THE BALLAD OF AURELIE THE BOLD to be Presented by Bag&Baggage Productions

Bag&Baggage Productions will return to deliver their most robust digital production yet with a new original show, The Ballad of Aurelie The Bold: a Grimm Brothers Story of Iron & Gold, by Elliot Lorenc, with original musical compositions by Jesse Groat, all in collaboration with Trevor Harter & Kenny Pratt, streaming this May and June. An adaptation of the Grimm Brothers' "Iron John" tale, this comedic play with music made for young audiences is a creation of the Bag&Baggage Emerging Artist program, featuring songs, humor, and puppetry. The show is directed by B&B Resident Artist Mandana Khoshnevisan, and will be available for on-demand streaming beginning May 22.

In The Ballad of Aurelie the Bold, our hero, the titular Aurelie, befriends a monstrous creature named Iron Jo, a talking goose named Skyler, and a woodland construction crew, as they journey through the forest. Together, they seek to liberate their town from the corrupt Coyne Enterprises in this imaginative adventure full of laughter and heart. The show marks the first full-length mainstage offering from Bag&Baggage since the cancellation of The Measure of Innocence in March of 2020, and has been in development since the fall of 2019. "As theatre artists, we've spent a lot of the past year cultivating our filmmaking skills in an attempt to stay connected with our audiences," says Bag&Baggage Artistic Director Cassie Greer. "This production is part theatre, part film, allowing viewers to experience a play - from the comfort and safety of their own homes - in a completely unique way."

The Ballad of Aurelie the Bold is a creation of Bag&Baggage's Emerging Artist Program, a 10-month long apprenticeship that provides across-the-board theatrical training to early career theatre professionals. As the COVID-19 pandemic overtook our world, those 10-months expanded into a nearly 20-month program for the 2019-2020 Emerging Artist cohort of Elliot Lorenc, Trevor Harter, Jesse Groat, and Kenny Pratt. "When this global catastrophe started, [Bag&Baggage] had every right to let us Emerging Artists go and salvage what they could for the theater," says Harter, who not only appears in the show as Skyler and Baba Yasha, but also designed all the puppets. "But they didn't do that. Instead, for over a year of quarantine and isolation, [Bag&Baggage] has kept the Emerging Artists informed and included us as part of the team through all of the decision-making that involved us, and did everything that they could to make this show possible."

"I'm glad we could finally share this story with audiences," adds Jesse Groat, who portrays the monstrous Iron Jo, in addition to working as the Sound Designer and Composer on the show. "And now that it's wrapping up, I'm definitely gonna miss this crew."

Joining Harter and Groat on stage are Elliot Lorenc as Aurelie, who also served as the primary playwright; Kenny Pratt as the Deck Manager (aka "The Stage Magic"), who also served as Scenic Designer; and Janelle Rae, previously seen on the Vault Theater stage in The Game's Afoot and the The Measure of Innocence in the 2019/20 Season. "I couldn't be more proud and honored to be a part of this cast - the detail and care that has been taken to ensure our safety and our overall wellbeing is heartwarming," says Janelle Rae, who portrays the insidious Coyne, in addition to a handful of other quirky characters. "I hope people find levity and solace in the idea that each of us mean something to the world, and that our desires, creativity, and individuality are pertinent to the fabric of a cohesive society."

The production team is rounded out by Bag&Baggage staff members Jim Ricks-White (Technical Director & Lighting Designer); TS McCormick (Production Manager & Sound Engineer); Ephriam Harnsberger (Stage Manager & Camera Operator); and Cassie Greer (Camera Operator); along with Shannon Cramer (Scenic Artist). "While B&B definitely provides the framework and support, this show is 100% the work of our Emerging Artists, who continually amaze me with their creativity," Greer says about this season's Emerging Artists cohort. "The result is a super fun and engaging piece that I can't wait for our audiences to experience!"

The Ballad of Aurelie the Bold: a Grimm Brothers Story of Iron & Gold will be available for on-demand streaming May 22-June 13. One "pay what you will" ticket provides streaming to an entire household, and can be accessed at any point in the May 22-June 13 window; tickets will be available to purchase starting May 22. Find more information at bagnbaggage.org

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