THE VAGABOND THEATRE COMPANY
of GREATER BRIDGEPORT
Producing Award-Winning, Thought-Provoking Theatre Since 2016
2017-2018 SEASON
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY
ADAPTED BY JOE LANDRY
DIRECTED BY JOHN R SMITH JNR
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
The Bijou Theatre - 275 Fairfield Ave - Bridgeport CT
Friday Dec 15 - 8 pm
Saturday Dec 16 - 1 pm / 8 pm
Sunday Dec 17 - 5 pm
(Followed by a Talkback with the Playwright, Cast, and Production Team)
NOMINATED FOR 4 BROADWAYWORLD CT REGIONAL AWARDS
Best Actor in a Play (Non-Equity): Ian C Smith / Best Actress in a Play (Non-Equity): Rachel Schulte
Best Ensemble Performance in a Play (Non-Equity) / Best Special Theatrical Event
Come join The Vagabonds for this completely out of character production as we celebrate our return to Bridgeport's Hidden Gem with the story of George Bailey's glimpse into the "What If" and a very healthy dose of Holiday Cheer.
Adapted from the classic film by Fairfield native, Joe Landry, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play premiered in 1996 at Stamford Center for the Arts, and has since been produced around the country.
This unique take on the beloved, heartwarming story of George Bailey and the granting of his bleak and desperate Christmas wish by his guardian angel, Clarence Oddbody, shifts from the silver screen to a 1946 radio studio. Where five actors are at their mics, broadcasting in front of a studio audience, performing as dozens of characters, all while accompanied on stage by live sound effects.
"Critic's Pick! Amazing!" - Backstage
"One of the best holiday shows around. Fresh and innovative. Highly recommended." - Chicago Sun-Times
"Preserves the heart of darkness in Capra's fable, making its faux-radio version a compelling Christmas showpiece." - Time Out Magazine
"Terrific! The Best holiday choice around! The classic movie retold through this clever faux period broadcast, a genre it seems to fit with remarkable ease. If you cry every time you see the movie, you'll be blubbering away right on cue. Guaranteed. You might well be blubbering more. The kind of old-fashioned, personalized holiday environment that we all crave but usually fail to find." - Chicago Tribune
A portion of all ticket sales will be donated to The Exonerated Fund administered by The Culture Project, who distribute ALL collected funds to those exonerated of their wrongful convictions to rebuild their lives after release.
THE EXONERATED
ADAPTED BY JESSICA BLANK and ERIK JENSEN
DIRECTED BY RICHARD MANCINI
Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.
February 23-March 4 2018
Fri and Sat @ 8 pm, Sun @ 5 pm
The Bijou Theatre - 275 Fairfield Ave - Bridgeport CT
NOMINATED FOR 6 BROADWAYWORLD CT REGIONAL AWARDS:
Best Actor in a Play (Non-Equity): Elijah Manning / Best Actress in a Play (Non-Equity): Monica O'Brien
Best Ensemble Performance in a Play (Non-Equity) / Best Director of a Play (Non-Equity): Richard Mancini
Best Sound Design (Non-Equity): Tanya Feduik-Smith / Best Play (Non-Equity)
VTC returns to form in February with The Exonerated
The Exonerated tells the true stories of six wrongfully convicted, survivors of death row in their own words, using interviews, letters, transcripts, case files and the public record.
There is:
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Kerry, who served twenty-two years before being exonerated by DNA evidence
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Gary, condemned for the murder of his parents and later exonerated when the true killers confess
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Robert, who spent seven years on death row for murder, before evidence emerges that the victim was found clutching hair from her attacker
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David, bullied into confessing to a robbery/murder at age eighteen, he is scarred from a youth spent in prison and is struggling to regain his faith
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Sunny, who, along with her husband, spent seventeen years in prison while another man confessed and was ignored by the courts
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and Delbert, a poet who serves as the play's center, convicted in the Deep South of the 1970’s and later freed when evidence surfaced showing him out-of- town when the crime occurred.
Moving between first-person monologues and scenes set in courtrooms and prisons, these six interwoven stories address an American criminal justice system in need of serious reform, told through the words of the brave souls who survived it.
Winner 2003 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
"The #1 play of the year…intense and deeply affecting…" —NY Times.
"Riveting. Simple, honest storytelling that demands reflection." —Associated Press.
"Artful and moving…pays tribute to the resilience of human hearts and minds." —Variety.
"Stark…riveting…cunningly orchestrated." —The New Yorker.
"Hard-hitting, powerful, and socially relevant." —Hollywood Reporter.
