KNOW’S 18TH SEASON CONTINUES
WITH A UNIQUE ORIGINAL MUSICAL
ANDY’S HOUSE OF [BLANK] by Paul Strickland and Trey Tatum directed by Bridget Leak
A new musical about small towns, summer jobs, and second chances that happen over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Andy always was an unusual man, running a store that was part Emporium of Oddities and part Museum of Unmailed Love Letters. When Sadie, his old school crush, comes back to town for her father’s funeral, she shows up at the store with a mysterious machine. And then she shows up over and over and over again. In this brand new, small town, mystery spot musical, originally developed as part of Know Theatre’s Serials program, Paul and Trey recount the strange events of the summer they met as teenagers working at Andy’s House of [blank]. As they piece together their hazy memories, the two uncover a story of unrequited love and what it means to change your world.
Know Theatre continues its 18th season (“We’re Adults Now!”) by reliving summer jobs of the past in this developmental production of the brand new, fulllength version of Andy’s House of [blank], which had previously been mounted in five 15minute installments at Know’s biannual, episodic theatre party, Serials, in the winter of 2015.
With this production, Know reinforces its commitment to supporting local artists in the development of new works. It also marks the second time a show has graduated from Serials to further life on Know’s stages. Says Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford,
“One of the many things that I love about Serials is that it provides a fantastic incubator to fast track new works from the page to the stage. When we saw Andy’s House unfold during Serials: Thunderdome last winter, we knew that it was something special. It’s incredibly gratifying to be able to provide a playground for artists like the team behind Andy’s House, and to work with them to develop the show beyond an episodic experiment into a fully realized production.”
Regarding their collaboration and the inspiration for the show, cocreators Paul Strickland and Trey Tatum explain,
TREY: I met Paul during the 2014 Cincy Fringe [and] we learned that we grew up 45 minutes apart from each other. I was terrified about [Serials! 2] Thunderdome, so I reached out to Paul and asked if he wanted to write a musical with me.
PAUL: I knew I wanted to be involved in Serials but had NO ideas that I thought would be sustainable in that format. I began the process [with Trey] not really knowing how well I’d collaborate (I’ve often worked solely on my own and my exwife has assured me I don’t work well with others) but, despite the growing pains and difficulties that come with ANY good collaboration, this was the most fun I’ve ever had making a script.
TREY: At our first meeting, Paul was clear that he wanted the musical to be set in a shop of curiosities.
PAUL: I had visited the Abita Mystery House just outside of New Orleans, an oddities shop and roadside attraction and the owner is remarkably but somehow-still-not-entirely self-aware. [Trey] and I talked for more than an hour about outsider art and oddity shops all over the country. It occurred to me that I’ve never heard of a musical that really capitalized on what is so lovely about roadside attractions, one of my great loves and passions in life. That’s where the show began for me.
TREY: Writing with Paul is almost easier than writing on my own. The pile of good ideas is bigger, my weak points just happen to be Paul’s strong points. Thematically, ideas about obsession and the lengths we go to be desirable to others came out slowly over time. We had outlined episodes 13 and were stuck (this was before episode one even went up) and we went on a long walk thru Covington and refused to go back home until we figured out the ending. That was when we really settled on obsessions as a guiding force in the story.
About the fun they’ve had throughout the process and the opportunity to develop the show further, Director Bridget Leak remarks,
“Trey and I have been using the hashtag #bestfriendsclub because that is how that project was developed, in our kitchen over dinner and drinks. The Serials process was about cramming as many rehearsals as we could into each week, but we always made sure that it was fun (and booze was there). This fully realized production is an opportunity to really play with the theatricality of the environment a curiosity shop with dead animals mounted on the walls and to really take the time and care to develop the love story between Andy and Sadie, AND to keep it fun if this process doesn’t feel like us hanging out in the kitchen playing (with booze), there’s no point in doing it!”
ANDY’S HOUSE OF [BLANK] will feature the original cast from its run at Serials! 2: Thunderdome. Cocreators Paul Strickland and Trey Tatum revive their semiautobiographical roles of Paul and Trey, who revisit the experiences they had one summer working at Andy’s House and provide the instrumental backing for all songs. Reprising his role as the heartbroken shop owner, Andy, is Christopher Michael Richardson, a Member of the Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park during the 2014/2015 Season. Rounding out the cast is Erika Kate MacDonald as Sadie, the former love interest of Andy’s who appears with a strange machine and then keeps showing up again and againfor the first time.
Opening October 30th, Andy’s House of [blank] will completely transform Know Theatre’s Underground space into the titular emporium and museum for this oneofakind MainStage presentation…that’s actually on our SecondStage. It’s just the kind of unique and creative programming you’ve come to expect from Your Theatrical Playground.
Cast
- Erika Kate MacDonald as Sadie
- Christopher Michael Richardson as Andy
- Paul Strickland as Paul
- Trey Tatum as Trey
Production Team
- Director — Bridget Leak
- Production Stage Manager — Kristen Ruthemeyer
- Stage Manager — Harrison Swayne
- Scenic Design — Sarah Beth Hall
- Costume Design — Noelle Wedig
- Lighting Design — Andrew Hungerford
- Sound Design — Douglas Borntrager
- Technical Director — Nick Koehlke
Calendar Listing
- Production: ANDY’S HOUSE OF [BLANK]
by Paul Strickland & Trey Tatum
- When: October 30th November 14th, 2015
Wednesdays Saturdays @ 8PM, Sundays @ 3PM
- Where: Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 In historic OvertheRhine.
- Tickets: $20 in advance
$10 Rush tickets at the door 10 minutes prior to curtain (when available)
FREE performances on Wednesdays, as part of Know Theatre’s Welcome Experiment
(Subject to availability; reserved Welcome Experiment tickets must be claimed 15 minutes before the performance or be subject to redistribution.)
6 Ticket FlexPasses are available for $100 and can be used in any combination of patrons and shows for all MainStage and SecondStage programming at Know Theatre.
Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground.
The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience.
Since 1997, Know Theatre has sought to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.
Know Theatre’s work is made possible by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Know is also supported by The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.
Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network.
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