Curio Theatre Company Celebrates 20 Years In West Philadelphia And Opens Season With THE THANKSGIVING PLAY

Curio Theatre Company celebrates 20 years of theatre in West Philadelphia this upcoming season. The company kicks off this anniversary season with the Philadelphia premiere of Larissa FastHorse's Broadway hit, The Thanksgiving Play.

Then the company debuts a new Make/Partake production of The Three Little Pigs during the holiday season. In the New Year, audiences can spend one night with the powerhouse that is Shirley Chisholm in Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed. The season concludes with a return to the hysterical A Funeral Farce, co-written by Curio founders Paul Kuhn and Jared Reed. 

Curio Theatre Company is located inside the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue. Find tickets and more information at www.curiotheatre.org.

The season begins with the Philadelphia Premiere of The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse. The play centers around a group of four well-meaning but culturally insensitive white theatre artists who attempt to create a politically correct elementary school play about the first Thanksgiving while struggling with their own biases and the lack of Native representation. The Thanksgiving Play was a hit on Broadway and has been one of the most produced plays in the country. Curio Theatre Co-Founder, Tim Martin, is directing this smart and funny premiere which runs October 23-November 9. Opening Night is Saturday, October 26.

“We are excited to open our 20th Anniversary Season by bringing you the Philadelphia Premiere of Larissa FastHorse's comedy, The Thanksgiving Play and it is my honor to direct this piece,” said Martin. “Our playwright was tired of hearing many theatres say that they couldn't produce plays with Native characters because there weren't enough Native actors. This play is her response. Four well-meaning theatre artists come together to create a play for an elementary school, all the while struggling with the need for Native representation. Watch and laugh as they sort through cultural myths of our nation's favorite family-focused turkey feast, by America's premiere Lakota playwright”.

Next, in time for the holidays, Curio is bringing back its Make/Partake theatre experience. The next show is The Three Little Pigs, written by Company Co-Founder and Artistic Director Paul Kuhn. As they did with Jack In The Beanstalk last year, children will begin by making theatre props, set pieces, voice recordings and more. All of these will then be incorporated into the story to create a magical theatre experience for all who attend. The Three Little Pigs runs December 12-29. Opening is Saturday, December 14. Recommended for children 3-12 though the whole family will enjoy it!

In the New Year, Curio is welcoming Ingrid Griffith and her award-winning one-woman show Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed. This immersive and interactive solo show is about the first African-American woman to run for the presidency of the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. She was a Brooklyn-born daughter of Carribean parents on a mission. They called her the Black Joan of Arc. She called herself Fighting Shirley as she faced off against the political machine in the name of justice. This one-night only performance will be February 8. 

The final show of the year is A Funeral Farce. To celebrate Curio's 20th season in West Philadelphia, the company is bringing  back an original comedy, 2009's A Funeral Farce.  The plot promises to provide a very funny look at what is normally considered a grim business. When mistakes are made in some businesses, you hear the phrase “heads will roll!” But when mistakes happen at the Fasbow's Funeral Home, entire bodies start rolling. This piece runs April 30-May 17. Opening Night is May 3. 

About Curio Theatre Company

Curio Theatre Company's mission is to serve audiences in West Philadelphia and beyond with high quality, affordable theatre performances; to develop artistic talent through ensemble, company-based training and rehearsal processes; and to further academic, social, and personal development through arts education. The artistic and educational arms of the theatre company are intertwined as we make our home in the diverse community of West Philadelphia. The company's educational program was awarded the 2017 Victory Theatre Education Award at the Barrymore Awards Ceremony. It marked the company's first Barrymore Award. Curio Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 non-profit company based in West Philadelphia. The Company was founded by professional artists and administrators who met at the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA, and incorporated as a non-profit in 2004. After touring locally and internationally for several years, the Company began a search for a permanent home. In January 2005, Curio Theatre Company joined in partnership with the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia. This partnership provides Curio with a performance venue and classrooms within the Calvary Center as well as office space and company housing in the adjacent parish house. 

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