AVENUE Q Original Cast Member Teaches Puppetry Workshop At Theatre Wesleyan

Theatre Wesleyan, one of the longest-running theatres in the Metroplex, will conclude their 2018/19 mainstage season with a production of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, AVENUE Q. The department's annual spring musical is one of the longest-running theatre traditions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Performances will be held at the Thad Smotherman Theatre at Texas Wesleyan University (1205 Binkley Street, 76105) for one weekend only from Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, April 28, 2019.

Tickets to all performances of AVENUE Q are now available at the Theatre Wesleyan website (www.txwes.edu/theatre). For more information regarding group ticket sales at a discounted rate, please contact the Box Office at 817-531-4211 or via email at theatre@txwes.edu.

Winner of the Tony "Triple Crown" for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book, AVENUE Q is part flesh, part felt and packed with heart. Filled with gut-busting humor and a delightfully catchy score, not to mention puppets, AVENUE Q is a truly unique show that has quickly become a favorite for audiences everywhere. Although the show addresses humorous adult issues, it is inspired by the long-running TV series where big birds lived, monsters ate cookies, and Bert & Ernie were "just friends." The show contains mild adult language and humor. This production will have an original puppet design, the second university production to do so since the musical premiered in 2003, according to original Broadway cast member, Rick Lyon.

The cast of AVENUE Q includes Texas Wesleyan University students, many with previous onstage and backstage theater experience in the DFW area, all pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. The cast includes Gabe Crowley (Brian), Jasmine Mesre (Christmas Eve), Julissa Norment (Gary Coleman), Kimberly Owen (Kate Monster), Alfredo Tamayo (Princeton), Darin Martin (Rod), Ryan Simón (Nicky), Kristian Thomas (Trekkie Monster), Lauren Garza (Lucy The Slut), Alexandra Flurry (Mrs. Thistletw*t), Richard "Gibby" Givans (The Bad Idea Bears), Rebecca Nagle (The Bad Idea Bears), and rounding out the ensemble will be Alexis Garcia, Reagan Fraze, Hugo Morales Saldaña, and Mario Murillo.

The creative team, also consisting of Texas Wesleyan University students and faculty, includes Bryan Stevenson (Director & Scenic Design), Michael Plantz (Musical Director), Sabrina Alegria (Stage Manager), Delaney Pricer (Assistant Stage Manager), John Traxler (Lighting Design), Taylor Allen (Assistant Lighting Design), Tristen Brown (Sound Engineering & Design), Briana Cortez (Assistant Sound Design), William Bull (Costume Design), Brianna Hunter (Properties Design), Alexandra Flurry (Assistant Properties Design), Tobin Griffin (Projections Design), Jacob Rivera-Sanchez (Graphic Design), Kaitlin Hatton (Technical Director), Mario Murillo (Assistant Technical Director), Reagan Fraze and Jasmine Mesre (Assistant Graphic Design).

Theatre major Alastair Sigala Ramirez will have the unique opportunity to create the original puppet design for this production. Ramirez will receive mentorship from Texas Wesleyan alumna, Kathy Kreuter '93, who is currently a designer at Stage Works USA and has previous experience as a designer and fabricator at Irene Corey Costume Design. Her work at Corey includes industrials, commercials, films, and corporate events, as well as the hit children's television series, Barney & Friends. Kreuter will supervise as Texas Wesleyan theatre students build and construct Ramirez's original designs.

In March 2019, original AVENUE Q Broadway cast member, Rick Lyon, visited Texas Wesleyan to teach a private workshop and master class on puppetry performance to the cast of students. Lyon designed the original, and now iconic, puppets for the Broadway production, as well as originating the roles of "Nicky" and "Trekkie Monster." Lyon quoted that among all of the schools and universities he has visited for workshops since the show premiered in 2003, Texas Wesleyan will be only the second production to design and build their own puppets.

The Texas Wesleyan Student Theatrical Experience Fund (STEF), a partnership with Texas Wesleyan University's Student Government Association and Theatre Wesleyan, since 2016, allows TXWES students to be able to see Theatre Wesleyan productions at no cost to them. Service organizations for the performing arts, including the Theatre Development Fund (since 1968), which inspired STEF, have allowed and enabled attendance of unique theatrical experiences for everyone, including students, at discounted rates.

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