FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2008
jpgs available on request
PRESS CONTACT INFO:
Bridget Bean, Office (813) 354-0550 info@gorillatheatre.com
CONTACT INFO FOR PUBLICATION:
Reservations: (813) 879-2914 www.gorillatheatre.com
BACH AT LEIPZIG by Itamar Moses
March 27-April 13 at the Gorilla Theatre
SOUP AT THE GORILLA
I-275 CONSTRUCTION SPECIAL: The Gorilla Theatre is responding to the delays on our major bridges by offering Soup and a Roll for purchase and consumption in our lobby prior to Thursday night performances of Bach at Leipzig. We hope this will encourage theatergoers to arrive early while making the whole experience a much nicer one for them. Healthy soup (including at least one vegetarian option) and rolls will be available for purchase from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. in the Gorilla Theatre lobby. Thursday performances only.
BACH AT LEIPZIG - THE PLAY
Leipzig, Germany, 1722. Johann Kuhnau, organist of the Thomaskirche, dies, leaving his post vacant. Seven top composer/organists, including the one universally recognized as the Greatest Organist in Germany, travel to Leipzig to audition for the post, where they are prepared to give their all for a chance at this plum opportunity (in an age where musicians depend on patronage from the nobility or the church to pursue their craft, the post at the Thomaskirche in the cultured city of Leipzig is a near guarantee of fame and fortune). In this case, “their all” might include their money, their political influence, their personal integrity...even their lives, or each other’s!
Based on actual persons and events — twisted into something wholly other — the play imagines with uncommon intelligence and insight how six little-known musicians resort to bribery, blackmail, and betrayal in an attempt to secure the most coveted musical post in all of Europe. Using a subtly crafted mix of high wit, low ribaldry, and rich characterizations, Bach at Leipzig explores the depths to which some will sink to pursue their calling and in so doing, raises profound questions about humanity, God and art.
Fans of Bach will recognize much of the music featured in The Gorilla Theatre’s production of Bach at Leipzig. But everyone, whether a Baroque aficionado or a classical music neophyte, will find fun and laughter in their introduction to Bach’s contemporaries as they compete for the position.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described the play’s humor aptly, suggesting, “Imagine the Marx Brothers and Tom Stoppard collaborating on a play.”
Indeed, Tom Stoppard liked Bach at Leipzig so much he wrote the preface to the published version of the play.
THE PLAYWRIGHT
Itamar Moses’ work for the stage includes the full-length plays Outrage, Bach at Leipzig, Celebrity Row and The Four of Us; the one-act plays Authorial Intent and Idea; and the book for the musical The Hook. His work has been produced and workshopped regionally by Florida Stage, the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the HangarTheatre, ACT Seattle, Portland Center Stage, the American Conservatory Theatre, and the McCarter Theatre, and developed in New York by the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Underwood Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film, HERE Center for the Performing Arts, and La Mama Etc. His monologue Good Apples was published in Take Ten II: More Ten-Minute Plays from Vintage. Moses has received new play commissions from Playwrights Horizons, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Wilma Theater, and the Manhattan Theatre Club. He holds an M.F.A. in dramatic writing from New York University, has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU, and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect.
Moses was an undergraduate student in a music history course when he came across the story of Johann Sebastian Bach, then the 37-year-old Kapellmeister (and father of five) employed by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, auditioning for the coveted post of Kantor at Leipzig’s Church of St. Thomas. Bach was just one of a dozen or more competitors for this desirable job. Still, as Moses remarked to the New York Times, “I like the idea of an organist contest where one of the guys says: ‘Hello. I’m Bach. Good luck.’”
THE DIRECTOR
Scott Isert began his professional career in the early 1980’s with the Asolo State Theatre. Scott first directed for the Gorilla Theatre in 2003 with The Importance of Being Ernie by Sean Sanczel. During last three years he has toured an original “one performer” historical piece — Matanzas : A Survivor’s Story by Minda A Stephens. Matanzas was originally produced by the Florida Humanities Council, and had a showcase run with Fresh! Live! Theatre Co., before moving to the Orlando Fringe in May, 2007. He also serves as director/road stage manager for James Weldon Johnson: Florida’s Renaissance Man, as performed by LeRoy Mitchell, Jr. Scott has been in several independent films and can currently be viewed at www.LeviathanProject.com in a soon-to-be-released InterNet Sci Fi series.
THE CAST
C. David Frankel (GEORG FRIEDRICH KAUFMANN, organist and Kantor at Merseburg) is the Assistant Director for the Theatre program at the University of South Florida and a well known local director.
Steve Garland (GEORG BALTHASAR SCHOTT, organist at the Neuekirche in Leipzig) played Lawrence Olivier in Orson’s Shadow and Dr. Sweet in Bug, both at the Gorilla Theatre. Steve is a graduate of UC Davis and recipient of Creative Loafing’s 2007 Best of the Bay award.
Alvin Jenkins (GEORG LENCK, organist and Kantor at Laucha) is an ensemble member of Tampa’s Jobsite Theatre. He was most recently on stage as Lord Angelo in the Fresh! Live! Theatre Co. production of Measure for Measure.
Dan Khoury (JOHANN CHRISTOPH GRAUPNER, organist and Kapellmeister at Darmstadt ) is the newly appointed Production Stage Manager for the Gorilla Theatre.
Steve Mountan (JOHANN FRIEDRICH FASCH, organist and Kapellmeister at Zerbst) is a co-founder of St. Petersburg’s Fresh! Live! Theatre Co., for whom he will next direct Rick Cleveland’s dark comedy Jerry & Tom. Kyle Porter (JOHANN MARTIN STEINDORFF, organist and Kantor at Zwickau) is a self-described “starry eyed 19 year old” who is appearing at the Gorilla Theatre for the first time.
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
March 27-April 13
Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm
Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N. Hubert Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33614
(“behind Steinbrenner Field”)
Full price: $20 Thur, $25 Fri, Sat, Sun
Seniors and Students: $15 Thur, $20 Fri, Sat, Sun
Student rush $10, 30 min before the show when available
RESERVATIONS: (813) 879-2914
BUY YOUR TICKETS SECURELY ONLINE AT www.gorillatheatre.com
SPECIAL SHOWS — MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
THURSDAY NIGHTS ARE SOUP NIGHT
We know it’s hard crossing the bridges at rush hour, so we’ve taken the worry out of dinner. Tasty soup (including at least one vegetarian option) and rolls will be available for purchase from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. in the Gorilla Theatre lobby. Get here early and eat before the show. THURSDAY PERFORMANCES ONLY!
THURSDAY, MARCH 27 AT 7 P.M
Opening night, meet the cast and enjoy cake and champagne in our beautiful lobby after the show (included in your ticket price).
General Information about the Gorilla Theatre
LIVING THEATRE FOR THINKING MINDS
Tucked away in the same Tampa location for over 14 years, the Gorilla Theatre boasts an intimate, welcoming environment and productions that don’t insult your intelligence. With 76 plushly-upholstered seats, there isn't a bad seat in the house. Savor wine or organic coffee in comfort while you enjoy excellent theatre that you won’t see elsewhere.
Isn’t it time you discovered the Gorilla Theatre? Call us today for season information and directions to your new favorite venue.
813-879-2914
www.gorillatheatre.com
March 5, 2008
jpgs available on request
PRESS CONTACT INFO:
Bridget Bean, Office (813) 354-0550 info@gorillatheatre.com
CONTACT INFO FOR PUBLICATION:
Reservations: (813) 879-2914 www.gorillatheatre.com
BACH AT LEIPZIG by Itamar Moses
March 27-April 13 at the Gorilla Theatre
SOUP AT THE GORILLA
I-275 CONSTRUCTION SPECIAL: The Gorilla Theatre is responding to the delays on our major bridges by offering Soup and a Roll for purchase and consumption in our lobby prior to Thursday night performances of Bach at Leipzig. We hope this will encourage theatergoers to arrive early while making the whole experience a much nicer one for them. Healthy soup (including at least one vegetarian option) and rolls will be available for purchase from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. in the Gorilla Theatre lobby. Thursday performances only.
BACH AT LEIPZIG - THE PLAY
Leipzig, Germany, 1722. Johann Kuhnau, organist of the Thomaskirche, dies, leaving his post vacant. Seven top composer/organists, including the one universally recognized as the Greatest Organist in Germany, travel to Leipzig to audition for the post, where they are prepared to give their all for a chance at this plum opportunity (in an age where musicians depend on patronage from the nobility or the church to pursue their craft, the post at the Thomaskirche in the cultured city of Leipzig is a near guarantee of fame and fortune). In this case, “their all” might include their money, their political influence, their personal integrity...even their lives, or each other’s!
Based on actual persons and events — twisted into something wholly other — the play imagines with uncommon intelligence and insight how six little-known musicians resort to bribery, blackmail, and betrayal in an attempt to secure the most coveted musical post in all of Europe. Using a subtly crafted mix of high wit, low ribaldry, and rich characterizations, Bach at Leipzig explores the depths to which some will sink to pursue their calling and in so doing, raises profound questions about humanity, God and art.
Fans of Bach will recognize much of the music featured in The Gorilla Theatre’s production of Bach at Leipzig. But everyone, whether a Baroque aficionado or a classical music neophyte, will find fun and laughter in their introduction to Bach’s contemporaries as they compete for the position.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described the play’s humor aptly, suggesting, “Imagine the Marx Brothers and Tom Stoppard collaborating on a play.”
Indeed, Tom Stoppard liked Bach at Leipzig so much he wrote the preface to the published version of the play.
THE PLAYWRIGHT
Itamar Moses’ work for the stage includes the full-length plays Outrage, Bach at Leipzig, Celebrity Row and The Four of Us; the one-act plays Authorial Intent and Idea; and the book for the musical The Hook. His work has been produced and workshopped regionally by Florida Stage, the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the HangarTheatre, ACT Seattle, Portland Center Stage, the American Conservatory Theatre, and the McCarter Theatre, and developed in New York by the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Underwood Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film, HERE Center for the Performing Arts, and La Mama Etc. His monologue Good Apples was published in Take Ten II: More Ten-Minute Plays from Vintage. Moses has received new play commissions from Playwrights Horizons, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Wilma Theater, and the Manhattan Theatre Club. He holds an M.F.A. in dramatic writing from New York University, has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU, and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect.
Moses was an undergraduate student in a music history course when he came across the story of Johann Sebastian Bach, then the 37-year-old Kapellmeister (and father of five) employed by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, auditioning for the coveted post of Kantor at Leipzig’s Church of St. Thomas. Bach was just one of a dozen or more competitors for this desirable job. Still, as Moses remarked to the New York Times, “I like the idea of an organist contest where one of the guys says: ‘Hello. I’m Bach. Good luck.’”
THE DIRECTOR
Scott Isert began his professional career in the early 1980’s with the Asolo State Theatre. Scott first directed for the Gorilla Theatre in 2003 with The Importance of Being Ernie by Sean Sanczel. During last three years he has toured an original “one performer” historical piece — Matanzas : A Survivor’s Story by Minda A Stephens. Matanzas was originally produced by the Florida Humanities Council, and had a showcase run with Fresh! Live! Theatre Co., before moving to the Orlando Fringe in May, 2007. He also serves as director/road stage manager for James Weldon Johnson: Florida’s Renaissance Man, as performed by LeRoy Mitchell, Jr. Scott has been in several independent films and can currently be viewed at www.LeviathanProject.com in a soon-to-be-released InterNet Sci Fi series.
THE CAST
C. David Frankel (GEORG FRIEDRICH KAUFMANN, organist and Kantor at Merseburg) is the Assistant Director for the Theatre program at the University of South Florida and a well known local director.
Steve Garland (GEORG BALTHASAR SCHOTT, organist at the Neuekirche in Leipzig) played Lawrence Olivier in Orson’s Shadow and Dr. Sweet in Bug, both at the Gorilla Theatre. Steve is a graduate of UC Davis and recipient of Creative Loafing’s 2007 Best of the Bay award.
Alvin Jenkins (GEORG LENCK, organist and Kantor at Laucha) is an ensemble member of Tampa’s Jobsite Theatre. He was most recently on stage as Lord Angelo in the Fresh! Live! Theatre Co. production of Measure for Measure.
Dan Khoury (JOHANN CHRISTOPH GRAUPNER, organist and Kapellmeister at Darmstadt ) is the newly appointed Production Stage Manager for the Gorilla Theatre.
Steve Mountan (JOHANN FRIEDRICH FASCH, organist and Kapellmeister at Zerbst) is a co-founder of St. Petersburg’s Fresh! Live! Theatre Co., for whom he will next direct Rick Cleveland’s dark comedy Jerry & Tom. Kyle Porter (JOHANN MARTIN STEINDORFF, organist and Kantor at Zwickau) is a self-described “starry eyed 19 year old” who is appearing at the Gorilla Theatre for the first time.
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
March 27-April 13
Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm
Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N. Hubert Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33614
(“behind Steinbrenner Field”)
Full price: $20 Thur, $25 Fri, Sat, Sun
Seniors and Students: $15 Thur, $20 Fri, Sat, Sun
Student rush $10, 30 min before the show when available
RESERVATIONS: (813) 879-2914
BUY YOUR TICKETS SECURELY ONLINE AT www.gorillatheatre.com
SPECIAL SHOWS — MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
THURSDAY NIGHTS ARE SOUP NIGHT
We know it’s hard crossing the bridges at rush hour, so we’ve taken the worry out of dinner. Tasty soup (including at least one vegetarian option) and rolls will be available for purchase from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. in the Gorilla Theatre lobby. Get here early and eat before the show. THURSDAY PERFORMANCES ONLY!
THURSDAY, MARCH 27 AT 7 P.M
Opening night, meet the cast and enjoy cake and champagne in our beautiful lobby after the show (included in your ticket price).
General Information about the Gorilla Theatre
LIVING THEATRE FOR THINKING MINDS
Tucked away in the same Tampa location for over 14 years, the Gorilla Theatre boasts an intimate, welcoming environment and productions that don’t insult your intelligence. With 76 plushly-upholstered seats, there isn't a bad seat in the house. Savor wine or organic coffee in comfort while you enjoy excellent theatre that you won’t see elsewhere.
Isn’t it time you discovered the Gorilla Theatre? Call us today for season information and directions to your new favorite venue.
813-879-2914
www.gorillatheatre.com
