WONDERFUL LIFE and TINSELTOWN USA Come to American Stage

American Stage is ringing in the holiday season with two festive events. One-person Christmas play Wonderful Life, and holiday art installation Tinseltown USA will take over the theatre from December 5 - 22. Wonderful Life, a one-person stage adaption of the 1945 Christmas flick, will feature Producing Artistic Director Helen R. Murray its opening weekend (December 5 - 8), with Gavin Hawk taking the stage for the remainder of the run (December 12 - 22). Murray, who penned the award-nominated adaptation with co-writer Jason Lott, will also direct Hawk.

 

“It's just fast-paced and just a lot of fun to watch one person bring the story to life,” says Associate Artistic Director, Anthony Gervais, who will direct Murray. “It's a classic story that we get to see, you know, in a new way.”

 

Like its film counterpart, Wonderful Life follows George Bailey's struggle to grasp why life is worth living, and the magic that shows him the indelible impact he has on his community of Bedford Falls. In this one-person reimagining, Murray and Hawk will play every character in the story, respectively.

 

Rounding out American Stage's foray into the holidays is Tinseltown USA, an immersive art installation that will see every inch of the theatre transformed into a winter wonderland. The experience was conceived by American Stage in partnership with Lost Creations, a Florida-based production company that specializes in large-scale immersive art installations.

 

“Lost Creations brings a level of experience with immersive build-outs and immersive experiences that is going to be crucial to bringing this project to life from conception, because it's something we've never done here,” says Gervais. “They are a group of brilliant designers and craftspeople who are doing the actual build-out. So they're there to make these concepts, and actually bring them to life for us.”

 

The self-guided art installation will include a wintry tavern with specialty drinks, an ice tunnel, a log cabin, and a magical toy shop guests can enter through an enchanted wardrobe a là Chronicles of Narnia. Though Wonderful Life and Tinseltown USA are separate, concurrent events, theatergoers have the option to bundle their experience for double the holiday fun.

 

This self-guided and self-paced experience welcomes groups of 10 every 15 minutes. “Bring your selfie sticks and bring a sense of curiosity, because there will be a lot of easter eggs and fun things to explore!” says Gervais.

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