As New York State guidelines continue to prohibit in person audiences due to COVID-19 restrictions, Playhouse Stage will produce a slate of four productions to be made available for streaming to audiences at home. The productions being released to the public will be Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical; The Last Five Years; Peace, Love, and Cupcakes and Little Women.
Streams will be available on demand during each release window for a period of 24 hours from time of purchase at a cost of only $10. Links for purchase will be available through the Playhouse Stage Company website at www.playhousestage.org .
Producing Artistic Director Owen Smith commented “While we await a return to the stage with live audiences, we aren’t stopping our work making the performing arts accessible to everyone in our community. We hope to be back on stage with audiences in time for next summer’s season but couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the streaming lineup that our team has assembled.”
Titles and schedules for the Playhouse Stage Streaming Season are as follows:
Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical — November 14 & 15, and 21 & 22
The plot follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the “Squares Only” small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. From daily bullying to segregated drinking fountains, Lily’s quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polkadot skin blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Inspired by the events of The Little Rock 9, Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson for children, reminding them that our individual differences make us awesome, not outcasts. Music, Lyrics and Original Concept by Douglas Lyons with Music by Greg Borowsky and Book by Melvin Tunstall III.
The Last Five Years — January 21–24, and 28–31
An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show’s unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show. Book, Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown.
Peace, Love, and Cupcakes — February 20–21, and 27–28
Based on the bestselling children’s book series by Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk, Kylie Carson has a big problem: she’s different. And different isn’t necessarily a good thing in 7th grade. She loves vampires, zombies, and all things pertaining to monster movies–one of the many reasons why kids at her new school avoid her like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. To sweeten up her image–and find a place where she belongs–Kylie starts a cupcake club (Peace, Love & Cupcakes), attended by three other socially invisible girls. Together, they forge a powerful friendship, figure out how to create crowd-pleasing cupcakes, and become a booming baking business that would make Martha Stewart envious. But when Meredith Mitchell, Blakely Middle School’s resident Queen Bee, tries to sabotage their efforts, will Kylie have the courage to stand up to the bully and bring the school together? A musical that celebrates kid power, friendship, and standing up for who you are and what you believe in. Book, Music and Lyrics by Rick Hip-Flores.
Little Women — March 18–21, and 25–28
Based on Louisa May Alcott’s life, Little Women follows the adventures of sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but the publishers are not interested — her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her that she has to do better and write more from herself. Begrudgingly taking this advice, Jo weaves the story of herself and her sisters and their experience growing up in Civil War America. Music by Jason Howland with Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and Book by Allan Knee.
Each cast, crew and creative team member involved in rehearsals and filming will be subject to COVID-19 testing protocols in partnership with Albany Medical Center to ensure the safety of the participants.
