Applications for 2011 Spotlight Performers Are Now Availale
Please click here to download the 2011 Artist Application. To save $25, please submit your application before June 1, 2010.
Showcase 2010 Artists
Showcase 2010 featured Spotlight Performers. Spotlight performers are either sponsored or chosen randomly from applicants not accepted to Showcase. Each company is given ten-fifteen minutes to perform with limited technical support. For a full list of spotlight performers, click here
IPAY has posted small previews of many of our Showcasing Artists on Youtube. Check out these links!
Jan 20 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfftz5Sv5h0
Jan 21 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-tJC-RyJZw
Jan 22 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRtxVI6tNMk
Jan 22 Music Showcase - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqWt62TDHGo
Jan 23 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRueag4620g
500 Clown
Show Title: 500 Clown Frankenstein
www.500clown.com
Chicago, Illinois
United States
Running Time: 60 minutes
Age Range: 9+
Suggested Audience Size: up to 400
Contact: Laura Colby
Three clowns embark on a madcap journey to construct Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. Bound in elaborate period costumes, the trio struggles through acrobatic feats in an extended battle with an unruly table. The Clowns stitch together the tale of the Doctor and the Monster from scraps of the classic novel and various Hollywood versions, inviting audience involvement throughout. Comic mayhem takes a sharp turn towards a devastating climax when one clown, forced into the tragic role of Mary Shelley's Creature, suffers abuse and abandonment, The result is the creation of unexpected horror, "...scattershot, ribald, and exhilarating" -The New York Times
Arena Theatre Company
Photograph by Jeff Busby
Show Title: Mr Freezy
www.arenatheatre.com.au
North Melbourne, Victoria
Australia
Running Time: 50 minutes
Age Range: 5-12
Suggested Audience Size: up to 250
Contact: Chris Kohn
Created for 5-12 year olds and their families, MR FREEZY is an inventive and hilarious blend of puppetry and live performance set in an ice-cream van. Join Scoopy - an ice-cream scoop who can't stand the cold - as he embarks on an epic journey through a world of robo-chickens, speedway racers, surfing hotdogs and Godzilla-like food processing machines. With all the characters created from real food, utensils and packaging found in the van, MR FREEZY demonstrates imaginative play and explores ideas of bravery, loss and belonging.
Bambalina
Photograph by Samuel Domingo
Show Title: Kraft
www.bambalina.es
Valencia
Spain
Running Time: 50 minutes
Age Range: 6 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 250
Contact: Angeles Gonzalez
Trees give us shade, fruit, flowers, medicine, oxygen… and paper. We were asking ourselves where the soul of a tree converted into paper could be hiding. One thing occurred to us: make the folds sing. This gave us some sounds that lead us to notes for a primary musical scale. No longer can we put off the need for a playful and vital spectacle that will simply deal with our love for things and people. And that is what gave rise to Kraft, like a primary idea, like a kid's thought, by piling up paper and cardboard for a big game.
The Billy Jonas Band
Show Title: Happy Accidents
www.billyjonas.com
Asheville, North Carolina
USA
Running Time: 60-90 minutes
Age Range: 5-12
Suggested Audience Size: Under 3,000
Contact: Peggy Baldwin
Throw out the rules when Billy Jonas hits the stage! It's a musical conversation, a sonic celebration, a splendiferous gathering of old and young, because at a Billy Jonas show, the ensemble IS everyone. Billy Jonas' music is percussion-based, making use of found and traditional instruments. Jonas tailors both his song selection and its presentation to suit each audience then leads them to become partners in the performance of his spirited music. Jonas has received multiple awards including a First Place/Gold from AFIM (American Federation of Independent Musicians), numerous Parent's Choice Golds and two New York Times 'Best' listings.
Dallas Brass
Show Title: American Musical Journey
www.dallasbrass.com
Garland, Texas
USA
Running Time: 25 minutes
Age Range: 2 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 200-2500
Contact: Shantel Dow
With 25 years of national and international touring experience, the Dallas Brass has been called 'America's foremost musical ensemble'. Their show, American Musical Journey, takes the audience on a musical travelogue from George Washington's era through the present with marches, Broadway musicals, music from Hollywood, Dixieland, and much more. The show is intended for the whole family. The Dallas Brass believes strongly in music education and will work with up to 200 local band students in master classes, rehearsals, and invite all 200 students to perform on-stage with them during the public show. There is also free grant writing available when you book the Dallas Brass.
DynamO Théâtre
Show Title: Thrice upon a time...
www.dynamotheatre.qc.ca
Montreal, Quebec
Canada
Running Time: 55 minutes
Age Range: 6 to 11
Suggested Audience Size: 350
Contact: Francois Sammarco
Thrice upon a time… is a modern-day tale that draws on domestic and foreign legends. It features three young people forced to confront their fears to overcome an evil witch by going down into an abyss and destroying the cause of their misfortune. Coupled with the movement, the live music and soundscape grippingly and evocatively depict the courage of children in our often forbidding world.
Kaha:wi Dance Theatre
Show Title: A Story Before Time
www.kahawidance.org
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Running Time: 55 minutes
Age Range: 5 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 150-900
Contact: Santee Smith
Entertaining and insightful the Iroquois Creation Story comes to life in A Story Before Time. Original music, dance and theater unite to weave a rich narrative. The journey begins as a wondrous Sky World is revealed. When Skywoman falls through the roots of the Celestial Tree to the Water World below, life on Turtle's back takes shape. During the show animal characters swim across the stage and trees grow from silk. Audiences are delighted by the perfect fusion of contemporary and traditional dance and music. This powerful cultural story is visually stunning, fully conceived and exquisitely performed.
KATARSIS, Educación y Teatro S.L.
Show Title: Bedtime (Pa Cama)
www.katarsiseyt.com
Galicia
Spain
Running Time: 30 minutes
Age Range: 1-5 years
Suggested Audience Size: 150
Contact: Kevin Stewart & Carolina Ramos
BEDTIME is an exploration of games. Two friends discover a world of adventures before bedtime that distracts them from falling asleep. Their good will and naivety make them find enjoyment in the smallest things, in everything that surrounds them, with a cozy bedroom as their setting. One game takes them to another one, from a ball to the pillows that become wings to fly, to sheets waving in the air, a towel rolling and unrolling, the lights turning on and off, and some small puppets in the shape of eyes that kiss.
Le Théâtre Motus
Photography by Robert Etcheverry
Show Title: Baobab
www.theatremotus.com
Longueuil, QC
Canada
Performance Time: 50 minutes
Age Range: 4 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 275
Contact: Marie-France Bruyere
In Western Africa under a blazing sun, stands a forest of baobabs and in the middle of this forest, a huge and ancient baobab. One day, this ancient baobab brings forth an egg. From this egg is born a little boy. But who is he? He becomes known as “The-One-Who-Unites.” In search of his roots, he will discover that is the only one who can release the source of the water.... So begins a great quest in which the courage of a child may change the history of the World. Puppet and shadow theatre with live percussions and kora.
Mark Nizer
Show Title: Mark Nizer's 3D Show
www.nizer.com
Free Union, VA
USA
Performance Time: 75-90 minutes
Age Range: 5 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 400-1500
Contact: Gerri Abrahemsen
Creating new ways to delight and entertain his audiences is at the heart of Mark's mission. His invention of the Laser Diablo merges juggling, light and technology. Imagine four Lasers being juggled at thousands of rpms, with the spinning laser beams dancing just above the audience's heads. He is constantly working on new ideas. Are you ready to take your audience to the next level? Mark's 3D show includes 3D music, 3D Robots and 3D lasers. With success at this goal, you'll see why Performance Magazine called his show "nothing less than brilliant".
Polyglot Theater
Show Title: We Built This City
www.polyglotpuppets.com.au
South Yarra, Victoria
Australia
Running Time: 60 minutes
Age Range: 1-15
Suggested Audience Size: up to 1500
Contact: Simon Abrahams
We Built This City is a conceptual installation which celebrates absolute simplicity and the power of children's imaginations. It is a public construction site, using nothing but thousands and thousands of cardboard boxes and the energy and ingenuity of kids and families. Guided by performers in the role of construction worker there to facilitate free play, the children build an entire city in one day, before the whole thing is crushed into a recyclable heap of cardboard rubble. Live music underscores the action, while challenges and outcomes are set along the way by, with and for the children. We Built This City is not a play - it IS play.
The Possible Theater/ Moguleikhusid
Show Title: The Prophecy
www.moguleikhusid.is
Reykjavik
Iceland
Running Time: 45 Minutes
Age Range: 9 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 50-300
Contact: Petur Eggerz
The Prophecy tells the story of Odinn, a prominent god in Nordic mythology, and his ongoing quest for knowledge. Featuring one actor and a cellist, this play is performed in the style of Storytelling Theater, where the actor both narrates and transforms into several characters. The musician remains on the stage throughout the entire performance, interacting directly with the story. Through the use of a continuous voice from the cello, accentuated with special sounds and effects, the music is a crucial element and is integrated directly into the story rather than simply accompanying it.
Project
Show Title: Blurring the Lines of Classical Music featuring "Hip-Hop Peter and the Wolf"
whatisproject.org
Brooklyn, NY
USA
Running Time: up to 90 minutes
Age Range: All ages
Suggested Audience Size: 500 or less
Contact: Eric Amada
PROJECT is a dynamic chamber music ensemble comprised of three virtuosic composer/performers from Brooklyn, NY. A PROJECT concert explores different genres of music from jazz to classical to hip-hop. With works by Tchaikovsky, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, and original compositions, PROJECT is a high energy trio that will have everyone mesmerized in their seats. Bursting right out of the internet generation with Greg Pattillo's 40 million views on youtube.com and a special appearance on the Nickolodeon show, iCarly, makes PROJECT recognizable to students of all ages. The concert's finale "Hip-Hop Peter and the Wolf" brings Prokofiev's classic tale to the parks of New York City.
Runt Productions
Show Title: Runt of the Litter
www.boeason.com
Los Angeles, CA
USA
Running Time: 50 minutes
Age Range: 8 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 150-600
Contact: Seth Soloway
Jack Hemy drew up a 20 year plan when he was 9 years old. As the show opens, we are in the last hour of his 20 year plan. It looks like it will happen… the catch is he might have to beat his brother to make the plan come true.
Tall Stories
Show Title: Room on the Broom
www.tallstories.org.uk
London
United Kingdom
Running Time: 57 minutes
Age Range: 3 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 300-900
Contact: Michael Holden
The witch and her cat are flying happily on their broomstick -- until a stormy wind blows away the witch's hat, bow and wand. A helpful dog, bird and frog find the witch's lost things, and they all hop on board for a ride. But this broom's not meant for five and - CRACK - it snaps in two... When a hungry dragon appears, who will save the poor witch? Find out in this magical, musical adventure about friendship and cooperation, told in Tall Stories' unique physical storytelling style. Based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo.
Terrapin Puppet Theatre
Photograph by Peter Mathew
Show Title: Boats
www.terrapin.org.au
Hobart, Tasmania
Australia
Running Time: 50 minutes
Age Range: 4+
Suggested Audience Size: up to 300
Contact: Kevin O'Loghlin
Boats is a story of two mariners fleeing their past and embracing adventure. They meet through bizarre circumstances involving a chicken, a deserted island, and a sombrero. Boats is classic storytelling where the magic unfolds in front of the audience. The sound effects are created live, a boat is cut from bread, a bird tied from a rope, a circus hides in a jacket. And finally a storm is made with a teacup. Boats has acrobatics, object manipulation, a microphone that goes in water and enchanting story telling. It is a moving story that leaves a lump in your throat and a smile on your face.
Theatreworks, USA
Photograph by Joan Marcus
Show Title: Click Clack Moo
www.twusa.org
New York, New York
USA
Running Time: 50-55 Minutes
Age Range: 4-8
Suggested Audience Size: 100-1500
Contact: Barbara Sandek
When his granddaughter comes for a visit, Farmer Brown, declaring the farm a "tech-free-zone" puts her laptop in the cold barn with the shivering cows who use her computer to type messages requesting blankets. "No way," replies Farmer Brown. "No Blankets!" So the cows go on strike and the chickens join them in solidarity. No blankets... no milk, no eggs! With help from the duck as the go-between, the animals win. This new musical is based on the Caldecott Honor book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, directed by Tony Award winner John Rando.
Visible Fictions
Photograph by Kevin McFeely
Show Title: Shopping for Shoes
www.visiblefictions.co.uk
Glasgow
Scotland
Running Time: 45 minutes
Age Range: 10 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 150
Contact: Sophia Ochojna
Siobhan is 13 and passionately politically aware. Shaun is also 13 but is passionate about only one thing - his vast collection of shoes. A small part of Siobhan's heart belongs to Shaun. However, Shaun would have difficulty putting a name to Siobhan's face. But with some planning and some nifty footwork, Siobhan helps Shaun discover that shoes can do much more than just help a person express themselves. Through a visually witty, fast paced performance and ever-changing kinetic set - this funny, award-winning script tells a heart warming tale of new found love, dog poo and of course - shoes.
Windmill Theatre
Photograph by Tony Lewis
Show Title: Plop!
www.windmill.org.au
Adelaide, South Australia
Australia
Running Time: 30 minutes
Age Range: 1 to 4
Suggested Audience Size: 140
Contact: Teena Munn
This is the third production in our highly successful, Picture Book to Performance series. Featuring rhyme, funky tunes, quirky puppetry and intriguing design - this is a tale of true bravery when the smallest and most frightened creature, summons up some rabbit courage to confront the terrible Plop! Specially crafted to provide our preschool audiences with intimate and non-threatening first theatrical experiences, Plop! explores the fear of unknown things that sometimes aren't so scary after all.
Youth dance company De Stilte
Photograph by Hans Gerritsen
Show Title: Madcap
www.destilte.com
Breda
The Netherlands
Running Time: 50 minutes
Age Range: 4 and up
Suggested Audience Size: 250
Contact: Betsy Dubois
A free translation of the Flemish slang word Speelvogels, meaning playing children. A splendid word for a splendid event: children at play. And when a child plays, alone or with others, in that game reality gets a face. In MADCAP three dancers enter the stage to conquer their place in the game, to share their imagination and to confirm their friendship. Relationships are put to the test, choices are enforced, because the number 3 takes its toll.