A Broken Umbrella Theatre Presents THE LIBRARY PROJECT, 10/20-11/4

A group of up and coming theatre professionals have been hard at work writing, composing, directing and choreographing the newest theatrical adventure by the award-winning ensemble A BROKEN UMBRELLA THEATRE. THE LIBRARY PROJECT, a commission by the New Haven Free Public Library Foundation, features the work of over 70 artists, including composer/lyricist Rob Shapiro, composer Chrissy Gardner, playwright Jason Patrick Wells, choreographer Robin Levin and directors Ian and Rachel Alderman.

The show will take place in 7 different rooms within the Ives Main Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm Street, for 3 weekends only from October 20 through November 4, 2012. Saturday showtimes: 7pm & 9:30pm. Sunday showtimes: 4:30pm & 7pm. Tickets: PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN. For tickets and more information visit: www.abrokenumbrella.org

Bios of featured artists (in alphabetical order):

IAN ALDERMAN, a Native of New Haven CT and graduate of Muhlenberg College, is the Artistic Director of A Broken Umbrella Theatre. He has performed at various theatre's across the country including The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Shubert Theater (New Haven), The Ohio Theatre with Our Shoes Are Red (NYC), The Mad River Festival with The Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre (Blue Lake, CA), Uninvited Guests Comedy Troupe (Mid-Atlantic & East coast tours). While living in Chicago, he worked with The First Folio Shakespeare Company, The Free Associates, Chemically Imbalanced Comedy and PROP THTR.

RACHEL ALDERMAN is as a director, actor and teaching artist, and is currently the President of A Broken Umbrella Theatre. Most recently she assisted Michael Wilson on the premiere of Elizabeth Egloff’s ETHER DOME at The Alley Theatre and the remount of the Broadway Production of Horton Foote’s DIVIDING THE ESTATE at The Alley and The Old Globe. The previous season she assisted Hana Sharif on August Wilson’s GEM OF THE OCEAN at Hartford Stage. Selected performance credits include: Long Wharf Theatre (Paula Vogel’s CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS, directed by Tina Landau), Ars Nova's ANT Fest (1 NIGHT ONLY: A HANUKKAH JAMBOREE), Elm Shakespeare (HOLIDAY), John Montgomery Theatre Company (CIRCLE, off-broadway) and a variety of shows/cabarets in Chicago. She will be directing/writing A Broken Umbrella Theatre’s next new work FREEWHEELERS in June 2013. She holds a BA in Theatre from Muhlenberg College.

CHRISSY GARDNER is a singer, songwriter and pianist who began her career in Chicago, IL where she recorded her critically acclaimed, original debut album, "Alabaster Room". As an independent musician, she performs at concert halls, clubs and piano bars across Chicagoland and the Northeast where she is regularly joined onstage by local legends and world-class musicians including Professor John, Abigail Zsiga and Robert Messore. Chrissy is also a private piano instructor and an active member of A Broken Umbrella Theater for whom she has composed three musicals. www.chrissygardner.com

Robin Levine is a choreographer and performer. Select credits include: Mamma Mia! (Broadway, Las Vegas, National Tour), The Pirate Queen (Pre-Broadway), The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (New York), I Love Bob (Joyce Soho), Mack and Mabel (Goodspeed), White Christmas (TUTS), Chicago, 42nd Street and Pippin. She is on the dance faculty at AMDA in NYC and has performed at The Tony Awards as well as for companies including Target, Nestle and Marc Jacobs.

ROB SHAPIRO's musicals include SHELTER (book/lyrics) with composer Julia Meinwald, LE FOU (lyrics) also with Meinwald and playwright
Bekah Brunstetter, and 1 NIGHT ONLY: A HANUKKAH JAMBOREE, which premiered last holiday season at Ars Nova's ANT Fest in NYC. Rob's songs have been heard at Barrington Stages, Summer Play Festival's Composer Exposure and at various cabaret venues around New York City. As a member of A Broken Umbrella Theater in New Haven, he has written songs for the site-specific spectacles VAUDEVILLAIN and THUNDERBOLT and the 10-musical NOAH & SAM for THE LIBRARY PROJECT. Rob received an MFA from NYU/Tisch's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and was a Dramatists Guild Fellow (2011-2012). www.thatrobshapiro.com.

Jason PatricK WELLS is a playwright and a theatrical lighting designer. His plays have been seen in The Delaware 10 Minute Play Festival, The Philadelphia Fringe and at the Yale Cabaret. “Watch Your Step”, which he created with Adrienne Willis, was an official project of Veterans for America/Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and was performed at 7 Stages in Atlanta, GA, The Academy of Music in Northamton, MA, The Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City, and The United States Department of State in Washington, DC. His lighting designs include the world premieres of Fred Ho’s “Black Panther Suite” (Northeastern University Center for the Arts) and Chad Raines’ “Missed Connections” (Yale Cabaret). As a company member of A Broken Umbrella Theatre he has served as lighting designer (VaudeVillain), playwright (Play With Matches) and actor (Head Over Wheels). Jason is a 2001 graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and is currently the production manager of the American Dance Institute In Rockville, MD.