Every day is opening night.

“Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones” begins performances at Barrow Street Theatre 10/14

Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Philip Carrubba
rick@oandmco.com / philip@oandmco.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

PERFORMANCES BEGIN TOMORROW

SCAMP THEATRE AND BUNK PUPPETS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
BARROW STREET THEATRE
PRESENT U.S. PREMIERE OF
“ S T I C K S , S T O N E S , B R O K E N B O N E S ”
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY PUPPETEER JEFF ACHTEM

ACCLAIMED INTERACTIVE SHADOW PUPPET COMEDY
DIRECT FROM 2010 EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
TO PLAY LIMITED NEW YORK ENGAGEMENT
OCTOBER 14 – 23, 2010

SPECIAL ADDED CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE
AND SHADOW PUPPET WORKSHOP
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23 AT 11:00 A.M.

New York, NY (October 13, 2010) – Scamp Theatre and Bunk Puppets, in association with Barrow Street Theatre, proudly present the U.S. premiere of the acclaimed interactive shadow puppet comedy, Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones, written and performed by renowned street artist and puppeteer Jeff Achtem. This hugely entertaining and inventive production comes to New York City direct from a run at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it played to sold-out houses and unanimous critical acclaim. Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones begins performances Thursday, October 14 at 9:30 p.m. for a limited engagement through Saturday, October 23 at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street).

Horses ride people, ninjas fight audience members and old teddy bears get an unexpected new lease on life as Montreal street artist and puppeteer Jeff Achtem transforms bits of household junk into surreal shadow puppets before your eyes. Verbal communication takes a back seat as everything he can get his hands – and feet – on is used to create a joyfully detailed theatrical world like nothing you’ve ever seen. Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones is feast for the imagination for audiences of all ages. It’s all about fun.

Over the last decade Jeff, as Mr. Bunk, his acclaimed street performance character, a hit with audiences of all ages, cultures and languages, has continued to play in festivals and theatres in all four corners of the globe.

A special children's show/shadow puppet workshop (ages 8+) has been added on Saturday morning, October 23 at 11:00 a.m. A performance of the show will be followed by an interactive shadow puppet workshop with Jeff Achtem where kids and adults will be able to learn and bring to life their own shadow characters out of ordinary objects.

At this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones was named “Best Newcomer” and “Spirit of the Fringe” and received a festival nomination for “Total Theater” and the critics raved:

Winner: Spirit of the Fringe, Edinburgh 2010

Winner: Best Newcomer, Edinburgh 2010

Finalist: Total Theatre Award, Edinburgh, 2010

“5 STARS! A consummate performance that is charming, quirky and original.”
– Three Weeks

“5 STARS! A bizarre talent for creating silhouettes and bringing them to life.”
– Fest Magazine

“He reminds you what your imagination is for.”
– The Skinny

“The intricacy of his creations is amazing.”
— “Edinburgh Evening News

“He is a master of the art. He'll leave you wanting more.”
– GLAM Adelaide

The performance schedule for Sticks, Stones, Broken Bones is as follows: Thursday, October 14 and Friday, October 15 at 9:30 p.m., Saturday, October 16 at 4:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Sunday, October 16 through Friday October 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 23 at 2:30 p.m. General Admission tickets are priced at $25 and are available through SmartTix (212) 868-4444, www.smarttix.com or at the Barrow Street Theatre box office (open at 1 p.m. daily). Student Rush tickets at $12.50 are available on the day of performance in person at the box office.

Tickets for the special children's show/shadow puppet workshop (ages 8+) on Saturday morning, October 23 at 11:00 a.m. are priced at $18 with a Special Family Package available at $12 for a family of 4 or more. Space is limited, reservations are required. Tickets for the special show/workshop are available ONLY at the Barrow Street Theatre Box Office, or via email at sticksstonestickets@gmail.com

Barrow Street Theatre is located at 27 Barrow Street at 7th Avenue South in the heart of Greenwich Village. Nearby subway stops are the 1 at Christopher Street (walk 1 block South on 7th Avenue to Barrow) and the A, C, E, B, D, F and M at West 4th (walk West on 4th Street, left on Barrow).

BIOS______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Achtem/Bunk Puppets (Playwright/Puppeteer), a Canadian performer, draws on a varied background to create simple stories using simple tools. His highly visual performances are a blend of mime, clown, street theatre and puppetry. In movement, Jeff began at l’École de Mime Omnibus in Montreal and continued in the Le Coq style with veteran Cirque de Soleil clown, Rene Bazinet. In France, Jeff was a clown masterclass resident at le Hanger des Mines with the renowned clown maestro, Michel Dallaire. In puppetry, he has trained with Neville Tranter, Australian shadow-master Richard Bradshaw and I Made Sidia in Indonesia. A short stint at a l'INIS film school in Montreal began a burning interest in creating 'live' visual, storytelling.

In street performance, Jeff’s silent clown character Mr. Bunk, draws influence from European street clowning and audience improvisation. His unique performances are in demand world-wide, and he appears regularly at arts festivals, variety theaters and cabarets around the globe.
Recent performances have taken Mr. Bunk through Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, Poland, Dubai, Kuwait, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Belgium and Macedonia.

On stage, Sticks Stones Broken Bones debuted at the Adelaide Fringe festival in 2009, and continued to tour across Australia before a sell-out season at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe.

When not playing with bits of junk in the dark, Jeff lives in Montreal with several obedient cactii. He is ever grateful that his parents decided not to own a television.

Scamp Theatre was founded in 2003 by Jennifer Sutherland and Louise Callow. They are award-winning international producers bringing a range of theatrical live performance to audiences of all ages. Scamp have a superb track record of theatre production in London, on tour, and at the world’s leading festivals including Edinburgh, Wellington, Hong Kong, Dubai and Melbourne. Scamp and Barrow Street Theatre have worked together on several projects including No Child… (Edinburgh), Two Men Talking (Edinburgh, West End and UK Tour), Flesh and Blood & Fish and Fowl (Edinburgh) and have shared General Management roles for the Edinburgh Festival supporting companies from the USA.

# # # # #

www.barrowstreettheatre.com
www.scamptheatre.com
www.oandmco.com
twitter.com/oandmco