American Repertory Theater of WNY Kicks Off the Second Half of 2016-17 Season

American Repertory Theater of WNY is kicking off the second-half of the 2016-17 with two events that are sure to get a great season rolling again. First up on February 26th is the company's annual Mardi Gras fun-raiser to be held at the 330 Amherst Street performance space from 4 pm to 10 pm. Following up in March, the theatrical production side of ART/WNY starts-up with a production of Steve Martin's hysterical romp THE UNDERPANTS schedule to open on March 9th and run to April 1st.

Going ten years strong, the company's Mardi Gras celebration is a great excuse to sample some gumbo, sip a hurricane (or two) and listen to some fine music--as if we need an excuse, right?

The celebration saw the early beginnings in the back of Rust Belt Books then resulted in a organized street march right down Allen Street. Armed with kazoos, trombones and a snare drum, the parade busted into a small bar where Jamie Moses was playing, and the legend was born! Since then every celebration saw its own uniqueness including a poetry slam, the jamming sounds of Black Rock Zydeco, and readings from the legendary Gumbo Ya Ya.

This year's celebration will see plenty of beads, gumbo and hurricanes with the slick sounds of Child of Folly, Billy Horn with Rosemarie Lorenti of Billy Draws Two, and Great Balls of Fire piano sensation Conrad . Raffle items will be given away throughout the day including an opportunity to win two sets of tickets to see Green Day at Darien Lake in August. The doors open at 4 pm with festivities beginning at 5 pm. Tickets are only $5 and includes a bowl of gumbo or a hurricane.

In a time when America needs a good laugh, American Repertory Theater of WNY will present Steve Martins hysterical adaptation of the 1910 German farce DIE HOSE by playwright Carl Sternheim, entitled THE UNDERPANTS. Artie Award winning director Jeffrey Coyle (FLOYD COLLINS; BLOODY BLOODY Andrew Jackson) returns to ART/WNY to oversee this romp.

Theobald Maske has an unusual problem: his wife's underpants won't stay on. One Sunday morning they fall to her ankles right in the middle of town--a public scandal! Mortified, Theo swears to keep her at home until she can find some less unruly undies. Amid this chaos he's trying to rent a room in their flat. The prospective lodgers have some underlying surprises of their own.

The original work DIE HOSE, penned by Sternheim, takes a strong look at the snobbish and repressive mindset of the bourgeois in 1910 Germany. The piece was so poignant that later in his career this work and much of Sternheim's works were banned by the Nazis due to to disruptive comic reflection of German culture and society. Under Steve Martins contemporary comedic insight, he adds the right amount of his trademark hilarity to this farcical tale. As seen in the ART/WNY production of Martins PICASSO AT LAPINE AGILE, THE UNDERPANTS certainly will see a fair-share of the humor and comedic timing that is classic Steve Martin.

This exhibitionist romp opens on March 9th and runs until April 1st at 330 Amherst Street, all shows are 8 pm. Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 for military veterans and students, Visit www.artofwny.org for online ticket reservations.

Performance Nights March 9th, 10th, 11th March 16th, 17th, 18th March 23rd, 24th, 25th March 30th, 31st, April 1st
Showtimes 8 pm
Prices $20 General $15 Students/Military Veterans $10 Thursday Nights
For more information on tickets please visit www.artofwny.org or call 716-697-0837.