Henson Alternative Puppet Comedy Improv Show Announces Limited Run, Opens 8/18

SHN and SF Sketchfest present a limited engagement of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, a night of hilarious uncensored mayhem featuring The Miskreant Puppets and their fearless puppeteers set loose live onstage to explore the art of improvisational comedy. Created by award-winning director, producer, writer and performer Brian Henson and actor and improvisational guru Patrick Bristow and featuring The Jim Henson Company's renowned puppeteers, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG will play a limited engagement of 10 performances August 18 through 27 at the Curran Theatre (445 Geary Street).
Tickets go on sale July 15 at 10 am.

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is a madcap multimedia romp in which the skilled art of puppetry and comedic intelligent nonsense collide. Unpredictable, irreverent and rebellious, it's never the same show twice as a team of expert puppeteers set off on a trail of twisted sketches and songs at breakneck pace while interaction with the audience prompts the spontaneous storylines unfolding on stage.

With live musical accompaniment and Patrick Bristow as host, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG features a cast of six puppeteers in an uninhibited and unscripted live puppet performance. The show, described by Entertainment Weekly as "one giant Mad Lib," is actually "two shows in one" as the hilarious puppet action is projected on large screens flanking the stage, while the puppeteers display their skillful talents below all in full view of the audience.

SF Sketchfest co-directors Janet Varney, David Owen and Cole Stratton elaborate on how this special engagement came about: "Brian Henson appeared earlier this year at SF Sketchfest for a lively, funny, and fascinating conversation-- as well as an incredible live puppet demonstration-- with Neil Patrick Harris. When Brian described the STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG puppets improvising adults-only sketches and songs, the crowd went wild and we knew we had to team up with SHN to bring this amazing show to San Francisco."

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG evolved from Henson's previous production Puppet Up! - Uncensored, which made its debut at the 2006 HBO Comedy Festival (Aspen, CO) and later toured the 2006 Edinburgh Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), The 2007 Comedy Festival (Las Vegas, NV) and Australia's Sydney Big Laugh Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (both 2007). Puppet Up continued to be workshopped in monthly performances at Avalon Hollywood and eventually a completely revamped production, featuring all new technical wizardry and original music and staging, opened in New York City as STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG.

Henson Alternative is The Jim Henson Company's label for content created specifically and exclusively for adult audiences. Previous credits include "Tinseltown" for Logo, "Puppet Up! - Uncensored" for TBS and the upcoming feature film Happytime Murders currently in development.

The San Francisco production of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is presented by SHN and SF Sketchfest in association with the original producer of the New York engagement Westbeth Entertainment.
TICKET INFORMATION:

· Tickets for STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG range in price from $30 - $65 and go on sale July 15 at 10 AM at http://shnsf.com/shows/stuffedandunstrung or by calling 888 SHN 1799 (888 746 1799).

· For current box office hours please visit http://shnsf.com/tickets/boxoffice.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE (August 18- 27)
Thursday Aug 18 and 25 at 8 pm
Friday Aug 19 and 26 at 7pm and 10:30 pm
Saturday Aug 20 and 27 at 7pm and 10:30 pm

Additional information about STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG available at www.stuffedandunstrung.com/

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