New Children's Show MR. BEAR to Feature D.C. Theatre Favorites at Arts on the Horizon

Arts on the Horizon, the DC metro area's only theatre company dedicated exclusively to creating original work for children ages 0-6, is excited to announce its first show of the season, Adventures with Mr. Bear, which runs December 1-17, 2016 at The Lab at Convergence in Alexandria, Virginia.

A child's imagination is brought to life as a young girl and her favorite stuffed animal embark on an exciting series of adventures - all from the comfort of her playroom. Adventures with Mr. Bear is a 30-minute, interactive play written and performed for audiences aged 2-5. After each performance, children are invited to meet the performers and explore the props and instruments used in the show.

The cast for Mr. Bear includes Amanda Forstrom, a company member with Arts on the Horizon, whose previous credits include Snow Day and Point A to Point B. Additionally, she has worked with Irondale Ensemble (NYC), Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, Scena Theatre, and Keegan Theatre. Jacob Yeh returns to Arts on the Horizon for Mr. Bear in the title role. Yeh performed in last season's Blossom's Rainbow with Arts on the Horizon. He has also worked in the area with Ford's Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theater J, Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, and Imagination Stage. Pianist Paige Rammelkamp, a local music director, classically trained pianist, and teacher, will provide the soundtrack to Mr. Bear's adventures. She has previously worked with Adventure Theatre-MTC and the Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

The show is written and directed by Ryan Sellers. Sellers, who has previously performed in Arts on the Horizon's shows Point A to Point B and Sunny and Licorice, will make his directorial debut with the company. As a DC-area actor, he has performed on such stages as Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Imagination Stage, and Synetic Theater, among others. Young audiences may remember Sellers' previous writing and directing work from Cowardly Christopher Finds His Courage and The Mad Miming Scientist with Synetic Theater. He serves as resident choreographer for Yorktown High School and Burgundy Farms Country Day School, and he is a teaching artist with MVCCT and Creative Cauldron.

The set, costume, and props design for Mr. Bear is the vision of Jacy Barber, a theatrical artist specializing in costume, puppet, and object/properties design. She has designed world-premiere productions for The Kennedy Center's Theater for Young Audiences, The Welders, Contradiction Dance, and Ballet ADI.

Arts on the Horizon, founded in 2009, is a non-profit theatre with a specific focus of providing performances and education programs for the very young. Our performances are designed to take place in an intimate setting where children not only feel comfortable to learn and explore, but are also an integral part of the performance. We have the utmost respect for children and want what may be their first theatrical performance to entertain them, challenge them, spark creativity and enhance the imaginative play in which many children this age engage. Since 2011, our non-verbal productions have been performed on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Workhouse Arts Center, The Athenaeum and other venues and schools in the DC metro area. In May 2013, the company performed at Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare as part of the national One Theatre World Festival. In Spring of 2015, Arts on the Horizon's show, Blossom's Rainbow, was an event of the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival. Arts on the Horizon was honored to be nominated for The 2016 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company.

Performances of Adventures with Mr. Bear run at the Lab Theatre at Convergence, located at 1819 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA, 22302. Performance Schedule - December 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16 at 10:30am; December 3, 10, and 17 at 10am and 11:30am. Tickets are $9 for children and adults and can be purchased online at www.ArtsOnTheHorizon.org. Children under 12 months old are admitted free of charge.

Arts on the Horizon offers a military family rate of $6 per ticket for all performances in Virginia. Active duty military personnel and their family can purchase these discounted tickets directly on the website and will need to show a current military ID when picking up their tickets on the day of the performance.

Additionally, Adventures with Mr. Bear will be presented at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002 from December 18-30, 2016. For the performances at the Atlas, tickets can be purchased at www.atlasarts.org.

For more information about Arts on the Horizon, visit www.artsonthehorizon.org.

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