Current News
4TH WALL PRESENTS THE LIFE AS SEASON CLOSER AT
WESTMINSTER ARTS CENTER IN BLOOMFIELD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2010
BLOOMFIELD -- 4th Wall Theatre closes its 2009-2010 season with The Life with book by David Newman and Ira Gasman, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Ira Gasman. This Tony-nominated musical opened on Broadway in 1997.
Featuring a strong company of performers, the 4th Wall cast is led by Rasha Jay of Bloomfield, Matt Burns of Summit, Gwen Ricks-Spencer of Lumberton, Jaclyn Ingoglia of North Caldwell, James Ryan of New York and Brandon Wright of Newark. Featured are Michele Dalia of Pine Brook, Roxy Arrojo of Jersey City, Adrienne Reuss of Morristown, Candice Gibson of Montclair, Sasha Nosonowitz of New Rochelle, New York, Richard Colonna of Garwood, Nick Adler of Bloomfield, Roger Turner of Hackensack, Miles Jackson of Northfield, Charles Frisk of Union City and Erin Edelle and Joshua Gunn of New York.
Greg Allen of Hawthorne directs. He is joined by Deborah Martin of Mountain Lakes, who serves as the musical director. Kate Swan of Teaneck is the choreographer. Kathi Iannacone, formerly of West Orange, is the Production Manager, and Martha Thalheimer of Glen Ridge serves as the Stage Manager.
The Life is a musical about life on 42nd Street in New York in 1990. The show tells the story of the seedier side of life in the city, focusing on prostitutes, pimps and porn. However, anyone who think the show stops there misses the point. Although The Lifedraws upon the world of prostitution for its story line, its themes are far more universal. It is, in fact, a musical play about love, friendship, the strength of women, the will to survive and the determination to maintain dignity and grace even in the most degrading circumstances. The Life is recommended for mature audiences.
The show marks the “swan song” of current 4th Wall Artistic Director Greg Allen. “The Life has been on the short list of shows that 4th Wall has wanted to tackle for a long time and I’m so happy that I have the chance to direct it in my final season with the group. I’m equally grateful to have the opportunity to work with Kate Swan on this show.” Swan begins her tenure as the group’s new Artistic Director this fall.
The Life will play at the Westminster Center for the Arts on the campus of Bloomfield College in Bloomfield and runs June 4, 5, 11. 12, 18, 19 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday June 13 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are only $22 with discount tickets available for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-748-9008 ext. 279. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted. Tickets may also be purchased on-line, and additional information is available at www.4thwalltheatre.org
4th WALL THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2010 - 2011 SEASON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2010
Contact: Bruce McCandless, 4th Wall Press Manager
973-324-9859, publicity@4thwalltheatre.org
(Bloomfield, NJ) – 4th Wall Theatre Executive Director, Gwen Ricks-Spencer announces the group’s 2010-2011 season, which opens with a double dose of comedy, followed by a concert production of a classic Broadway musical. In the spring, 4th Wall will present a workshop production of a new musical, and close the season with a moving and thought-provoking main-stage musical. New Artistic Director, Kate Swan is “thrilled to present a season of great shows which tell stories about art, love, forgiveness, and acceptance.”
“The 2010-2011 season opens with a double-bill of one-act plays that hilariously tinker with the theatrical idea of the “fourth wall,” the company’s namesake. The Fourth Wall, by A.R. Gurney, tells the story of the worried husband and friends of a woman who has rearranged her living room furniture to face a blank fourth wall because she feels that if she can just break through it, she can make big things happen. This is teamed with The Real Inspector Hound, a classic by Tom Stoppard, about two theatre critics attending a murder mystery, who end up crossing the fourth wall to become characters in the play. The shows will run for two weekends, September 24, 25, 30 and October 1 at 8:00 pm. There will be two matinee performances on Sunday, September 26 and October 2 at 2:00 p.m.
The season continues with a concert production of the classic Broadway musical Funny Girl, with music and lyrics by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart. Brought to life on the silver screen with Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl is the love story of Vaudeville and Ziegfeld Follies star, Fanny Brice and her husband, Nicky Arnstein. The fantastic score includes such hits as “People,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” and “The Music That Makes Me Dance.” Presented as part of the theatre company’s “Off the Wall Series” the musical runs for only three performances on January 21 and 22 at 8:00 pm and January 23 at 2:00 pm.
4th Wall will again present a new musical as part of its M.I.D. (Musicals-in-Development) Stage Series. M.I.D. Stage allows the audience a rare opportunity to see, hear, and respond to a new musical, while still in development. 4th Wall is proud to give emerging writers the chance to see and hear their work in the context of performance. This season’s story is about forgiveness and faith; production details are not yet finalized and will therefore be announced soon. Performances are March 10, 11 and 12 with a 7:30 pm curtain to accommodate a talk-back session after each performance.
The season will close with a main-stage production of the musical, A Man Of No Importance with book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. Written by the creative team behind Ragtime and Once on this Island, and based on the film starring Albert Finney, this moving musical tells the story of Alfie Byrne, a closeted bus conductor and Oscar Wilde devotee, in 1964 Dublin. As he leads his amateur theatre troupe toward a production of Wilde’s Salome at the local church, he struggles to find acceptance, not only from his sister, co-workers, the church, and the world-at-large, but within himself. His quiet anthem, stating simply, “You just have to love who you love,” is a remarkable message for our time. The musical will run for three weekends June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8:00 pm with a matinee on Sunday, June 12 at 2:00 pm.
4TH WALL THEATRE performs at the Westminster Arts Center at the corner of Franklin & Fremont Streets, Bloomfield, NJ. Tickets for all 4th Wall shows may be purchased by calling 973-748-9008 ext. 279. Additional information is available at www.4thwalltheatre.org
4th Wall Theatre Appoints New Artistic Director
February 15, 2010
BLOOMFIELD—4TH Wall Theatre-- Gwen Ricks-Spencer, Executive Director of 4th Wall Theatre, a non-equity, professional theatre company in residence at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, announces a change in artistic leadership beginning in the 2010-2011 season, with the appointment of Kate Swan as the new Artistic Director. Swan succeeds Gregory Allen, who is stepping down to concentrate on other creative endeavors, after leading the organization artistically for six seasons.
“Kate has a passion for the kind of work we do” says Ricks-Spencer. “The Board is very excited she accepted the challenge. We believe that Kate’s extensive theatre knowledge and experience working artistically with organizations across the country will help us move to the next level. Although she does not formally join us until the fall, Kate has been working on selecting next season’s shows and working with Gregory Allen to ensure a smooth transition”, concludes Ricks-Spencer.
Swan moved to New York after graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in theatre. She was cast in the original Broadway production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and later served as dance captain for the national tour and Broadway production. Eventually, she became the Associate Choreographer for all productions worldwide, mounting and/or maintaining all official Disney productions of the show on Broadway and around the world. Some directing and/or choreography credits include work at: Wings Theatre in Manhattan, Fireside Theatre, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Surflight Theatre, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, and Purdue University Theatre. She was co-choreographer of the original Chicago World Premiere of Schoolhouse Rock Live! which ran Off-Broadway shortly thereafter.
Swan has worked as a performer in numerous productions, including the European tour of West Side Story, and trained at Lee Theodore’s American Dancemachine, a company dedicated to preserving Broadway theatre dance history. She has taught theatre dance workshops across the US and in China. She is a member of the Stage Director and Choreographers Society. For 4th Wall, she has directed The Wild Party and this season’s Sweeney Todd in concert.
“While working with 4th Wall on The Wild Party, I realized what a special company it is. Its mission of producing seldom-performed plays and musicals and giving voice to a wide variety of theatre artists appeals to me tremendously, and the board, the people who make the company tick, are strong-minded, big-hearted people who don’t mind working extremely hard in order to make good theatre.” Swan continues “It is with great humility and joy that I accept the responsibilities of Artistic Director, and I am looking forward to an exciting year.”
Swan will serve as the choreographer on this season’s final show, The Life. She joins Allen, who is directing.
“We will miss Greg, both professionally and personally,” states Ricks-Spencer. “He has been a driving force in the incredible growth of the group artistically over these last six years. His energy and focus have served as a great motivator for everyone at 4th Wall, and he helped propel us to being one of the most active and respected theatre groups of our kind in New Jersey.”
Allen has become known as a major arts advocate in Essex County, serving as the Managing Director of the Westminster Arts Center at Bloomfield College, as well as on the Advisory Board for the Arts of Essex County. “I have loved working with 4th Wall for so many years as it has been a huge part of my life,” Allen says. “4th Wall has an amazing mission and offers so much to the community and has come a long a way in such a short time. Knowing Kate the way that I do, I am certain she will propel the group to new heights while maintaining an artistic caliber that 4th Wall audiences have grown to expect.”
4th Wall will conclude their 2009-2010 season with the musical The Life by Cy Coleman running weekends June 4-19. www.4thwalltheatre.org
4th Wall Theatre, a qualified organization of the New Jersey Cultural Trust, sets the highest standards of excellence in producing diverse, seldom-performed and original productions, celebrating a wide spectrum of visions and voices in theatre. 4th Wall is committed to breaking through the wall of imagination, to make cutting edge works accessible and fostering a positive theatre experience for artists and audiences.
4th Wal launches new website with 13th Season
September 1, 2009
4th Wall Theatre announces the launch of our new website to coincide with our 13th Season. While many people find that number unlucky, 4th Wall wanted to claim it in a postive way! Not only with adding our first play to this season, but by changing how we get our information to our patrons.
You never know where you might find that correct person to take on a new job. "Mandy Feiler has performed onstage for 4th Wall in several shows and we finally discovered this hidden talent," says Artistic Director Gregory Allen. "We were thrilled to have her take on the entire redesign and become the new web master." Feiler has created other websites and worked with the 4th Wall graphic designer, Anthony Rubolotta, who designed the season brochure; she also developed a new concept that incorporated Rubolotta's work.
Techonology is constantly changing, and 4th Wall wants to stay on the edge of that change by incorporating media, podcast and other new media to let audiences discover the exciting shows we are producing. If you have any questions about the site, please email Feiler at webmaster@4thwalltheatre.org.
"It takes many bricks to make up the foundation that is 4th Wall," says Executive Director Gwen Ricks- Spencer. "Finding the right people willing to help build that wall is truly what keeps our wall strong.
