THIS SHOULD NEVER BE A MUSICAL to Open 1812 Productions' 30th Season
Jennifer Childs and Mary Carpenter co-create and direct the improv-based world premiere at the Arden Theatre Company.
1812 Productions, Philadelphia's all-comedy theatre company, is launching its 30th anniversary season with a world premiere production that will change every night-literally. A part of the Phoebe and Otto Premiere Series as sponsored by the Wyncote Foundation, This Should Never Be A Musical: An Improvised Reality Show, co-created and directed by Jennifer Childs and Mary Carpenter, will play at the Arden Theatre Company's Arcadia Stage for a strictly limited engagement, September 4-27, 2026. Tickets are now on sale at 1812productions.org.
Part American Idol, part Whose Line Is It Anyway, part Waiting for Guffman and 100 percent 1812, this is a brand new musical adventure unlike anything audiences have experienced. Each night, the audience will provide the worst musical titles they can think of, and the actors will improvise songs and scenes from each one with reality tv-style challenges. The audience will vote on which musicals move forward in the competition and the winning musical will be selected at the top of the second act followed by a 30-minute version of that musical, complete with choreography and costumes.
The cast includes Mykey Carpenter, David Dritsas, Eliana Fabiyi, Kristin Finger, Kelsey Hébert, and Shane Roche. The creative team includes Music Direction by Jay Rosen; Set Design by Marie Laster; Sound Design by Christopher Colucci; Lighting Design by Drew Billiau; and Costume Design by Asaki Kuruma.
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