Cover Sheet
Title/Author
Director
Studio Theatre Production Proposal, Spring 2015
Avenue Q – Music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
Book by Jeff Whitty
Studio Production
Jonathan Martin
Production Staff:
Stage
Manager
Allison Poms
ASMs: Tess Wagner and
Lauren Schild
Music Director
Zoe McCray
Choreographer
Emily Iannotti
Set Designer
Dramaturge
John Hobson
Beatrice Owens
Costume Des.
Stephen Marks
Assistants: Chrissy Johnson and
Sydni Brawley
Publisher: Music Theatre International, Inc.
Are Rights Available? Yes
(Jonathan Stewart has confirmed availability of rights)
Fees:
Royalties:
$ 630
Scripts:
$ 550
Estimated Budget:
Set
Lighting
Props
Costumes
Sound/Projections
Publicity
$700
$100
$200
$100
$300
$100
Lighting Des.
Kelly Rudolph
Asst: Emma Drummond
Sound Des.
Isabella Scappaticci
Tech Dir.
Simon Lass
Props Mstr.
Laura West
Publicity
Sean Byrne
TOTAL : (fees + estimated budget)
$ 2680
Other
Hair/Makeup – Jessica Pullis
Charge Artists – Sarah Phillips
and Megan Ciszek
Video/Projection Designer –
David Willmore
Puppet Master – Madison Tolley
Estimated Ticket Revenue:
BreakEven
Number of
roles available:
10-14 (flexible casting: roughly 6
male, 4 female, plus swings)
Mature Audiences Only __X_ yes
(if yes, on what basis?) Sexual content, language,
adult themes and content
(TR = $8 - $2 (Forbes)- $1.80
(College Holdings) = $4.20)
Approx 120 seats
100% Attendance
120 X $4.20 X 6 perf = $3024
75% Attendance
90 X $4.20 X 6 perf = $2268
50% Attendance
60 X $4.20 X 6 perf = $1512
25% Attendance
30 X $4.20 X 6 perf = $756
Approx.
88.75%
Publishable brief synopsis:
The laugh-out-loud musical tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who
moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that
although the residents seem nice, it's clear that this is not your ordinary neighborhood. Together,
Princeton and his new-found friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.
Faculty Advisor: Kate Arecchi
signature indicating agreement to be advisor (required)
signature indicating written proposal has been reviewed
Approach
“It sucks to be me, sucks to be you, sucks to be us, but not when we’re together.”
We all put on masks every day to conform to the expectations of other people, but we achieve the most
enjoyment in life – and gain the ability to overcome life’s hardships – when we find a community where we are
accepted for who we really are beneath those masks. This community helps us learn to laugh at the problems we
face every day of our lives, while also giving us the opportunity to be true to ourselves, even if we know we
must eventually put our masks back on.
In this production of Avenue Q, I want to present the show as if it is – almost literally – “Sesame Street
after Dark.” The studio theatre will be transformed into the television set of a children’s show, featuring our
audience as the live, studio audience. The environment will be very reminiscent of children’s theatre – bright,
vibrant, colorful, and fun – but the actors will be presenting a much different story. Essentially, it is the cast of a
children’s TV show off-air, after hours, being as honest and raunchy as they can in this childish environment. It
is, in all respects, the children’s theatre show that you would never bring your kids to.
The audience will be incorporated in the community in this world. They will be featured in a similar
way as a live, studio audience on set of a television series - the transitions between scenes will be presented
almost like commercial breaks are in live television, and the audience will always be aware that they are at this
presentational show where they can see props off-stage, stage managers calling cues, and board operators doing
their jobs. The script calls for multiple moments of breaking down the fourth wall, so we will essentially never
establish a fourth wall in order to make the audience feel incorporated into this world. This will invite the
audience to laugh at the ridiculousness of life along with these characters.
The acting in this production will have aspects of children’s theatre and presentational styles woven
within the scenes. Although the presentational style is not realistic, there will be nothing insincere about the
stories that are told or the truth in the situations of these characters. During the rehearsal process, I want to work
closely with the actors to bring these characters to life. I will start with many improvisational activities (rooted
in Viola Spolin’s theatre games) to help the actors create their own, authentic characters. We will explore
having these characters/scenes done realistically without puppets. We’ll revisit the scenes later with an
emphasis on presentational aspects and incorporating characteristics from children’s theatre and television –
such as talking to the audience, exaggerated reactions, and over the top movements. We will then work together
to find a balance between these two styles that will be believable as well as entertaining.
To connect to the many issues presented in the play, I will take time working with actors to discuss what
societal factors impact all of our lives. Whether it is race, gender, sexuality, religion, class, political affiliation,
or anything else, we all have labels that we are forced to identify ourselves with. It is important, however, to not
let these labels be our sole defining factor. Just as the characters take a journey to look at themselves and find
what they really want in life, our cast and production team will take this journey as well to reflect on our own
lives.
Puppets
Madison Tolley will be working as our puppet master for this production. Puppetry is a difficult skill to
learn, but we will dedicate significant rehearsal time to teaching the actors the art of puppetry. I have worked on
basic puppetry in Bill Buck’s Theatre for Young Audiences class, but due to my limited knowledge on the art
form, Madison has agreed to sign on as puppet master and help teach the cast this form. Madison has extensive
puppetry experience – she has taken Bill Buck’s Puppetry course; she also co-founded a group called Puppetry
in Education in 2009 and performed with this group for four years. The group aimed to present educational
messages to grade school children through puppets, and they created all of their own puppets using many of Jim
Henson’s methods. I am confident in Madison’s experiences and abilities with puppets, and she will be able to
teach our actors the basics of puppetry performance. She will also be responsible for building any additional
accessories needed for the puppets and repairing any wear and tear that the puppets may sustain during the
rehearsal process and show’s run.
The puppets are being lent to us from West Potomac High School’s Theatre Department. Our music
director, Zoe McCray, attended this high school, and the drama director there has agreed to lend us the puppets
for free along with the costumes and hand props that come with the puppets. See attached e-mail below giving
confirmation for use of puppets:
________________________________________
From: Clark, Philip Lee (WestPo Theatre) <plclark@fcps.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 6, 2014 3:36 PM
To: McCray, Zoe-Elizabeth Renelda - mccrayzr
Subject: Avenue Q
Zoe,
You are more than welcome to use our set of Avenue Q puppets. We have all the puppets, costumes and some of the
hand props.
Let me know when you want to pick this stuff up so I can have it ready for you.
Cheers,
Philip Lee Clark
Music Direction
Zoe McCray will be responsible for music directing this production. She will teach the music to the cast
and work on techniques of singing while using character voices. She will help keep our cast vocally healthy
throughout the process. Additionally, Zoe will be responsible for assembling the orchestra of two keyboards,
one guitar, one drum kit, one bass, one saxophone, one clarinet, and one flute.
Choreography
Choreography for this production will be done by Emily Iannotti, a senior Dance Concentrator. Avenue
Q is not a dance heavy show, but Emily will work with the actors to ensure that the movement in the
appropriate songs has the bouncy, playful quality of children’s theatre. Many movements will be larger-than-life
in an effort to bring these exaggerated characters to life.
Set Design
John Hobson will be designing the set for this production. Our set will serve two functions. First, we
will transform the Studio Theatre into a television studio. This will be as realistic as possible. We will have the
sound and light boards in view of the audience as they enter the space. We will also have an On Air/Off Air
sign, and various cameras and/or monitors placed around. The design of the studio will help place the audience
into the overarching world of our TV studio.
The second function of the set will be the physical set on stage. This will be featured as the set of the
children’s show. We will have three flats upstage to serve as the front wall and doors of the Avenue Q
apartment complex. This set will be less realistic and more presentational in style – bright colors and
exaggerated features.
The audience will be arranged in an end-stage configuration. We will take out the floor and have the
seats arranged in similarly to the Children’s Playshop configuration. This will help with the realism of the
television studio set, and it will also help our audiences who have attended Playshop be reminded of the
children’s theatre atmosphere.
John will communicate with Technical Director Simon Lass to ensure that the set is built properly and
efficiently. He will also work closely with Charge Artists Sarah Phillips and Megan Ciszek to ensure that the
painting of the set has the qualities we associate with children’s theatre and television.
Lighting Design
Lights will also help pull the audience into the world of children’s theatre. The lighting will mostly be
bright, soft, and natural to compliment and emphasize the colors of the costumes, puppets, and set. After
conversations with designer Kelly Rudolph, we acknowledged that lighting will be beneficial in helping the
audience distinguish when there are “masks” on versus when characters are being genuine. We will be playing
with this idea as we explore the relationship between the characters and the audience. Lighting will help
indicate when the audience is free to join the characters in temporarily stripping away their masks and being
free to laugh at life. This gives Kelly the opportunity to, at times, move away from the bright children’s theatre
lighting and emphasize what’s being withheld or twisted onstage with pops of color and sharper angles.
Projections
David Willmore will be handling the projections and videos for the show. These are called for in the
script and will function in our play similarly to the function of commercial breaks during television shows.
David will work on creating the videos that will be projected, and he will also work with John Hobson to
establish a good location on the set for the videos to be projected onto.
Sound Design
Isabella Scappaticci will be sound designing this show, which will be used to highlight the
presentational aspects of what is being put on stage. Playback will incorporate traditional children’s theatre
sound effects that would not fit in a realistic show. These sound effects will emphasize the exaggerated features
of this show. Sound will also be responsible for pre-recording the sounds for the projections.
The reinforcement of the show will maintain its realistic qualities since we are not trying to skew the
audience’s perception with the use of effects processors. This will be done in order to support the storytelling of
the actors. We don’t want to skew the reality of the show since so much of the message is real. We are living in
a real world of a television studio, watching the unreal world of the play itself.
Costume Design
Stephen Marks will be costume designing this production, and he will be assisted by Chrissy Johnson
and Sydni Brawley. The costumes will feature exaggerated characteristics in order to fit cohesively in the world
we create. Additionally, we will play with the idea of making some of the costumes appear raunchier than
traditional children’s theatre would be. This will provide a physical manifestation of the overall dichotomy of
children’s theatre and late-night shows.
The puppeteers will be in all dark clothing as to not draw attention to them. Their feelings and thoughts
are projected onto their puppets, so we do not want to make the puppeteers themselves stand out too much.
Most of the costumes for the puppets will come with the puppets. Our costume design team will be responsible
for maintaining these costumes pieces, and they will also work to change any of the costume pieces if needed by
using scraps of fabric to create puppet sized costumes.
We have received permission from Kathleen to possibly pull a few items from stock, including some of
the costume pieces for the three non-puppet characters (Christmas Eve, Gary Coleman, and Brian). We have
also received permission from Kathleen to potentially use some scrap fabric to make puppet costumes and to
use machines for the creation of these small costume pieces.
Props
Laura West will be handling props for our show. Many of the hand props used in the show will come
with our puppet rental package, so these are not a concern. Laura will be responsible for the other props in the
show. Puppets will also fall under “Props” for this show, so Laura will work with Madison to ensure that the
puppets are taken care of. Part of the props budget will go to the care of the puppets in case any alterations need
to be made.
We have received permission from John Burgess to potentially borrow some props from stock, including
an On Air sign.
Dramaturgy
Beatrice Owens will serve as our dramaturge. She will be responsible for leading research into some of
the overarching issues in the play – sexuality, racism, politics, etc. She will also work with me and the cast in
conducting research into the world of children’s television and puppet shows. Her research into the art of
puppetry, combined with Madison Tolley’s knowledge and experience, will help us accurately portray the
specific world of children’s puppet theatre. Finally, Beatrice will research any specific questions that arise
during the process from the cast or production team about anything in the script.
Publicity
Sean Byrne will handle publicity for the show. Together, we will create a poster that captures the fun
and light-heartedness of children’s theatre. Additionally, he will help publicize the show through social media.
Jonathan Martin
Email: jamartin823@gmail.com
Age: 20
Height: 5’10”
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown
Voice: Baritenor
____________________________________________________________________________________
PERFORMANCE
MACHINAL
THE TRIANGULAR THEORY
FLICKER
ART IS TRASH
EVERYONE’S A CRITIC
SMOKE SCENES
NAOMI IN THE LIVING ROOM
THE HARDY BOYS AND THE MYSTERY
OF WHERE BABIES COME FROM
NEXT TO NORMAL
OUR GLORIOUS CAUSE
GODSPELL
GODSPELL
BYE BYE BIRDIE
CAMELOT
PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE
DMV TYRANT
COMEDY OF SHAKESPEREAN ERRORS
FAIRY TALE REFORM SCHOOL
AND THEY ALL LIVED….
JMU MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS
A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD
CINDERELLA (A FAIRY GODMOTHER’S TALE)
SPRING AWAKENING
Young Man
Kyle
Sean
Gordie
Alex
John
John
Joe Hardy
Gabe
Sergeant Cooley
Ensemble: “We Beseech Thee” soloist
Jesus
Harvey Johnson/Barbershop Quartet
Squire Dap/Sir Sagramore
Director
Director
Writer/Director
Director
Scene Shop Assistant
Carpenter
Carpenter
Stage Hand
James Madison University (VA)
Cabrini Repertory Theatre (NYC)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
ShenenArts (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
Kelsey Theatre (NJ)
Kelsey Theatre (NJ)
Kelsey Theatre (NJ)
James Madison University (VA)
Hightstown Theatre in the Park (NJ)
Our Community Place (VA)
Hightstown High School (NJ)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (VA)
EDUCATION
Junior at James Madison University (VA) – B.A. Theatre and Dance, Honors, 3.888 GPA
Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
TRAINING
Acting:
Classes at James Madison University – Robert Bowen Smith, Drew Hampton, Kevin “Wolf” Sherrill
Private training with Krista John Astarita at Delirium Productions – Summer 2013 (Metuchen, NJ)
Theatrical workshop with Michael Boudewyns and Sara Valentine at James Madison University, Spring 2013
Voice:
Choral and a cappella workshop through Berklee College of Music – March 2012 (Boston, MA)
Dance:
Private Jazz, Musical Theatre, Ballet Class with Christie Lee Brayton at Dance Expo –
January 2012 – August 2012 (East Windsor, NJ)
Private Jazz/Musical Theatre Class with Kimberlee Antinoro at Talk of the Town Dance Studio –
September 2011 – January 2012 (Hamilton, NJ)
SPECIAL SKILLS
basic French (8 years)
percussionist
set construction
choral experience
vocal percussion
stage lighting
juggling
basic sewing
basic welding
basic sight reading
NJ driver’s license
RELEVANT COURSE WORK
Performance Analysis (Spr. ’13)
[Honors Option]
Performance Production (Spr. ’13)
Scenery Practicum (Spr. ’13)
Basic Acting (Fall ’13)
Visual Aspects (Fall ’13)
Lighting Practicum (Fall ’13)
European Theatre Tradition to 1800
(Fall ’13)
Technical Theatre (Spr. ’14)
Management Practicum (Spr. ’14)
Theatre for Young Audiences
(Spr. ’14)
European Theatre Tradition from 1800
(Spr. ’14)
Intermediate Acting (Spr. ’14)
Music Theatre History and Analysis
(Spr. ’14) [Honors Option]
Contemporary Scene Study (Fall ’14)
Performance Practicum (Fall ’14)
Directing for the Theatre (Fall ’14)
Topics in Theatre – Secondary Teaching
Methods (Fall ’14)
Zachary Dorsey
Richard Finkelstein, Jonathan
Stewart, Emily BecherMcKeever, Pamela Johnson
Morgan Yeates
Rob Smith
Bill Buck
Emily Becher-McKeever
Dennis Beck
A
AA
A
B
A
A
John Burgess
Jonathan Stewart
Bill Buck
AA
A-
Dennis Beck
A
Drew Hampton
Zachary Dorsey
A
A
Wolf Sherrill
Terry Brino-Dean
Kate Arecchi
Leah Kirkpatrick
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA