The Ivoryton Playhouse will open its doors for a 5-play season on July 8, 2021.
It’s time to get out and share some music and laughter and we’ll be providing it with a liberal dash of blood with MURDER FOR TWO!
MURDER FOR TWO, by Kellen Blair & Joe Kinosian, is the perfect blend of music, mayhem and murder! In this hilarious 90-minute show, 2 performers play 13 roles—not to mention the piano—in a witty and winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries.
The New York Times calls it “INGENIOUS! A snazzy double-act that spins out a comic mystery animated by funny, deftly turned songs.” You won’t want to miss this killer musical comedy!
Photographs by Joan Marcus. Joe Kinosian as The Suspects and Ian Lowe at piano and as Detective Marcus.
MURDER FOR TWO was developed at The Adirondack Theatre Festival and 42nd Street Moon. Chicago Shakespeare Theater presented the World Premiere Production in May, 2011, which was extended 4 times and ran for more than 6 months. Kinosian and Blair were recognized with a 2011 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical
Everyone is a suspect in MURDER FOR TWO – Ian Lowe*, who was last seen in Ivoryton in THE WOMAN IN BLACK, plays the detective, and Joe Kinosian* plays all 13 suspects and they both play the piano! Joe also co-wrote this smart, funny musical and we are thrilled to have him perform his tour de force in Ivoryton.
A zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery, this 90-minute whodunit is a highly theatrical duet loaded with killer laughs. Don’t miss this opportunity to step back into life and laughter at the Ivoryton Playhouse!
Photographs by Joan Marcus. Joe Kinosian as The Suspects and Ian Lowe at piano and as Detective Marcus.
The show is directed and choreographed by Wendy Seyb, the set is designed by Martin Marchitto, lighting by Marcus Abbott and costumes by Elizabeth Saylor.
MURDER FOR TWO opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on July 8 and runs through August 1, 2021. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. There will be one Thursday matinee on July 8.
The safety of our audience is our primary concern. Face masks are required at all times in the theatre. There is no intermission and no concessions will be sold. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the theatre. We have socially distanced our seats so that there are only 96 seats in the theatre for your comfort and protection. To view our socially distanced seating plan, please follow this link.
The second show in our 2021 Summer Season will be:
HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS FIRST 100 YEARS
by Emily Mann, adapted from the book “Having Our Say” August 12th – September 5th, 2021
A beautiful, funny and heartfelt family drama based on the bestselling memoir of Bessie and Sadie Delany – trailblazers, activists and best friends.
MORE SHOWS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
Tickets are $55 for adults, $50 for seniors, $25 for students and are available on June 14 by calling the Playhouse box office at 860.767.7318. Tickets are not available online. Visit our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org for more information. (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.
We have many exciting “pop up” events scheduled for this summer.
About the Series
This new series of programming focuses on new and unique small-scale performances, shining a light on local artists in collaboration with Brief Cameo Productions and Ivoryton Playhouse to engage with area spaces, both traditional and unconventional. Curated by BCP Resident Music Director Jill Brunelle.
These events are all FREE and open to the public.
Dates and times subject to change.
ElementNext is made possible through a generous grant from the:
Play: Kimberly Wilson’s A Journey…
Sunday, July 18, 2021 @ 1:00pm
Connecticut River Museum | 67 Main St, Essex
A JOURNEY… by Kimberly Wilson is an intricate look at the Black experience told through the eyes of the Black woman and performed by one woman, professional actress and singer Kimberly Wilson. Westport resident, Ms. Wilson skillfully tells of the struggles and influence of Black womanhood with courage, dignity, faith, hope, and strength in perfect lockstep with the history of the United States. Eight women, eight pivotal generations, present to you their stories through song, movement and dialogue and how ultimately their faith, hope, and calling help shape the America we know today. Joyful celebrations and painful reflections are rendered artistically to tell a story of persistence and courage and how our Black womanhood, not always intricately woven into the tapestry of American history, is another thread that weaves together the fabric of America’s History. Included in this journey are historical reflections from a Native African Queen, a Slave Woman, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Haggar Tonquin, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, and more.
Originally from Minneapolis, Kimberly first pursued theater while in high school, studying and performing at The Minneapolis Children’s Theatre. Kimberly was also a founding acting company member of Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis. After studying theater at Howard University, Kimberly returned home and continued her acting career performing in plays and television commercials. She has performed with many theater companies including, the Shoestring Playhouse, At the Foot of the Mountain, Brass Tacks Theater, Park Square, Theatre in the Round, Illusion Theater, Minnesota Festival Theater, Penumbra Theater, Collective Consciousness Theater, New Haven Theater Company and The Theatre Artists Workshop in Norwalk. For the past seven years, Kimberly Wilson has been touring her original musical one-woman show A Journey locally and nationally in theaters, schools, libraries, historical societies, places of worship and other community organizations. She continues to schedule bookings throughout the year. This highly acclaimed performance brings to life seven historical African-American women, including an African Queen, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, and more. Through soulful singing, character transformations, joyous celebrations and painful reflections, Ms. Wilson takes the audience on a powerful Journey of courage, persistence, hope, faith, and love. Kimberly Wilson was last seen in the Greenwich Theatre Company production of 7 Easy Pieces by Jack Rushton, November 2019.
Saturday, July 24, 2021 @ 1:00pm
Six Summit Gallery | 314 Flatrock Pl, Westbrook
Christine Manalo is a vocalist and pianist who is native to Watertown, CT. Christine is a graduate at Western Connecticut State University, where she studied classical voice and piano performance. Past stage credits include Hansel und Gretel (Gretel) at WCSU, which was selected as the 1st Place Division Winner at the National Opera Association; The Magic Flute (Second Spirit) at Yale Opera, and Die Zauberflote (Pamina). She has studied voice with Margaret Astrup, Laura Mashburn, and classical piano with Russell Hirshfield. Christine is a recipient of the James Furman Scholarship Award, and placed as a finalist in the Upper College Division in the New England NATS Competition. Additionally, Christine is currently the organist and cantor at All Saints with Christ Church in Oakville, CT. Outside of performing, Christine is an educator in Bethel, CT, where she teaches choir, piano, general music, and is the theatre vocal director at Bethel High School.
Rick Baumer grew up in Newtown, CT and began playing guitar at age eight. After Rick’s sophomore year of high school, his family moved to São Paulo, Brazil, during which his study of music intensified. Rick completed his bachelor and masters degree at Western Connecticut State University, where he was a recipient of the James Furman Scholarship Award for performance in a jazz quartet. He has studied with guitarists Chris Morrison, Michel Leme and Jamie Begian. You can currently find Rick performing in duos with vocalists Amanda Bellitto and Christine Manalo. He is also a member of the Jerrod Cattey Trio and Quartet, as well as a leader of his own groups, including the Brazilian music ensemble, Studio Rio. In addition to performing, Rick is an educator in Bethel, CT, where he teaches orchestra, guitar, music theory and electronic music at Bethel High School.
CREATE: Solon Sneider & Friends
Saturday, July 31, 2021 @ 6:30pm
Six Summit Gallery | 314 Flatrock Pl, Westbrook
More information coming soon.
LOOK: Camilla Tassi
Saturday, August 7, 2021 (all day visual art installation)
Six Summit Gallery | 314 Flatrock Pl, Westbrook
Sanne Zwikker is a 14-year-old Dutch-American violinist from New York City. She picked up her first violin at age of three. Later, she moved to the Greater New York area to study at the Manhattan School of Music conservatory. In 2018, Luister magazine introduced Sanne as the “young, super talented violinist from New York City”. This renown classical music magazine premiered her full performance of the Saint Saens Violin Concerto in the fall of 2020. In the summer of 2019, Sanne brought her GenZ Tour to the Netherlands where she performed her Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with sold out performances in 4 cities. Mexican-American conductor, Felipe Tristan praised her: “She is very talented and driven, and her repertoire is difficult.” In the same year, her crossover version of Bach’s 1st Sonata with world champ beatboxer, B-Art was streamed live to 100K gen Z followers. LEVEN magazine called her the “young protégée who builds bridges in the world of music”, referring to working across borders, music styles, and age groups.
Sanne Zwikker studies under the tutelage of Xiao Wang (a Curtis alumni and former student of Joseph Silverstein) and Kyung Yu (a Juilliard alumni and former student and assistant of Dorothy DeLay). During her earlier years she studied under the guidance of Carl Shugart (a Juilliard alumni and former student of Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins), in the Greater New York City area. At nine years old, she moved to Miami to study with Michael Klotz (Senior Instructor and Artist-in-Residence at Florida International University, and a Juilliard alumni and former student of Lewis Kaplan and Lynn Blakeslee). Her principle influence is Ida Haendel and Julia Fischer.
Visit her website at www.sannezwikker.com or follow her on Instagram at @SanneZwikker.
About the Series
Tickets for our 2023 season are now on sale!