Boca Raton's Sol Children Theatre to Present NEVERMORE and THE COMMEDIA PUSS IN BOOTS in June

Sol Children Theatre will present two completely different productions in June. Nevermore, a one-act musical based on the life and work of literary great Edgar Allan Poe will run June 14-16, and The Commedia Puss in Boots will play June 28-30.

Nevermore is based on Poe's short stories and poetry; the plot that drives the suspense derives from Poe's shifting obsession with the women in his life. With hauntingly beautiful melodies, Nevermore breathes new life into Poe's work and explores a twisted true-life tale that is as bizarre as his classic stories of the macabre. This will be the first time the play has been performed in Florida.

The genesis of Nevermore was composer Matt Conner's purchase of a $5 anthology of Poe's works. Conner was initially inspired by the little-known poem, "Dreams," in the very back of the book. He recounts, "The poetry, filled with meter, rhythm, and percussion drove me to unlock the mysterious, obsessive life of a soon-to-be lyricist already one hundred and fifty years deceased. Even Poe himself, panned for his 'musicality' as a writer, felt that true beauty was the combination of music and poetry."

Matt Conner is a composer and actor in the Washington, D.C. area. He has recently been commissioned by Signature Theatre to create a new work based on the Underground Railroad. Nevermore originated with Signature Theater in 2006; since then, the show has been performed by seventeen theatre companies in the United States, Canada, and England. The original production at Signature garnered praise from The Washington Post, whose staff writer Peter Marks described it as an "entrancing new musical" and "a dreamscape of a musical set in a writer's fugue state":

The Commedia Puss in Boots will delight children and adults alike. Award winning playwright Lane Riosley's (Roger L. Stevens Award in Playwrighting from the Fund for New American Plays)Puss in Boots is the story of the foolish youngest son of a miller, who follows the advice of a clever cat in extraordinary footwear to achieve nobility and a fine marriage. Of course, The Players (Columbine, Arlequin, Punchin, Scaramouch, Rosetta and Pantalone) embellish the story with their own form of magic. There's a laundry list of laughs, especially when Puss in Boots duels the great laundry giant!

Sol Children Theatre is the dream child of veteran director Rosalie Grant. Grant's desire to create a highly professional children's theater with sustainable and supportive training for young people led her to found Sol Children Theater, a non-profit theater organization that thrives on service to its community. The "troupe," veterans of previous productions at Sol are teen actors committed to meeting regularly to continue training outside of the rehearsal process and performing in support of other not-for-profit institutions.

Tickets for both Nevermore and The Commedia Puss in Bootsare on sale now and can be purchased on line a twww.solchildren.org or by calling 561-447-8829. Tickets are $12; $8 for children aged 11 or younger. Sol Children Theatre is located at 3333 North Federal Highway in Boca Raton (33431).

For more information about Sol Children Theatre, visit: http://www.solchildren.org/

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