in the country dedicated to comedy. With a focus on devised and original works, 1812 Productions' mission is to produce theatrical works of comedy and comedic works of theatre that explore and celebrate our sense of community, our history, and our humanity.

Photo by Mark Garvin

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