Asheville Creative Arts Unveils 5th Milestone Season with New Brand and New Artistic Emphasis

Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), Asheville's professional children's theatre has unveiled its new brand and brand new initiatives for its 5th Milestone Season, which will include innovative mainstage productions, THE LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD SHOW and CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE, plus the continuation of its Incubator Series with BUGS, a new musical by Jonesalee, and expanded educational outreach with after-school classes in acting and creating theatrical stories. Tickets and registration information will be available on ACA's website.

In honor of this major institutional milestone, the Board of Directors, including Chair Bryan Robinson, Andrew D. Atherton, Maryedith Burrell, Abby Felder, Joe Gill, Dosty Quarrier and Laura Stone, have unveiled a future vision of socially engaged and artistically sophisticated new works, a new logo design, expanded programming and enhanced community engagement. The coming seasons will focus on the art and act of storytelling, and empowering young people to see the value in their own stories and points of view, while modeling the tools for expression.

Upcoming productions and programs, to be held at the company's new theatre home, Magnetic 375 (375 Depot Street), include:

THE LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD SHOW (April 6-9, 2017) by Russell Davis

Take one girl, equipped with a basket of goodies. Add one Grandmother, sick in bed. Combine with one Wolf, lurking mischievously. Toss in one skeptical Mother, and let simmer for one hour. Russell Davis stirs the ingredients of this well-loved tale in new postmodern directions, concocting a sly and spicy story that delights children and adults right down to the last surprising bite, addressing social media as the modern day "wolf in the woods." The Philadelphia Inquirer notes "...a familiar tale gets an original twist, not just in the story but in the way kids think about it."

CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE (July 21-30, 2017) by James E. Grote, music by George Howe, lyrics by James E. Grote and George Howe

Performances will include post-show panels with community organizers discussing their role in peaceful protest locally and statewide (panelists TBA).

The animals on Farmer Brown's farm have had enough! They work all day to provide milk and eggs, but when their request for electric blankets to warm the drafty barn is ignored, action must be taken. Join the Cows, Hen, and Duck - and their trusty typewriter - as they engage in peaceful protest to improve their working conditions. Time Out New York says "with source material as clever as Doreen Cronin's beloved book it's really no surprise that this musical is so udderly (sorry, couldn't resist) fabulous."

Both Mainstage productions include weekday matinee performances with specially discounted and free tickets, plus pre-show study guide designed in accordance with Common Core benchmarks for learning, and post-show Q&A underwritten by generous individual donors: THE LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD SHOW will offer these performances for elementary and homeschool groups on April 5, 6 and 7 at 10am and 12pm with tickets at $5 each; CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE will offer performances for camp groups July 20-21, and 26-28 at 1pm with tickets at $7 each. For information on booking these shows, contact Abby Felder at 914-830-3000 or at ashevillecreativearts@gmail.com.

BUGS! by Jonesalee, Gina Stewart and Brenda Gambill Incubator Series (May 6, 2017 at 3pm)

A script in hand reading, this new work launches the 2016-17 Incubator Series which is committed to nurturing new work. This play with music is comprised of a series of vignettes observing and exploring the tiny, teeming with life and "life lessons" of the insect world. Rich with scientific fun facts, folklore and legend, the story of BUGS! is told by musician/actors who operate large, tactile puppets. It explores the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life forms, while shedding light on early socialization skills. Audiences are invited to give feedback and participate in the growth of the piece during post-sharing moderated Q&A.

2 New After-School Theatre Classes led by Instructor Katie Jones

6 Thursday Evenings from Feb 2- March 9, 2017:

DREAM A PLAY- 4:30-6:00

Students grades 1-3 will use their imaginations to create original characters. The class will then collaborate to create a world, in which these characters live, and meet each other. This course will celebrate the collective human imagination, and our ability to explore the universe through stories. The course will culminate in a short student-created performance for friends and family.

CREATING CHARACTERS - 6:30 - 8:00

Students grades 4-6 will learn the basics of embodying a character in a play. We will focus on analyzing text, finding character movement and speech, and creating the character's history. A playwright's script is set. A director's vision is clear and firm. And within those parameters, an actor has limitless possibilities for creating a character that is interesting, beautiful and uniquely their own. The course will culminate in a presentation of monologues, in the style of a mock audition.

Tuition for 6 weeks is $200 per student- scholarships available. For registration and scholarship inquiries please contact Abby Felder at 914/830-3000 or ashevillecreativearts@gmail.com

"5-years is an exciting milestone to have reached, and we look forward to honing our mission and elevating our work through a renewed commitment to the talented artists and discerning audiences that make Asheville so unique," says Abby Felder. She continues "in the coming years, we will challenge ourselves artistically by exploring modern theatrical aesthetics during adaptations of favorite stories appearing on the Mainstage, with a fresh take on the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood, which delves into fears around cyberbullying and trusting your kids, and a timely and relevant piece about peaceful protest and the power of lifting your voice illustrated with Farmer Brown's disgruntled animals. We will also nurture new musicals that alternately explore adolescence refracted through the lens of the secret life of bugs, and a puppet driven drama about children who worked in the North Carolina textile industry at the turn of the century as part of our Incubator Series."

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Asheville's critically acclaimed, award winning theatre devoted to creating works for children of all ages, Asheville Creative Arts was founded in 2013. Led by Abby Felder with Gina Stewart and Brenda Gambill of Jonesalee, and with a new Resident Company of local talent helmed by Katie Jones and Alex Smith. ACA has the following mission: To produce, present and create professional and innovative theatre for the very young to the young at heart, and embrace diverse cultures with a main stage season of productions of musical, literary adaptations, and puppet based work that push the boundaries of children's theatre; to train the next generation of artists; and to ensure that all families in Western NC and beyond have access to theatre arts through outreach such as touring, and "in-reach" such as specially discounted performances for school and community groups. In honor of contributions to the cultural landscape, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer declared July 18, 2014 "Asheville Creative Arts Day;" and ACA's production of HOW I BECAME A PIRATE was the 2016 recipient of a Grassroots Partnership Award- a grant from the NC Arts Council, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, distributed by the Asheville Area Arts Council.

LISTINGS INFORMATION: Visit Asheville Creative Arts' website for information on how to get tickets (www.ashevillecreativearts.org); For more information on booking school or camp performances, or registrations for educational offerings, contact ashevillecreativearts@gmail.com or call 914/830-3000, additional information about ACA's 5th Milestone Season available at www.ashevillecreativearts.org. For more information about The Magnetic Theatre visit http://www.themagnetictheatre.org/.