News and Events
ALL HANDS ON DECK MUSICAL JAN. 26-29
Imaginary friends, pirates, and swash-buckling fun!
St. Davids, PA, January 3, 2012: Join Yes! And... Collaborative Arts and Eastern University Theatre for the fifth annual Winter Sort of Thing, All Hands on Deck. This is a world where Imaginary Friends are real, Pirates are tricksters, and Canoe-Dancing is a fine art. All Hands on Deck runs one weekend only, January 26-29, at Eastern University, McInnis Auditorium, 1300 Eagle Road in St. Davids, PA. The schedule is: Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. (Opening); Friday, Jan. 27 at 11:30 a.m. (field trip performance) and 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m. (Closing). Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for kids and seniors, and $5 for students with Eastern University I.D. Reserve tickets at 215.951.0330 x2117 or www.wintersortofthing.com. The show runs approximately 60-70 minutes, is performed with an intermission, and is appropriate for all ages.
The wily Captain Papadopoulos has an important job to do, and not enough time, resources or minions to get it all done. When you are in charge of mishaps and mayhem for the entire world, you have a lot on your plate. (There are six billion of us after all.) The Captain is on the lookout for a new crew of tricksters, and of course she is not above a little trickery herself to acquire some accomplices.
Lights up on two of our most favorite childhood themes: pirates and imaginary friends for this year’s Winter Sort of Thing. All Hands on Deck is written by Brooke Sexton and assisted by the children in Yes! And… Collaborative Arts’ programming. Germantown resident and composer Sarah C. Butts-Manzo, has written six new songs as this show maintains the Winter Sort of Thing's high level of artistry while reflecting the joyful and fun loving storytelling audiences have come to expect.
The director is Jake Miller, a Philadelphia based director and choreographer and a founder of Yes! And… Collaborative Arts. He is joined on the creative staff by Kevin Monaghan, a recent graduate of Eastern University as the music director, Mark Duska as Technical Director/Set Design, along with Brooke Sexton and Mark Hallen, co-producers. All Hands on Deck stars area actors Shannon Flannery, Meredith Sexton, Natalie Cisternas, Anna Sweeny, Julia Shields and features Dr. Betsy Morgan.
However, the real stars of the performance are the children and teens who participate in Yes! And... Collaborative Arts programs throughout the year. The children hail from Philadelphia neighborhoods in Kensington, Southwest, Brewerytown, Germantown and others.
Brooke Sexton, writer and producer of the Winter Sort of Thing and director of programming for Yes! And… Collaborative Arts, says, “This is by far my favorite Winter Sort of Thing. It explores themes that our kids imagined about all summer long and the songs featured will have the audience humming for weeks to come.”
The mission of Yes! And... Collaborative Arts is to: Equip children and young people with the tools to be better learners, to believe in themselves and to realize their dreams through the work of creating collaboratively with peers and professional artists. We work with children and youth from across Philadelphia in the collaborative and imaginative arts through Summer Theatre Camps, after school programs, SHADOW Company high school leadership and arts training, and (with Eastern University Theatre) the Winter Sort of Thing.
