Winner of the 2008 Moss Hart Memorial Award and Trophy, the original musical Chocolate Soup will hold an encore performance on Saturday, October 4 at 2:00 p.m. at the Zipper Theatre, as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
In honor of the show, the Ben & Jerry’s Times Square Scoop Shop at 680 8th Avenue will host a Chocolate Soup Polar Bear Sundae Weekend event on October 4th and 5th to benefit Polar Bears International (PBI) – a national non-profit organization dedicated to research and education to benefit the world’s polar bears. A portion of proceeds from sundae and scoop sales will be donated to PBI through customers who say they want to help save the polar bears.
Written and produced by
Jill Jaysen of
Center Stage Theatre Company, Chocolate Soup is a modern day fairytale with all the right ingredients in place – from clever, comedy-laced dialogue and a delightful musical score by Matt Corriel to the masterfully woven mix of thought provoking messages about life, choices and kids’ ability to make a difference in the world.
The story line deals with the familiar challenges of being a tween - or teen for that matter- when feelings about who you are and what you believe in are on shaky ground already. It’s a drama that’s played out every day in school cafeterias and hallways across the country, and between the lines it also tackles some real-life issues middle schoolers deal with daily, such as cliques, parents that don’t get along, and rampant materialism. Jaysen hits home with a masterful storyline that speaks to middle school but will undoubtedly strike a chord with all who see it.
The plot centers on Mia’s ancient family recipe for an Aztec chocolate soup, the popular kids (Excessives) who scheme to alter it just to make it more extreme, the not-as-popular Extras who channel their desire for acceptance into saving the polar bears, and the hero Justin - Mia’s self confident new neighbor whose Dad heads up General Electric’s new Eco-magination campaign and who shakes up everyone’s ideas about what really matters.
Chocolate Soup is rich in sub-plots and metaphors, providing food for thought for performers and audience alike. When the Extras assemble at the mall to raise awareness about global warming and how it might lead to the polar bears’ extinction they sing a heartfelt song, “Making a Difference.” The lyrics share messages about not only saving the planet and polar bears, but other serious issues such as world hunger, human rights, AIDS, war and disease. When Justin persuades Mia that protesting at the mall is cooler and better than going to the Excessives blow-out party and the not so new-and-improved Chocolate Soup, the messages come across loud and clear.
As the plot proceeds, Justin and Mia bottle and sell the original Chocolate Soup to raise money for the polar bear cause and audiences get a glimpse into the future lives of the musical’s characters, including Mia and Justin who partner in a charitable foundation and convince Ben & Jerry’s to create and sell Chocolate Soup ice cream to raise money for the polar bears. As expected in every fairy tale, the story ends in a happily ever after fashion, but the audience and its cast are left with a set of moving and inspiring messages to walk away with.
A Chance for Life To Imitate Art
For Jaysen, Chocolate Soup is more than just a production and she has taken her ideas full circle, from the more familiar “art imitates life” to ‘life imitates art”; a concept that she strives to instill in her theater group.
“Chocolate Soup is rich in real life truths and positive messages that young kids can relate to,” says Jaysen. “My hope is to have it become a platform for kids to make real changes in their lives and in the world they live in.”
Jaysen has aligned with Polar Bears International (PBI) –a non-profit organization dedicated to research and education to benefit the world’s polar bears – to raise awareness for the Polar Bear plight and global warming through the musical. She is using real footage, photography and materials from PBI in the musical and distributing educational materials to the audience.
She has also encouraged the entire cast to write letters to Ben and Jerry’s, requesting they consider creating a real Chocolate Soup flavor. The corporation responded and enthusiastically told Jaysen they will consider a Chocolate Soup flavor in 2010, and have helped Jaysen raise money for PBI through Chocolate Soup Polar Bear Sundae Weekend Fundraisers during performances.
Jaysen has also launched a web site,
www.ChocSoupTalk.com, to give kids a platform for talking about how they have, or hope to make, a difference with environmental causes. The site includes a blog for kids to participate, eco-friendly stories and news, and an online shop where Jaysen will sell eco-friendly Chocolate Soup tee-shirts, bags and accessories to help raise money for environmental causes.
The cast is comprised of 18 children from Fairfield County in grades 6 through 8 who along with having fun and exploring acting are taking in the message that they hold the power to make a difference in this world.
The musical has been awarded the esteemed New England Theater Conference
Moss Hart Award (the TONY of New England). This is the fourth original theater production by Jaysen since the inception of
Center Stage Theater Company four years ago, and the third to be accepted into the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF). Three of the original musicals have received The New England Theater Conference
Moss Hart Award and two productions made it to Theater Row, 42nd St. NYC. Intervention, A Teen Musical Comedy has recently been licensed for publishing, allowing teens across the nation to perform it. Students of
Center Stage who have appeared in NYMF production have gone onto Broadway, film and television, including “Shrek the Musical” on Broadway and the acclaimed web series, “
Cubby Bernstein, Tony Campaign Manager.”
The performance will be held Saturday, October 4 at 2:00 pm at the Zipper Theatre, 336 W. 37th Street, New York City. Tickets are $20 and available at
www.nymf.org or Theatremania, 212-352-0255
For more information on Chocolate Soup or
Center Stage Theater Company please visit
www.CSTCompany.com
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