Brick Theater Presents NEW YORK CLOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL, 9/3-26

The Brick Theater, Inc., announces the performance schedule and lineup for the upcoming 2010 New York Clown Theatre Festival, performing September 3-26 at The Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This year's festival will feature diverse clown theatre artists from around the world and across the United States. Cabarets, special events, and clown workshops to be announced shortly. 

The NEW YORK CLOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL will run September 3-26 at The Brick (575 Metropolitan Avenue between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street, Brooklyn; subway: L to Lorimer, G to Metropolitan). Tickets ($15 Regular / $10 for Weekend Matinee Family Shows) are available online at www.bricktheater.com or by calling 1-866-811-4111.

MAINSTAGE SHOWS

CARMEN THE MOPERA
The Eccentric Company
Directed by Avner Eisenberg
Peaks Island, ME
www.JulieGoell.com
The cleaning lady of the Royal Opera takes the stage in a zany romp through the sacred cows of opera. Using the contents of the utility closet, physical comedy and a superb mezzo soprano voice, the cleaning lady performs Bizet's Carmen like it's never been done before! "Delicately executed physical comedy worthy of Chaplin himself" - Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader.
75 min.  Mon 9/20 @ 7pm, Thu 9/23 @ 8:30pm, & Sat 9/25 @ 8pm 

CHANNEL ONE
James and JF
New York, NY
http://jamesandjf.blogspot.com 
In a world where television has been abandoned, one lone television is found. One channel remains working. Channel One. A few lost souls are still out there, creating their own brand of quality entertainment. They're just not sure anyone's listening, or watching, or even has the capability to watch on a TV, 'cause these gems don't play on a computer. It's TV, baby. TV. And they're the only ones left.
60 min.  Sun 9/19 @ 8pm, Wed 9/22 @ 9pm, & Thu 9/23 @ 7pm

CIRKUS LUNA!
Theatre Group Dzieci
New York, NY
http://dziecitheatre.org
Hailing from East Molvenia, Cirkus Luna! may be the worst circus act ever to perform in public. There is nothing this family troupe does that comes even remotely close to demonstrating skill. Tightrope walkers chicken out, the lion weeps, and acrobats can't even do a forward roll. Festival veterans Theatre Group Dzieci bring their unique, hilarious, even creepy version of clown work back to The Brick. 
45 min.  Fri 9/10 @ 7pm, Tue 9/14 @ 7pm, & Wed 9/15 @ 8pm 

CLOWNS WITH GOWNS
Clowns with Gowns Productions: Adriana Chavez and Heidi Rider
Blue Lake, CA
http://clownswithgowns.weebly.com
[Double-bill with Ferdinand the Magnificent!]
Carmen Francesca Maria Frida Ophelia de la Rosa is ridiculously vain. Gertrude is ridiculously desperate to be just as pretty! Two female clowns attempt to do an extraordinary act together, but will their competitive vying for audience adoration spin it into an outrageous flop? Their impassioned desire to be the best, the most bewitching, the most ravishing, the most fascinatingly foxy, the most devastatingly dazzlingly divine diva drives their female rivalry to shocking extremes. This battle of beauty is fully equipped with unraveling skirts, increasingly absurd hairdos and (laughable?) female-vs-female zaniness!
25 min.  Sat 9/4 @ 5pm, Sat 9/11 @ 10pm, Sun 9/12 @ 5pm, & Mon 9/13 @ 7pm

DIZ AND IZZY ASTER - VAUDEVILLE'S LATE BLOOMERS
Happenstance Theater
Rockville, MD
www.happenstancetheater.com
[Double-bill with Send in the Angels]
Slapstick meets the Borscht Belt, Gracie Allen meets Harpo Marx in Diz and Izzy Aster, a Vaudeville song and dance duo who bring their personal baggage to the stage! Singing cheery songs, playing ukulele and the saw, their harmonies from between the wars and the Great Depression will lift your heart from the economic doldrums. 
30 min. Tue 9/7 @ 7pm & Thu 9/9 @ 7pm

FERDINAND THE MAGNIFICENT! 
Third Base!
Blue Lake, CA
[Double-bill with Clowns with Gowns]
Join this very strange character on a journey through song and the embarrassments of love. Ferdinand, wearing a diaper and a shocking pink bodysuit, has the habit of discovering musical instruments in places they have no right to be, leading the audience through a hilarious, surreal world. Created by Nick Trotter at Dell'Arte International, Ferdinand has appeared in Third Base!'s Myths of the Plastic Age and toured Chiapas, Mexico with Clowns Without Borders. 
30 min. Sat 9/4 @ 5pm, Sat 9/11 @ 10pm, Sun 9/12 @ 5pm, & Mon 9/13 @ 7pm

HOW TO GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS: BY NOT REALLY TRYING
Bony Lil aka Zea Barker
Chicago, IL
http://zeabarker.com
So much struggle. So much heartache. Don't you think it's time to let those dreams go? Take it from a recent convert. Bony Lil takes you by the hand and leads you to a place where you don't need to try and strive ...and cry. Give up on your dreams. You'll be awfully glad you did.
45 min.  Fri 9/17 @ 9pm, Mon 9/20 @ 9pm, & Sat 9/25 @ 6pm

HULA HELL IS MISS SATURN
Miss Saturn
New York, NY
www.misssaturn.com
Miss Saturn pulls out all the stops in a variety show featuring physical comedy, singing and dancing, small hoops, big hoops, invisible hoops, and various attempts at breaking records of different sorts. 
60 min.  Sat 9/11 @ 6pm, Thu 9/16 @ 8:30, & Fri 9/24 @ 9pm

THE LAST SHOW YOU'LL EVER SEE
Nomadic Theatre Co.
Portland, OR
www.nomadictheatre.org
The Last Show You'll Ever See features Sarah Liane Foster and her trombone as they face the possibility of impending apocalypse. Through fast-paced humor, offbeat text, virtuosic pantomime, and musical interludes, our intrepid heroine grapples with the endless possibilities of ending, before it's too late...
75 min.  Fri 9/17 @ 7pm, Sat 9/18 @ 6pm, Tue 9/21 @ 7pm, Fri 9/24 @ 7pm, & Sat 9/25 @ 10pm

LEGS AND ALL
Summer Shapiro & Peter Musante
New York, NY
A man in an attic meets a woman in a box. As they lure one another into their worlds, their curiosity unfolds and exposes a hilarious, mind-bending, innovative allegory for the classic man-meets-woman story. Rooted in physical comedy and drenched in imaginative stage illusion, Legs and All is an inventive exploration of human loneliness set to an evocative tango-meets-bluegrass score. 
60 min. Tue 9/14 @ 9pm, Thu 9/16 @ 7pm, Sat 9/18 @ 10pm, & Fri 9/24 @ 11pm

MANCHEGO: THE BIRTH OF CHEESE
Ambrose Martos
New York, NY
http://ambrosemartos.com
An innocent clown finds his darker, sexier (well, perhaps) side, and has to decide if he will let it take over his existence. Ambrose Martos has toured North America as a principal clown with Cirque du Soleil's Quidam, performed in the award-winning Off-Broadway hit SLAVA'S SNOWSHOW and works often with Australia's Umbilical Brothers. He is a member of the physical comedy trio Happy Hour and hosts burlesque shows in New York City. 
45 min. Sat 9/4 @ 10:30pm & Sun 9/5 @ 9pm

MORRO AND JASP DO PUBERTY
UNIT Productions
Toronto, Canada
www.morroandjasp.com
Morro and Jasp Do Puberty explores the world of clown sisters Morro and Jasp racing head first into their bloodiest challenge yet. Jasp can't wait for puberty and fantasizes about boys and brand new bodily functions, while Morro awkwardly attempts to hide from the inevitable changes overtaking her. A hit at the Toronto Fringe Festival, earning double-five-star reviews and a "Best of the Fest" award, Morro and Jasp Do Puberty follows the bumpy road to adulthood through a hilarious look back at the best period of your life. 
60 min. Sat 9/4 @ 7pm, Sun 9/5 @ 7pm, Thu 9/9 @ 8:30pm, Fri 9/10 @ 9pm, & Sun 9/12 @ 9pm

MS. PRETTY SMART, SECRET AGENT
Olivia Lehrman
New York, NY
www.landinthe.net
[Double-bill with Perhaps, Perhaps, Quizás ...]
Follow this acrobat/comedienne through a fantasy world of adventure, heroism, and stupidity. While playing piano behind her back, turning upside down, speaking Chinese, and tangling herself up in concertina playing, Secret Agent Pretty Smart juggles the humdrum of life with exploits of bravery. 
30 min. Sun 9/5 @ 5pm, Mon 9/6 @ 8pm, Tue 9/7 @ 9pm, Sat 9/11 @ 8pm, & Sun 9/12 @ 7pm

NEON LIGHTS
Jeff Seal & Chris Manley
Directed by Danny Manley
New York, NY
Jeff and Buttons have TONS of new material and now they have their own show so this should be a cinch. Their comedy harkens back to the golden age of Vaudeville with updated and reworked laughs. Their new PoMoVau show, Neon Lights is all you need to know about Vaudeville and ol' timey crack 'em ups. They're also idiots. Chris Manley (Buttons) is a member of "New Excitement" and has appeared on Comedy Central. Jeff Seal is a four-time Golden Clown Nose nominee and has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. Both of them co-wrote and acted in Kill Me Loudly: A Clown Noir. 60 min.  Wed 9/8 @ 8pm, Mon 9/13 @ 9pm, Sat 9/18 @ 8pm, & Wed 9/22 @ 7pm

PERHAPS, PERHAPS, QUIZÁS ...
Clown Me In
Mexico City, Mexico
www.clownmein.com
[Double-bill with Ms. Pretty Smart, Secret Agent]
Perhaps, perhaps, quizás ... is a clown piece playing with the idea of loneliness, waiting and hoping for the right man. Our protagonist, Grima, is a lonely woman who, once a week, rehearses the arrival of The One and the wedding itself. She wants to fall in love - the hard, take-you-by-surprise, soul-changing kind of love - and is afraid as time passes she might actually be left with only the fake prop that exists in her mind as The Perfect Gentleman.  Hailing from Mexico City, Gabriela Muñoz has toured throughout Mexico and the Middle East, bringing her simultaneously surreal and earthy clown characters to audiences at venues ranging from large urban stages to refugee camps. 
20 min.  Sun 9/5 @ 5pm, Mon 9/6 @ 8pm, Tue 9/7 @ 9pm, Sat 9/11 @ 8pm, & Sun 9/12 @ 7pm

SEND IN THE ANGELS
CDDC Productions
Wales, UK
www.dennidennis.coM
http://clareparryjones.com
[Double-bill with Diz and Izzy Astor! and pre-show to all Family Shows]
Denni Dennis and Clare Parry-Jones return to the festival. These two angels appear to give love, comfort and relaxation to the audience. But it is not always easy to pull the reigns in, especially when you have the wind beneath your wings! Dennis and Parry-Jones have toured internationally with their clown and physical work and were a hit at clown festivals in Denmark and Monte Carlo. 
25 min. Tue 9/7 @ 7pm & Thu 9/9 @ 7pm

OFFSITE EVENTS

THE KAPINSKI PRIVATE EYE ACADEMY
F.O. Fire
New York, NY
http://buttkapinski.com
Explore the Williamsburg streets with NYC's No. 1 Pwivate Eye Butt Kapinski. In this on-location workshop, you will be expertly trained in the sacred art of urban private investigation. Also featuring the Butt Kapinski orchestra. Limited Spots Available. 
30 min.  Fri 9/17 @ 8:30pm, Mon 9/20 @ 8:45pm, Tue 9/21 @ 8:45pm, Wed 9/22 @ 8:30pm, & Fri 9/24 @ 10:30pm

FAMILY SHOWS

A-DRESSING HISTORY
Fool's Academy
New York, NY
www.foolsacademy.com
[For kids 7 & older]
Discover history through a new lens: your clothes! From penguin suits to jeans, tees, and kicks, we uncover the often-odd world of what covers you. Fool's Academy uses circus arts and comedy to make history tangible, literally, through your very own clothes.  50 min. Sat 9/18 @ 3pm & 9/19 @ 3pm

CONEY ISLAND CHRIS
Chris Allison
Naugatuck, CT
www.coneyislandchris.com
[For kids 12 & older; Sept 17 10:30pm show for adults]
Coney Island Chris has made it his mission to keep the age-old traditions of the sideshow alive! He will astound and entertain by demonstrating some of the most beloved and historical sideshow stunts ever presented, including sword swallowing, placing his hand in various animal traps that will slam shut on his exposed fingers, lying on a bed of nails, driving a 10-inch spike up his nose, stomach stapling and many more.....all with his special comedic twist! 
45 min. Sun 9/5 @ 3pm, Fri 9/17 @ 10:30pm, & Sat 9/25 @ 3pm 

THE WOW SHOW
Have Vaude, Ville Travel Productions
Decatur, GA
www.polytropic.org
[For kids 3 & older]
The joy of discovery is distilled through the eyes of an exuberant clown, an innocent who relies on his (admittedly limited) wits and the help of the audience to accomplish his list of tasks. He enters the theater, explores his environment, and generally makes a mess of things as he tells the story of a Prince, a Witch, and a Princess who loves broccoli. 
40 min. Sat 9/11 @ 3pm & Sun 9/12 @ 3pm

THE BRICK was founded in 2002 by Robert Honeywell and Michael Gardner. Formerly an auto-body shop, a yoga center, and various storage spaces, this brick-walled garage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was completely refurbished as a state-of-the-art performance space. Since then, The Brick has launched, produced and presented hundreds of world-premiere stage works from New York emerging artists and theater-makers from around the globe.  The theater company is a proud member of New York's burgeoning Indie Theater community and informal home to an ever-expanding family of artists and avid theatergoers.   Winner of the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation's Caffé Cino Fellowship Award 2009 "for an Off-Off Broadway theatre company that consistently produces outstanding  work."

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