My dear friends at Rhode Island’s Contemporary Theater Company are presenting a new holiday show yet again this year, which features a couple of original carols I wrote. If you’re in town, be sure to check it out!
An Evening with Donner and Blitzen
by Andy Hoover
Original Music and Lyrics by Brandon Michael Lowden
Tickets: http://contemporarytheatercompany.com
Dec 2-3, 9-10, 15-17, 23 at 7 pm
Dec 18 & 24 at 2 pm
‘Tis the season to be jolly and the variety act “Donner and Blitzen” are together for their annual show! Following this hilarious pair across years of gigs, you’ll experience the joys, the tears, and the Christmas cheers!
The CTC has this to say about the show on their blog:
The Contemporary Theater Company is bringing all the Christmas cheer this season with An Evening with Donner and Blitzen. Artistic Director Christopher Simpson and Amelia Giles star in this show full of carols, original songs, and a heartwarming story!
Alongside Tyler Brown as the deadpan piano accompanist, Simpson and Giles play Donner and Blitzen, a variety duo who come together for a Christmas show every year. We follow them through years of Christmases as their lives and the times change.
The new work is written by the Contemporary Theater Company’s playwright-in-residence Andy Hoover, with original music by Brandon Michael Lowden.
“There’s something constant about the Christmas holiday that’s both extremely charming and — to me, anyway — very soothing,” says Hoover.
This is Hoover’s third Christmas show for the company, and sixth play produced at the CTC. Lowden has also written a Christmas show for the CTC, and both write annually for the company’s 24-Hour Play Festival.
“For many folks, including characters in this play, Christmas is about homecoming,” says Lowden. “I am always gladdened to be welcomed back into the open arms of the CTC community, my artistic home away from home.”
The small cast means the show has an intimate feeling, bringing the audience into the lives of the characters. Simpson and Giles have worked together on dozens of shows, and are both members of the Contemporary Theater Company’s caroling group each holiday season.
“Amelia Giles is one of the most experienced (and beloved) actors in our community, with more CTC stage appearances than anyone,” says Simpson. “I’m delighted to be freely playing with her and the immensely skilled Tyler Brown in these rehearsals, bringing joy and excitement to the season.”
In addition to An Evening with Donner and Blitzen, the Contemporary Theater Company will perform a family show on Saturdays in December before Christmas with improv, fun activities, and songs, all with a holiday theme.