We are happy to announce that ONCE THERE WAS A BOY has been chosen as the 2009 Fordham Alumni Company Production.
Once There Was A Boy was written by Jason Pizzarello, and will be directed by Aaron Rhyne
Audition and Interview information will be posted soon.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
As a young boy grows up literally attached to his father, they become freakish outcasts in their small town. Meanwhile, deep in the woods, a witch torments her young daughter who was born with wings. When the young boy and the girl with wings develop a magical connection, they must depend on each other to free themselves from societies shackles. Mixing various forms of puppetry and multimedia, Once There Was a Boy is a modern absurdist fairytale exploring the culture of fear and the boundaries of acceptance.
Once There Was A Boy is a multi-media driven new work exploring the relationships of society, fear, and identity. Some characters will be played by human actors, others by puppets, and still others by video Images, all three interacting equally with eachother to tell our story.
Once There Was A Boy is a story told in response to the culture of fear that surrounds us. We fear that which we do not understand; all that is foreign to us. Our fear drives us to violence that is a severe reaction of misunderstandings. The world of Once There Was A Boy is not a culture that adapts to change. It is not a culture that will grow and flourish. It is a culture that will destroy itself by eating its own tail. Fear justifies violence in the world of this play as well as in our own culture. Fear drives the townspeople in Once There Was A Boy to fight and torture those who don’t look or act the way they do. Fear justifies hate in American culture towards those who don’t look or act the way “normal” Americans do. This project deals with current issues that we all are faced with, yet takes them to extraordinary and absurd levels allowing the audience to both laugh at the ridiculousness of it, all the while seeing a window into the soul of our humanity simultaneously.
JASON PIZZARELLO (Playwright) is a 2004 graduate of the Fordham Playwriting Program. His full-length plays include: "InsideOut," produced at the Here Arts Center, and nominated for a 2006 Innovative Theatre Award; "The Last One Left," produced by Geek, Ink in the Midtown International Theatre Festival; "Saving the Greeks: One Tragedy at a Time," produced by Push Productions at the 14th Street Y Theater; "Glued to Grammy," produced at Here; and "Once There Was A Boy," currently in development with Live Project and the Fordham Alumni Company. Seven of his plays are published by Playscripts, Inc. and have been produced in more than 20 states as well as in Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Syria, and Thailand. He is the co-founder and creative director of Live Project, a mixed media performance group founded in 2002 with director Aaron Rhyne.
AARON RHYNE (director) is a director and video artist specializing in theatrical video and projection design. His designs include the New York premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall as well as the upcoming Sydney Opera House production, the current revival of Stephen Schwartz’ Working (Asolo Rep and The Old Globe), The Civil War (Ford’s Theatre), Amiri Baraka's Dutchman (Cherry Lane), The JAP Show (Actors Temple and US Tour), Topsy Turvy Mouse (Cherry Lane), Flags (59E59), Monica Bill Barnes’ Suddenly Summer Somewhere (Dancepace), and Cunning Little Vixen (Colorado Light Opera). He is currently developing video designs for a new one woman show starring Rue McClanahan based on her memoir, My First Five Husbands…And the Ones Who Got Away. He has done extensive video work with Caden Manson’s Big Art Group and has toured with them through Europe and the U.S. with The House of No More and Flicker. He directed and designed InsideOut, which was nominated for an Innovative Theatre Award. He founded the artists group Live Project with playwright Jason Pizzarello, and the two are currently collaborating on a new work, Once There Was A Boy. Additionally, Mr. Rhyne directs music videos, commercials, and performance projects for television. He is a proud graduate of Fordham University. www.aaronrhyne.com
