Ars Nova Announces Their Eclectic Spring/Summer Lineup

Ars Nova (Jason Eagan, Artistic Director; Jon Steingart and Jenny Wiener Steingart, Executive Producers) announces an eclectic, jam-packed Spring/Summer lineup designed to showcase exciting emerging artists through its four successful development series: Out Loud, Residency Encores, Tragedy Tomorrow and Uncharted, as well as unmissable Special Events and two World Premiere Feature Presentations.

Tragedy Tomorrow incubates raw, daring, wide-ranging alternative comedy, and Uncharted does the same for groundbreaking musical talent. Out Loud presents free public readings of new plays highlighting emerging playwrights. Residency Encores, just launched in 2009, hasten the world domination of Ars Nova artists on the verge, and Special Events are fresh performances by exceptional artists who are often returning to the welcoming Ars Nova stage.

The writer/performers of both Mel & El: Show & Tell (Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin) and Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed (Matt Sax and John Dixon) have made their way through Ars Nova's development programs, and they will continue their growth through Ars Nova featured productions.

In announcing the next quarter of programming, Artistic Director Jason Eagan said, "We know the country is focused on the worsening economy and that arts organizations everywhere are facing tough times. Ars Nova is no exception. However, we also know that tough times can inspire great art. We must remain committed to providing support to a wide range of promising emerging artists now more than ever, while keeping it easy and affordable for our audiences to escape the pressures of their daily lives and enjoy a great night of live performance for the cost of a night out at the movies."
More information about each show is provided below, and you can visit www.arsnovanyc.com for the latest news and details.

 

Series Programming

(A chronological list of upcoming Series shows is available at the end of this release.)

 

Out Loud

Monday, April 20 @ 7pm: The Aliens, by Annie Baker

Two angry young men in sweatpants sit in front of a rural New England coffee shop and discuss poetry. When a lonely high school student arrives on the scene, they decide to teach him everything they know. A play with music and hacky-sacking.

Monday, May 18 @ 7pm: 99 Ways to F*ck a Swan, by Kimberly Rosenstock

In the beginning, Leda makes love to a swan. 3,000 years later, Michelangelo paints a picture. 350 years later, Rudolph impulsively buys it. Today, Dave and Fiona stand in a museum, gazing at what is left. In a world of bizarre romantic obsessions and everyday ineptitude, this epic comedy explores the dark corners of desire, and the eternal mysteries of love.

Monday, June 15 @ 7pm: Margie & Josephine, by Carly Mensch

 

Meet Josephine, the wife of a lowly dressmaker on New York's Lower East Side, circa 1890. Meet Margie, a fledgling short story writer who has just moved to New York, circa now. When Margie takes a job playing Josephine at the local heritage museum, past pervades present in this weird and comic tale of new beginnings and epic journeys.

 

Residency Encores

 

Friday, April 3 and Friday, April 17 @ 8pm: Lance Horne, Or What You Will

Lance Horne celebrates all things lyrical as he melds his Emmy Award-winning music with a cavalcade of lyricists ranging from Maya Angelou to William Shakespeare. Featuring the composer on piano as well as surprise performers from both the Broadway and downtown scenes, expect a collection of musical collaborations unlike any other.

Wednesday, April 15 and Friday, April 24 @ 8pm: LPfunK and the Cheerful Colony's Ithaca

Come rock and roll through raging parties, scenic road trips, and unconditional love affairs in the first decade of the 21st century. Throbbing drums, pounding bass, soaring strings and shredding guitar from LPfunK and The Cheerful Colony will take you on a musical journey to the outer reaches of who we are, then bring you back home with a po' boy and a good game of beer pong.

 

Tragedy Tomorrow

 

Thursday, April 2 @ 8pm: Lucas Kavner: Barnes & Noble, Frisco, TX

Genuine Texas chaos powers Lucas Kavner's hilarious recreation of life at a certain behemoth suburban bookstore. Prepare for songs, sketches and motivational speeches from the eclectic staff-including the good ol' boy manager, the born-again cashiers and Mr. Barnes and Mr. Noble themselves-with the high tension of the 2004 election thrown in for good measure. An excruciating day spent waiting for the "Secret Shopper" is just what this store needs!

Thursday, April 16 @ 8pm: Kristy Hasen: Business

Kristy Hasen's a wide-eyed wanderer who likes sex very much and men even more. Chris Comfort's all of the Mr. Rights ready to fight, finesse, and f*** their way to her heart. Everything's perfect, except for the pesky voices in Kristy's head and her severe case of Jonah, the one who got away. As the hilarious pseudo-romantic freefall intensifies, she can only hope to stick the landing. Or at least screw it. Directed by Yuval Hadadi.

Thursday, April 23 @ 8pm: Ambrose Martos: Hello! My Name Is...

Ambrose loves his name. Do you love yours? How did you get it? Were your parents fond of a TV show character? Was your mom flipping through a Russian novel when something caught her eye? Maybe you were named after a favorite uncle even though you turned out to be a girl. There are grand tales hiding behind every moniker. Revelation is Ambrose Martos‘s middle name.

 

Uncharted

Tuesday, April 21 @ 8pm: Caleb Hawley

Don't be thrown by Greatest Hits, the title of Caleb Hawley's debut album - this versatile singer-songwriter is just getting started. Recognized as a top five finalist in the NY Songwriters Circle's 2008 Songwriting Contest, this recent Berklee grad will rendezvous with special guests on keys, percussion, and strings to reveal where his genre-defying hitmaking talents are taking him next.

Tuesday, June 16 @ 8pm: Going... Going... Gwon: Songs by Adam Gwon

Composer/lyricist and 2008 Fred Ebb Award-winner Adam Gwon brings his signature catchy, smart style to Ars Nova for an evening of brand new songs about strange taxi rides, boy detectives, and the beauty of finding yourself a little bit lost. Come see where the future of musical theater is going (going)!

Tuesday, June 23 @ 8pm: Pedro Yanowitz: Walking in Soho

Soho isn't what it was, but it's still a fine host for dream-chasing NYC transplants. Pedro Yanowitz and Jen Turner create soaring music from wide-eyed tales, and in this new song cycle they'll explore the unlikely connections people can forge amidst the crumbling cobblestones and morphing facades. Expect a dramatic evening of urgent melodies and seductive grooves.

Special Events

Saturday, April 4 @ 8pm: I'm Gonna Like This Play, Or Lincoln's Last Words: The Songs of Eli Bolin and Sam Forman

Eli Bolin and Sam Forman, the song-writing team responsible for Gay Oedipus: Blinded By Love and the R&B Chekhov adaptation Tree Sistaz! (Midnight Train To Moscow) take you on an absurdly funny journey across our American landscape and beyond - all set to a big, bold Broadway sound. Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel.

Sunday, April 5 @ 8pm: John Roberts: Jersey Days

In this hilarious one-man show co-written with Bob Odenkirk, John Roberts ventures home to New Jersey to babysit his sister's kids while she parties in Atlantic City. The relentless droves of dirty Jersey family members, friends, and even beloved cable-access comedian Paulie P make sure that John has the most ridiculous night in the tri-state area. Directed by Jim Beiderman.

Saturday, April 18 @ 8pm: Antoinette LaVecchia: In Spite of Myself

Antoinette LaVecchia explores the classic struggles between an immigrant mother and her Americanized daughter from birth (yes, birth) onward. The universal search for understanding and identity, blended with full doses of Italian energy and vividly hilarious growing pains, feeds a powerful performance and spirited characters sure to hit home one way or another. Directed by Ted Sod.

Sunday, April 19 @ 8pm: Daniel Zaitchik

Daniel Zaitchik brings his self-described "impressionist pop" back to Ars Nova as he begins work on Summer of the Soda Fountain Girls, his first studio album release. Come get a sneak preview and commemorate the long overdue endeavor as Daniel and his brilliant guest musicians transport you with rich, rapturous, offbeat songs.

Wednesday, April 22 @ 8pm: Showgasm

Curious who we've got our eye on? Want to say you saw them when? Nova Scouts comb the city and scour the internet to bring you Showgasm, a quarterly variety show filled with the next wave of cutting-edge comedy, music and theater talent. Not to mention oddities, occasional celebrity drop-ins and all out fun!

Monday, June 22 @ 8pm: The Sean Mahoney and Creighton Irons Songbook

Prepare to be completely melted by this fusion of rock and musical theater from the songwriting team of Creighton Irons and Sean Mahoney. Featuring tunes from Factory Girls, their impending Classic American Rock Musical, a five-piece band driven by the colossal Vadim Feichtner (The 25th Annual... Spelling Bee), as well as the phenomenal vocal talents of Carrie Manolakos (Wicked), Phoebe Strole (Spring Awakening), and Colin Hanlon (Rent), this rising duo is sure to unleash an electric evening.

Featured Productions
Mel & El: Show & Tell

Written and performed by Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin
Music by Patrick Spencer Bodd
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel

From the day they met in advanced jazz class, Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin have been inseparable - in ass-shaking, brownie baking, wine drinking, wedding-hating, and so much more. In this riotous world premiere, the acclaimed cabaret meets musical theater duo employ their sharp wit, infectious songwriting, and unparalleled stage chemistry to escape mothers, manias, ticking clocks, and the magical age of twelve. Join the eighties fab / nineties glitz / aughts pop pair as they uncover and untangle their true selves!

Mel & El: Show & Tell runs for a four-week limited engagement from May 6-30. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.arsnovanyc.com.

Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed

Performed by Matt Sax and John Dixon
Written by John Dixon, Peter McNerney and Matt Sax
Directed by Peter McNerney

This world premiere from innovative sketch fusioneers Matt Sax and John Dixon melds fast-paced comic thrills with an expansive collection of intricately interwoven characters. Caught in the wicked gravitational pull of matrimony, families collide, exes surface and even the wedding band doesn't escape unscathed, as this high-octane duo takes sketch comedy to a new frontier. Come sneak into the hotel ballroom for the kind of excitement only a couple of vows can provide.

Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed runs for a three-week limited engagement from June 10-27. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.arsnovanyc.com.