[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: ANCRAM OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS “POOF!” JULY 8-10

[Gail Burns]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 3, 2022

CONTACT: gburns35 at gmail.com

PHOTOS: https://tinyurl.com/mu9b8wjs


ANCRAM OPERA HOUSE SUMMER PLAY LAB PRESENTS “POOF!” JULY 8-10

An all-natural solo performance by Celeste Lecesne & company



ANCRAM, NY [July 3, 2022] - Ancram Opera House concludes  its 2022 Summer
Play Lab Series July 8-10 with “POOF!” an all-natural solo performance by
Celeste Lecesne, directed by  Kevin Hourigan, with music by Truth Future
Bachman and costumes by Michael Krass. Tickets are $20 available at
ancramoperahouse.org <https://www.ancramoperahouse.org/>

Fairies have always enjoyed a close association with the natural world. But
with so much of the natural world under threat from Climate Change, the
fairies are not pleased, and they are beginning to show up in surprising
ways. In addition to making everything more fabulous just by simply being,
fairies have come to pass along some information, songs and a few spells
that will be needed in the days to come. Join them at The Ancram Opera
House. Performances Friday and Saturday,  July 8 & 9 at 8 pm and Sunday,
July 10 at 3 pm.

Lecesne performed an earlier version of “POOF!” at AOH last summer as one
of the Plein Air Plays. “I enjoyed doing it so much last year, but I wanted
to make it a little bit longer and bring Kevin Hourigan on board to
direct,” they explained. “Truth Bachman, has composed some wonderful music
which is all performed a cappella.”

An actor on  stage, screen, and TV Lecesne appeared in the original NY
production of Caryl Churchill’s “Cloud 9”, the 30th anniversary production
of Mark Crowley’s “The Boys in the Band” and in “Extraordinary Measures”
written and directed by V (formerly Eve Ensler). Lecesne is perhaps best
known for their award-winning solo shows including “The Absolute Brightness
of Leonard Pelkey” for which the NYTimes ranked them “among the most
talented solo performers of his (or any) generation.”

They are also active in LGBTQ+ rights and issues. Lecesne wrote the short
film Trevor which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and he is
co-founder of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide Lifeline for LGBTQ+
youth.  They are also the co-founder of The Future Perfect, a national arts
initiative dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ youth and amplifying their voices.

The Summer Play Lab
<https://www.ancramoperahouse.org/summer-play-lab-residency> residency
provides theater artists of all practices a space to develop innovative new
performances and connect with the community in meaningful ways.

“The support AOH provides to artists like me, giving us time and space
during the delicate time when we’re finding our way towards a finished
product, is wonderful,” Lecesne said, “AOH co-directors Paul Ricciardi and
Jeffrey Mousseau have built a  community of people who really support the
work and come out and buy tickets.” As part of this Summer Play Lab
Residency, Lecesne gave a free Storytelling Workshop at AOH a few weeks ago
that was very well attended.

AT-A-GLANCE

Summer Play Lab work-in-progress showing of

POOF!

Written and performed by Celeste Lecesne

Music by Truth Future Bachman

Directed by Kevin Hourigan



Fri, July 8 at 8 pm

Sat, July 9 at 8 pm

Sun, July 10 at 3 pm



Recommended for ages 12+

at AOH, 1330 County Route 7, Ancram 12502

Tickets: $20 each

(518) 329-0114

www.ancramoperahouse.org

ABOUT THE “POOF!” COMPANY

CELESTE LECESNE (they/he) wrote the short film Trevor which won an Academy
Award for Best Live Action Short and he is co-founder of The Trevor
Project, the only nationwide Lifeline for LGBTQ youth.  They have written
three novels for young adults, and created The Letter Q, a collection of
letters by queer writers written to their younger selves. An actor of
stage, screen and TV as well as a writer, Celeste appeared in the original
NY production of Caryl Churchill’s Cloud 9, the 30th anniversary production
of Mark Crowley’s The Boys in the Band and in Extraordinary Measures
written and directed by V (formerly Eve Ensler). They areperhaps best known
for their award-winning solo shows including The Absolute Brightness of
Leonard Pelkey for which the NYTimes ranked them “among the most talented
solo performers of his (or any) generation.” They are also the co-founder
of The Future Perfect, a national arts initiative dedicated to serving
LGBTQ+ youth and amplifying their voices. CelesteLecesne.com

KEVIN HOURIGAN (he/him)  is a director and producer based in New York. His
theater directing credits include Diana Oh's THE INFINITE LOVE PARTY
(Bushwick Starr: co-creative director), ELIXIR (Pipeline Theater Co.), A
STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Precariat Productions), ANOTHER ROSE (Virgin
Voyages: Immersive Director), QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (Beijing: Immersive
Director and Lead Consultant; NYC: Assistant Director), IMAGINE: YEMEN
(Signature Center), FARMED (Joe’s Pub and others), L'HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT at
(Norfolk Chamber Music Festival), UNCLE VANYA (Brooklyn College), IMAGINE
SISYPHUS HAPPY (Pace University), CENERENTOLA (Curtis Opera Theater); TALK
TO ME ABOUT SHAME in (NYFringe Festival: Fringe Award). He has directed
workshops and readings of new work for writers including Craig Lucas, Naomi
Wallace, Kia Corthron, Kara Lee Corthron, Truth Future Bachman, Brendan
Pelsue, Mirando Rose Hall, Tegan McLeod, Keelay Gipson, and others.
Hourigan is the recipient of an Individual Artist Commission from the New
York State Council for the Arts, and was the inaugural Directing Fellow and
later the Producing Associate at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Hourigan
has also worked as a producer on projects, shows,

TRUTH FUTURE BACHMAN (they/them/theirs) is a composer, vocalist, and writer
of socially-focused musicals. NYTimes: “musically and vocally rich”,
praised for “golden-voiced”, “soulful vocals” (Vulture). Recently featured
in Teen Vogue. Bachman’s acclaimed Shapeshifters, about LGBTQ+ superheroes,
was developed at an ongoing residency at Joe’s Pub, The Delacorte, MTF, and
was the inaugural recipient of the Denovan Grant. FARMED: A Live Podcast
Album, Bachman’s musical podcast concert series, features interviews with
grassroots leaders and a vocally percussive score for 25 voices and was
recently published. Their musical short film Who Holds Us debuted at
NewFest 2021. Truth is an artist in residence at La Mama E.T.C. and a
visiting artist at Princeton University where they co-created Horsemanship,
a new musical with Will Davis. Truth is an alum of New Dramatists
Composer-Librettist Studio, Joe’s Pub Working Group, NYU Tisch, and is a
2022 Richard Rogers Award Finalist, 2022 Jonathan Larson Award Finalist,
and 2021 Jerome Hill finalist in music. Truth’s latest work, Luna and The
Starbodies, plays Vassar’s Powerhouse Theatre on July 8th and 9th, and
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater on July 29th. Truthbachman.com

MICHAEL KRASS (he/him) has designed costumes, and sometimes scenery,
collaboratively for a plethora of new plays, musicals and dances over many
years. recent projects include HADESTOWN and WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO
ME in New York, but his work ranges to The Gate in Dublin, the Mariinsky in
St. Petersburg, Russia, and regional theatres all over the United States.
For many years he proudly taught undergrad theatre students at NYU, and is
currently advising in the grad program at Brown University

2022 SPONSORS

The 2022 season at the Ancram Opera House is made possible by the New York
State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor
and the New York State Legislature.

ABOUT THE ANCRAM OPERA HOUSE

The Ancram Opera House in southern Columbia County, NY,  is an intimate
showcase for fresh, contemporary work by visionary theater and musical
artists where audiences can connect with performers in immersive, immediate
ways.

The Opera House was erected in 1927 as Ancram Grange #955, a chapter of the
National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, to address the social,
educational and economic concerns of the region’s farmers.  In 1972, the
building was repurposed and renamed the Ancram Opera House as an arts venue
focusing on light operatic fare.

Today, Ancram Opera House rededicates itself to aspects of its origins,
producing and presenting inventive contemporary theatrical performances to
be shared by a rural community.

For more information visit www.ancramoperahouse.org.

###


-- 
Gail M. Burns
57 Linden Street
Williamstown, MA 01267-2511
413-458-4246 home
gburns35 at gmail.com <gailmburns at roadrunner.com>

Editor & Webmaster for Berkshire on Stage
https://berkshireonstage.blog/

PR & Marketing for the Ancram Opera House
https://www.ancramoperahouse.org/

Social Media & Webmaster for WAM Theatre
https://www.wamtheatre.com/

Social Media for Dolores Heights Improvement Club, Williamstown Community
Chest, and the Williamstown Historical Museum

Freelance Writer
<http://www.GailSez.org>
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