Pigpen Theatre Co. Will Head to Boston With Critically Acclaimed ‘The Old Man and the Old Moon’
Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Jaron Caldwell
rick@oandmco.com / jaron@oandmco.com
(212) 695-7400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
“The great power of simple story telling” – The New York Times
P I G P E N T H E A T R E C O.
HEADS TO BOSTON WITH CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
“ T H E O L D M A N A N D T H E O L D M O O N ”
PERFORMANCES AT
ARTSEMERSON: THE WORLD ON STAGE
EMERSON COLLEGE / PARAMOUNT CENTER
BEGIN NOVEMBER 19, 2014
GROUP TO PLAY ONE NIGHT ONLY CONCERT THIS SUNDAY
AT GRAMERCY THEATRE
New York, NY – On the heels of winning two Joseph Jefferson “Jeff” Awards (Best Original Music in a Play and Best Sound Design) in Chicago, and a critically acclaimed successful run of The Old Man and The Old Moon at the New Victory Theater in NYC, PigPen Theatre Co. will continue their 2014 season by taking the celebrated signature play to Boston in partnership with ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage at the Emerson College/Paramount Center (November 19-23). The limited tour, which originated at Williamstown Theatre Festival in August, and ran at the New Victory Theater from September 26 – October 13, 2014, will be the last chance to see The Old Man and The Old Moon performed by the original company.
Before heading to Boston, the group, whose album Bremen remains a favorite with fans and critics, will play a one night only concert of their music at The Gramercy Theatre (127 East 23rd, NYC) this Sunday, October 19. The group will also play a one night only concert at The Sinclair in Cambridge (52 Church Street, Cambridge) on November 25th.
After premiering The Old Man and The Old Moon at the Gym at Judson in New York City in the fall of 2012, the seven men of PigPen embarked on a collaboration with Chicago-based director Stuart Carden to revise the piece – first with a script/music workshop at Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 2013, then with a fully staged reimagining of the show opening the season at Writers Theatre in Chicago in the fall of 2013. The resulting play, with a tighter script, no intermission, extended music, and new puppetry was nominated for three Jeff Awards including Ensemble (PigPen Theatre Co.), Original Music in a Play (PigPen Theatre Co.), and Sound Design – Large (Mikhail Fiksel), resulting in two wins this week (Original Music in a Play and Sound Design).
The Old Man and The Old Moon is a luminously lo-fi spectacle that elevates traditional storytelling to high art. The fantastical, song-filled tale takes us to the end of the world when an old man abandons his duty of filling the moon with liquid light to search for his missing wife. With a rollicking array of ever-changing characters, inventive theatrical effects, and an infectious contemporary fold sound, these seven young actor musicians transform the seemingly ordinary into sheer wonder.
PigPen Theatre Co. is amid their busiest music touring schedule to date. After a successful two month residency at Schubas Tavern in Chicago, they hit the road headlining folk rock concerts in over 30 cities across the United States in support of their debut album, “Bremen”, and follow up EP, “The Way I’m Running”. Notable stops included The Echo, Lincoln Hall, The Ann Arbor Folk Festival, SXSW, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and The Sinclair.
The Old Man and The Old Moon is written, directed, produced and starred in by the seven members of the PigPen Theatre Co., Alex Falberg, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Ryan Melia, Matt Nuernberger, Arya Shahi, and Dan Weschler. The production’s creative team includes Stuart Carden (Direction), Lydia Fine (Design and Puppetry), Bart Cortright (Design), Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design), and the PigPen Theatre Co. (Direction and Puppetry).
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON
“This is a story of time and tides and quests, the sort of fable on which mythologies and religions are founded … [PigPen] asks us to appreciate the finer arts of wild storytelling, while speaking to the childish mind in all of us.”
— Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“This extraordinarily imaginative, wonderfully written, beautifully produced staging, which includes lively music performed by seven gifted actors, is a rare example of true theater magic.”
— TheaterMania
“Don't make the mistake of dismissing “The Old Man and The Old Moon” as a kids' show. It's a transcendent theatrical experience for all ages.”
–Raven Snook, Time Out NY
“I'm crazy about PigPen and soon you will be too. They're a great rock band that also happens to put on delightful theatrical shows. Or they're a great theatrical troupe that also happens to release terrific albums. Take your pick.”
— The Huffington Post
“Nothing was expected. Except maybe the unexpected … If there is one show not to miss this fall, The Old Man and The Old Moon is it.”
— Examiner.com
“The Old Man and The Old Moon is pure magic … It's Once meets Peter and the Starcatcher in a glorious fusion of music and theatrics.”
— BroadwayWorld.com
“The Old Man and The Old Moon is outshining some of the neons on 42nd Street.”
— Playbill
BIO___________________________________________________________________________________________
PIGPEN THEATRE CO. began creating their unique brand of music, film, and theatre as freshman at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2008. They have since produced their original plays Off-Broadway and at regional theaters around the country – earning them critic’s picks from The New York Times, Time Out New York, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Boston Globe, and many more, ranking them in the top ten theatrical events of 2011, 2012, and 2013. They were also the first group to win the NYC Fringe Festival’s top honor for a play two years in a row in 2010 and 2011. Their plays include: “The Nightmare Story”, “The Mountain Song”, and “The Old Man and The Old Moon”. Their debut indie-folk album, “Bremen”, was featured by American Songwriter and was named #10 album of the year in The Huffington Post’s 2012 Grammy preview. Their follow up EP, “The Way I’m Running”, was released on October 8th, 2013, and was premiered by American Songwriter. PigPen is thrilled to be working with Writers House, one of the world’s leading young adult literary agencies, to develop their debut children’s novel. They tour and perform as an indie-rock band and a theatre company.
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