New Ohio Theatre For The Young Minds Presents JOURNEY AROUND MY BEDROOM

This year, New Ohio Theatre for Young Minds invites extended families to join together virtually for their first-ever children's live streaming show, Journey Around My Bedroom.

Directed by Jaclyn Biskup (known for her recent collaboration with the Steppenwolf Theatre on the Broadway production of the Pulitzer-nominated play The Minutes), this online interactive experience borrows techniques of the Victorian toy theatre and combines them with contemporary style puppetry and original songs.

Designed specifically for online viewing, it invites viewers to turn their cameras on to participate in select scenes. A post-show talkback after each performance allows the audience to meet the puppeteers, ask questions, and explore behind-the-scenes. Audience members will also receive a printable puppet template that they can make and color at home.

Tickets for live streaming shows are Pay-What-You-Will (suggested $25 for up to two viewers) and can be purchased through Ovationtix: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1033538. The video will be available on-demand and entitles viewers to the link from Jan 11 - Feb 11 (suggested $25 for up to two viewers) https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/store/34708/alldonations/35894/dept/1499.

In Journey Around My Bedroom, Xavi is a little girl with a big imagination, stranded alone in her bedroom. When a mysterious visitor drops by looking for a missing part to fix his magical flying machine, they explore the hidden depths of her room and use the power of imagination to turn her isolation into an epic indoor voyage. Journey Around My Bedroom is loosely inspired by a work of the same title by the 18th-century French writer Xavier de Maistre - a peculiar travelogue conceived during six-weeks of house arrest - that transformed his confinement into a fresh perspective on his life.

Programmed in New Ohio's winter slot traditionally reserved for family-oriented productions, the piece strives to brighten the strange pandemic holiday and connect those who can't join their loved ones this year. Robert Lyons, the theatre's Artistic Director, explains: "It's going to be a strange holiday season this year. We hope this will provide an opportunity for families quarantined together to share some quality fun time together. I would like to think it will allow extended families who can't get together physically to enjoy a shared virtual experience."

Director Jaclyn Biskup makes a big switch from a recent Broadway production with the Steppenwolf Theatre to a miniature set and remote collaboration with her team of puppeteers, a writer, a composer, and designers. She says: "It's crazy that we are doing this from totally separate spaces, with no in-person contact. We even have to mail some of our puppets to the West Coast for one of the performers, who like so many NYC based artists, have temporarily relocated. I hope that Journey will bring some much-needed delight to families who are craving culture and shared experiences during these extraordinarily difficult times."

The premiere production of Journey Around My Bedroom brings together a diverse team of theatremakers from NYC and Chicago. Written by Dianne Nora, the show features songs and music by Hyeyoung Kim, scenic and puppet design by Myra Reavis, assisted by Ana M. Aburto.