First Draft Announces Partnership with 1st Stage to Present JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

First Draft at Charter Theater, a nonprofit organization devoted to the development of audiences and new plays, announced today that it is teaming with 1st Stage, the award-winning theater company in Tysons Corner, to produce a brand new comic adaptation of "Jack and the Bean-Stalk," aimed squarely at families with children. This unique partnership will provide Northern Virginia families with a place to see quality live theater in their own neighborhood.

The play - written by Mario Baldessari, with music by Rex Daugherty - is a fun-for-the-whole-family, laugh-out-loud rollercoaster ride of quirky characters, including an irreverent Cow, a crafty, bean-peddling Stranger and a saucy Hen What Lays the Golden Eggs. The play will debut on May 28 and run through June 19. Tickets are $15.

"1st Stage presented us with an incredible opportunity to further our mission of developing new plays alongside new audiences," said First Draft Artistic Director Leslie A. Kobylinski. "It is our shared hope that this partnership will expand the audience in Northern Virginia for family entertainment and live-performance theater, and significantly increase 1st Stage's base of regular patrons."

"Expanding our programming to include theater that's fun for the whole family has been part of our vision since we opened 1st Stage," said Artistic Director Mark Krikstan. "We are delighted to bring this new play, which generated a lot of good word-of-mouth at the Kennedy Center festival last fall, to full production. If having high-quality family entertainment in Tysons Corner proves to be a draw for the community, we anticipate offering more such plays."

"'Jack and the Bean-Stalk' is a Warner Brothers cartoon come to life," Kobylinski said. "Aimed at younger audiences, but with lots of laughs built in for adults, it's a perfect fit for families who want to share the joy of live-performance theater with their children."

Written for children and adults by DC playwright Mario Baldessari, and directed by Kobylinski, "Jack and the Bean-Stalk" is a parody of the famous British folktale and contemporary children's entertainment. The Washington Post has called Baldessari's previous plays "hilarious," "Simpsonesque" and "an impish blend of smart satire and deadpan wackiness." "Jack" is his first foray into theater written specifically for younger audiences and families.

Baldessari's previous credits include: "Fat Gay Jew" (Charter Theater, 2009), "Fear Itself" (Charter Theater, 2007), "Sacred Cows" (coauthored with Jim Helein, Charter Theater, 2005), "Wonders Never Cease" (coauthored with Jim Helein and Barry Wood, Charter Theater, 2006), "The Rule of Three" (Warehouse Theater, 2002) and "The Cows Come Home" (Writer's Center, 2001). Baldessari is an artistic associate with Charter Theater, an improvisational comedy instructor for the National Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and a charter member of the comedy troupe, Dropping the Cow.

"Jack and the Bean-Stalk" will run May 28 through June 19 with show times as follows: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays @ noon; Memorial Day Monday @ 11 am and 2 pm; and two special "Family Night Out" performances on Saturdays, June 4 and 18, @ 6 pm. Tickets are $15. Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. All tickets are for general admission seating. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.1ststagetysons.org or by calling the 1st Stage box office at 703-854-1856. The run time is 45 minutes. The show is fun-for-the-whole-family entertainment.

First Draft at Charter Theater's mission is to develop audiences alongside new plays, and support local artists and theaters looking to produce new work. Best-known for its popular Reading Series, which runs monthly at the Arts Club of Washington and Theater on the Run in Arlington, First Draft encourages local audiences to explore, experience and engage in the development and presentation of new plays. Last summer, "The Coward and the Glory," a play written by local playwright Keith Bridges, received a full production at the Totem Pole Playhouse, after a partnership between First Draft and Totem Pole to develop the play.

1st Stage's mission is to bring great professional theater to the Tyson's Corner area, establishing a strong, vibrant arts presence in the region's fastest growing city. The theater also strives to give emerging talent - actors, playwrights, directors and technical crew - a launching pad for their professional careers. 1st Stage was the winner of the 2010 Helen Hayes Awards John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre and has received three "Audience Choice Award" nominations from DC Theatre Scene.

First Draft is supported in part by Arlington County through the Arlington Commission for the Arts and the Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources. The First Draft Reading Series is also made possible in part by the warmth and generosity of the Share Fund and Drama Committee of the Arts Club of Washington.

For more information, visit First Draft online at www.firstdraft.org and 1st Stage at www.1ststagetysons.org; or follow the theater companies on Facebook.

 

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