Astoria PAC Presents LOVE TRAPEZOID 2/10-11, 2/17-18

The Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) is set to present an APAC Workshop of Matt Schatz's Love Trapezoid, directed by APAC Artistic Director Tom Wojtunik. Love Trapezoid will play four performances only at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY 11102. Entrance on 30th Road.) Performances are February 10-11 and February 17-18. 

About the show: Betty Lou Mandell's life was gaining momentum; she just wrote a musical and met a special someone. When her beloved collaborator suddenly dies, she finds herself unable to endure or write. Her new boyfriend, in an effort to rescue the situation, invents a robot composer. Betty Lou uses the robot to bring her late composer back from the dead-sort of. When this new "collaboration" begins to affect her other relationships, Betty Lou must choose between being a writer and being a girlfriend. Love Trapezoid is a musical comedy that examines art, technology, and everything we use to grieve the loss of someone that we love.

Love Trapezoid was originally commissioned by the Ensemble Studio Theatre/ Alfred P. Sloan Science and Technology project, Love Trapezoid has been developed and presented in readings by EST/Sloan, EST/Southampton Arts, Page 73 Productions, Creative Destruction, and in concert at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. It has been a finalist for the O'Neill National Music Theater Conference and the Yale Institute for Music Theatre.

According to Wojtunik, Love Trapezoid "is one of the most original and fresh non-musical musicals I've ever encountered. The sensibility of the piece is so unique that I knew I wanted APAC to be a part of its development. We will be producing a full workshop of the musical: actors will be off-book and rehearsed, and the presentation will be staged using rehearsal props and set pieces. As a work-in-progress, audiences will have the opportunity to witness the evolution of the piece, even through the final performance."

Love Trapezoid stars Ian Lowe* (TheatreWorks' Paul Revere), Lauren Marcus* (APAC's The Children's Hour, and Rewrite at Urban Stages), David Perlman* (Broadway's Baby It's You! and Off-Broadway's Yank!) and Kimberly Lewis is the production stage manager.

The production features musical direction by Eli Zoller and lighting design by Evan Roby.

Love Trapezoid plays four performances only
Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11
Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18
8:00 pm

Tickets are a suggested donation of $10. Reserve by emailing boxoffice@apacny.org (please write "Love Trapezoid" in the subject line). Tickets will also be available in person at the theater box office, 1 hour prior to the performance.

PERFORMANCE VENUE
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church
30-44 Crescent St (@30th Rd)
Astoria, NY 11102

Directions: Take the N or Q Subway to 30th Avenue. Walk down 30th Ave. to Crescent St. (Mount Sinai Hospital is on the corner.) Turn left on Crescent Street. Walk one block south, then turn right onto 30th Rd. Entrance is second set of red doors on left.

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Website: www.apacny.org

An APAC Workshop
An APAC Workshop is a presentation of a new play or musical, produced under the AEA Showcase Code, for the purpose of developing the script. The intention is to provide the writer with an opportunity to fully explore the material with actors and a director. The workshop is fully staged and off-book, but the physical and technical production values are kept to just the essentials to tell the story. 

BIOGRAPHIES

Matt Schatz (Book, Music & Lyrics) is a playwright, bookwriter, lyricist and composer who was a finalist for the 2009 Fred Ebb Award for excellence in musical theatre songwriting. Matt's plays and musicals include The Tallest Building in the World (Luna Stage), Love Trapezoid (Developed with EST/Sloan, Southampton Arts, and P73), Pinning Hope (Creative Destruction's "Obama Drama" Festival) and The Baby is Blue (Incumbo Theater Company/Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival). He has written music and lyrics for Roanoke (Actors Theater of Louisville, Heideman Finalist, published as part of Humana Festival 2009: The Complete Plays), Co-op (EST), Before the Moment (EST/Sloan, 2008 AFI Sloan Summit in Los Angeles), book and lyrics for Exchanges (music by Michael Kooman, commissioned for the American Cancer Society's "Evening of Elegance" in Altoona, PA) and music for Me First! The Pioneer Plays (The 52nd Street Project). Matt is a three-time recipient of an EST/Sloan Commission, a two-time Shubert Fellow, and has been a finalist/semi finalist for the Page 73 Playwriting Fellowship, the Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship and the Magic Theatre's Sloan Initiative. Member: the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop and the Dramatist Guild. Alumnus: P73's "Interstate 73," Youngblood Playwrights Residency at EST. MFA: Carnegie Mellon University.

Tom Wojtunik (Director) is the artistic director of the Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC), where he directed The Human Comedy, Children of Eden (NY IT Award, Outstanding Musical), The Pillowman, Ragtime and Proof. Other NY credits: It Is Done (Mean Fiddler Bar); The Play About the Naked Guy, Edenville (NY IT Award Nomination for Best Director, Emerging Artists Theatre); Grease 3: Threase (UCB/The Pit), The Miss Education of Jenna Bush (FringeNYC, Best Solo Show & Audience Favorite); Bright Lights, Big City (Marymount Manhattan College); The Who's Tommy, Man of La Mancha, Six Degrees of Separation, Urinetown (NY IT Award, Outstanding Musical), Take Me Out (Gallery Players); I'm In Love With Your Wife (Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival); The Good Thief and Rum and Vodka (Prospect St). Tom was a Resident Director for the Ensemble Studio Theatre, where directed workshops of Bella Via and David's Play. Tom is a member of EAT and the LCT Directors' Lab. BFA: Marymount Manhattan College. SDC Member.

ASTORIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (APAC), The Astoria Performing Arts Center, Inc. (APAC), a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 2001with a mission to bring high quality theater and entertainment to Astoria/Long Island City and to support local youth and senior citizens. APAC is a professional theater company that complements a full season of award-winning mainstage productions with unique community programming.

Each year, APAC produces musicals and plays. We are also invested in developing new works of American theater, through readings and workshops. Our mainstage productions have been recognized for their quality and exceptional production values. To date, APAC has received fifteen New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations and four wins (Children of Eden & Ragtime), as well as an Off-Off Broadway Theatre Review Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical (Is There Life After High School?).

APAC also offers annual community programs for children and senior citizens Examples includes a free musical theater performance program for children ages 8-13 (Summer Stars – 9 years running),an after school playwriting program for middle school students (Astoria Playmaking – 7 years running, and Senior Stars, a performance program for Queens residents over the age of 60.