134 West

Archive for the ‘Musicals’ Category

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2018 – Let’s Create Beautiful Things!

In Family Entertainment, Music, Musicals, Our Work, Shakespeare, Theater, Uncategorized on February 11, 2018 at 10:23 pm

Screen Shot 2018-02-11 at 2.10.25 PMThis is the time to make and create goodness. 134 West and Susan Lambert Hatem are excited to create many cool projects this year. Please join us. Reach out if you want to be a part of any upcoming projects. Or if you have a special project of your own you’d like to develop. We love to have creative partners. And we are available for consultation with writing, development, production and marketing. Email us: susan@134west.biz

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Upcoming beautiful things:

March 16 – Charlotte, NC CONFIDENCE (and The Speech), written by Susan Lambert Hatem, is a unique, gender-bending political play about confidence, women in politics and President Carter’s 1979 Crisis of Confidence speech. Come to the reading March 16 with Charlotte’s Off-Broadway and their PAGE to STAGE series. We are in talks with COB for a workshop production for Fall 2018!

homewardla_logo-e1518385065995.jpgApril 13 – 22  – 134 West is proud to join with many theater producers around Los Angeles to produce one of many HomewardLA events, a 10-day citywide event where multiple productions of monologues based on stories from people who have experienced homelessness will be performed by actors all around the city. HomewardLA’s goal is to increase awareness around the homeless crisis facing Los Angeles and raise funds for The Midnight Mission, a great nonprofit organization on Skid Row. We think it’s also having a neat side effect of bringing #LAThr people together.

screen-shot-2016-12-08-at-4-33-19-pmTy the Pie Guy – Wow! We’ve streamed almost 3 million minutes of Ty the Pie Guy episodes to over 1 million unique viewers across Amazon, YouTube, Facebook and other platforms! Thank you to our fans who continue to inspire us and send us photos and videos of trying Ty’s recipes. Great news! Ty Freedman and Susan Lambert Hatem have finished a draft of the Ty the Pie Guy screenplay. That’s right. We’re working on a Ty the Pie Guy movie!

 

Bend in the Road: The Anne of Green Gables Musical – After a fantastic workshop and reading with Children’s Theater of Charlotte last summer and some script updates, we’re excited do a full production of this fabulous show! Reach out for more info.

O Baby Mine: Sing a Song of Shakespeare LIVE! made it’s live concert debut at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater in January to sold out crowds and great response! We were thrilled to work with NYC Children’s Theater on bringing Shakespeare music to children and families. Now, we’re developing the show further!

We are proud to be attached to Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa, written by wife and husband team artist Terry Holzman and cinematographer Ernest Holzman. Contact us to find out more about this beautiful ensemble screenplay set in 1968 that explores stories of friendship, love and four imagined days in the life of Dusty Springfield. We are currently looking for the right director(s). Reach out if you have interest.

 

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FUN PROJECTS IN THE WORKS

In Family Entertainment, Movies, Music, Musicals, Our Work, Shakespeare, Theater, WebSeries on November 10, 2017 at 9:29 pm

Screen Shot 2017-11-10 at 1.01.26 PM134 West has so many fun and exciting projects in various stages of development. It has been incredibly productive year!  We wish you hope and joy during the Holiday Gauntlet of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s Eve!

Go forth, make stuff. Be creative and joyful.

 

BEND IN THE ROAD: The Anne of Green Gables Musical – Thanks to director Michelle Long and Artistic Director Adam Burke for a wonderful workshop and reading at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. We are now working toward a full production for 2019!

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TY THE PIE GUY – We are developing a feature and a new season of our award-winning kid show. Watch us for free on Amazon Video or YouTube! And we’ve passed over 2.2 MILLION MINUTES STREAMED of the Pie Guy videos! Stay tuned for more info.

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CONFIDENCE (and The Speech) – 134 West produced the first reading of Susan Lambert Hatem’s exciting new political play, CONFIDENCE (and The Speech) at Boston Court in May. And the second was a benefit reading November 8, which raised over $500 for Emily’s List and She Should Run. We are working with Charlotte’s Off-Broadway to produce a workshop and reading in 2018 in North Carolina.

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O BABY MINE: Sing a Song of Shakespeare! – SAVE THE DATE in 2018 for our special O BABY MINE concert at world famous Joe’s Pub! With NYC Children’s Theatre, 134 West presents this unique concert for children and families of special songs inspired by Shakespeare’s plays! Get your copy now! NYC Children’s Theatre concert at Joe’s Pub – Sunday, January 21, 2018 at 1pm – Sign up now!

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OTHER PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FROM TULSA
AN APPALACHIAN TWELFTH NIGHT
2 of TRIPAK
THE FLIRT BAR
HAPPY JOY SAD SAD HOLIDAY TIME

STRATEGY & CONSULTING: 134 West also specializes in marketing and entertainment. We consult with studios, agencies, schools and theatres. We are available for strategy and consulting and dramaturgy for special theatre and film projects. If you have a project and you’re looking for marketing, strategy and producing assistance, maybe we can help. Past clients include Charlotte’s Off-Broadway, AvatarLabs, Dreamworks Animation, Google and Disney.
Contact: susan @ 134west.biz

2016 – A Year of Joyful Creation & Celebration

In Family Entertainment, Musicals, Our Work, Theater, Uncategorized, WebSeries on December 12, 2016 at 7:59 pm

We’ve had a wonderful year here at 134 West — a year of making new friendships, developing new projects and zooming past milestones. We got to create lots of new art, and experience another beautiful return to Green Gables. There is so many projects to talk about, but we will only mention two: Ty the Pie Guy and Bend in the Road: The Anne of Green Gables Musical.

Ty the Pie Guy traveled to Canada to win BEST IN FAMILY at the Vancouver Web Fest!

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We also launched Ty the Pie Guy on Amazon Video in July, and we are thrilled to have streamed screen-shot-2016-12-08-at-4-33-19-pmover 300,000 minutes to 100,00 unique viewers! Across all platforms, Ty the Pie Guy has now served over 600,000 minutes of our little comedy cooking show for kids and families — isn’t that just amazing? Who knows what 2017 will bring for Ty and his ‘lil sister Rose and all their friends. Thank you to all our cast and crew and most of all, to our fans!

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Interested in more Ty the Pie Guy news? Follow on Twitter @TyPieGuy, Facebook and Instagram. And visit TythePieGuy.com!

Be sure to watch the entire first season FREE on Amazon Video! Please rate and review us. Five stars & more views help us rise up!

 

 

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This November, Bend in the Road returned for two stage readings at 3D Theatricals and the Zephyr Theatre, starring the ever-lovely and talented Alison Woods as Anne Shirley!

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The stage readings were just the beginning: stay tuned for more Bend in the Road news coming in 2017 by following our TWITTER or visiting our WEBSITE!

134 West is more dedicated than ever to bring quality independent and diverse stories and voices to stage and screens. We are thankful to have brought positive, inspiring and joyful messages to the world this year through our art. Our projects and our creative teams are diverse, inclusive and vocal. It is more important than ever that we as a company, and as a collective of artists, speak up for what we know is good and right in the world. In 2017, it is our mission to create and promote art that inspires, informs and brings us together. We are most thankful to all our friends, fans and followers who lift us up through their amazing joy, creativity, constant support and love!

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The Next BEND IN THE ROAD

In Family Entertainment, Music, Musicals, Our Work, Theater, Uncategorized on September 26, 2013 at 4:32 pm
"A Home For Me" from BEND IN THE ROAD: The Anne of Green Gables Musical. Photo by Carol Rosegg. © 134 West, LLC

“A Home For Me” from BEND IN THE ROAD. © 134 West

After a hugely successful run at The Pearl Theater on 42nd Street for the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), BEND IN THE ROAD: The Anne of Green Gables Musical is now looking for it’s next production!  We are actively seeking theater and producing partners who are interested in a quality family musical that is both classic, inspiring and heartfelt with songs that send your soul soaring and stick in your head long after the show is over.

Alison Woods made her New York debut as Anne Shirley in BEND IN THE ROAD: The Anne of Green Gables Musical. Written by Benita Scheckel and Michael Upward. Based on Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Photo by Carol Rosegg © 2013 134 West, LLC

Alison Woods made her New York debut as Anne Shirley in BEND IN THE ROAD: The Anne of Green Gables Musical.  © 2013 134 West

Couldn’t make it to New York to see us at NYMF? Or didn’t catch us at the Carrie Hamiton Theatre at the Pasadena Playhouse? Then check out the BEND IN THE ROAD website for great production photos, videos and glowing reviews! We look forward to the next Bend in the Road in 2014. Here are some review quote highlights from New York:

“Bend in the Road would be most welcome on Broadway!”  -Huffington Post

“Bend in the Road is wonderful”
-Life Upon the Sacred Stage

“Absolutely Flawless!” -The Write Teacher

“Bend in the Road is a winner!”
– JK Theatre Scene

ABOUT BEND IN THE ROAD

Book and lyrics by: Benita Scheckel

Music and lyrics by: Michael Upward

Anne (Alison Woods) and Diana (Whitney Winfield). Walk Like Sisters (Kindred Spirits). BEND IN THE ROAD. Photo by Carol Rosegg. © 134 West, LLC

Anne (Alison Woods) and Diana (Whitney Winfield). Walk Like Sisters (Kindred Spirits). BEND IN THE ROAD. © 134 West

Cast Size: 14+

Ideal Band Size: 3-7
Style: Family Comedy

BEND IN THE ROAD: The Anne of Green Gables Musical is a fun and heartwarming family comedy musical based on the beloved classic novel, Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Bend in the Road tells the story of young Anne Shirley, an orphan, who is mistakenly adopted by siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert to help them on their Avonlea farm.

Gilbert Blythe (CJ Pawlikowsk) and Anne Shirley (Alison Woods) in BEND IN THE ROAD. Photo by Carol Rosegg. © 134 West, LLC

Gilbert Blythe (CJ Pawlikowsk) and Anne Shirley (Alison Woods) in BEND IN THE ROAD. © 134 West

Anne’s intelligent, joyous and imaginative ways change the lives of all those around her in this small town, including Matthew, Marilla and nosy town gossip Mrs. Rachel Lynde. Anne finds fast friendships at school and a rivalry with classmate Gilbert Blythe turns complicated as they grow up.

 

Photos by Carol Rosegg.  2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

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An Appalachian Twelfth Night

In Musicals, Our Work, Theater, Uncategorized on September 24, 2013 at 1:56 pm
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night set in 1938 Appalachia is a foot-stompin' comedy with music!

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night set in 1938 Appalachia is a foot-stompin’ comedy with music!

An Appalachian Twelfth Night is a story of loss, love, chaos, laughter and music. 134 West was part of the premiere production in 2002 with Dancing Barefoot Productions and is ready to bring this amazing production to new theaters looking for an accessible Shakespeare show for the whole family. The original production charmed LA audiences with foot-stompin’ fun, sold out shows and rave reviews.

“Playfully conceived by Williams and touchingly rendered by director Susan Lambert, the staging further benefits from an extensive use of old-time folk music. It’s a toe-tapping, laugh spreading good time. ” Daryl Miller, LA Times

“Imaginatively helmed! The production exudes a captivating rural humor all its own.” – Julio Martinez, Variety

“Lusty folk tunes. Devastating straightforwardness… The Globe Theatre hasn’t seen anything like this. It’s one of the best and most innovative productions of Shakespeare’s lyric comedy.”
– Laura Hitchcock, CurtainUp

– A Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Nominee for best musical direction.

Robert L. Williams’ original adaptation of Shakespeare’s “play with music” stunned and delighted Los Angeles audiences aligning rich, traditional mountain music with the poetry of Shakespearean verse. Setting Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in an isolated coal-mining town in the thirties, it incorporates an Appalachian band “Rev. Karl and the Pikeville Pickers” and draws from the traditional folk music handed down from the Elizabethan ancestors of the mountain dwellers.

Check out the original cast recording on CDBaby or iTunes. Contact susan @ 134west.biz for more information.

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Start Spreading the News…

In Musicals, Our Work, Theater on April 11, 2013 at 3:33 pm
Alison Woods in costume test for Anne Shirley.

The adorable Alison Woods in costume test for Anne Shirley.

…We’re leaving today (well, in June)/We’re gonna be a part of it/ on ol’ Broadway (well, 42nd Street)…

We are so excited to announce that BEND IN THE ROAD: The Anne of Green Gables Musical was chosen as a Next Link Project for the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival! We get to bring this beautiful family musical to audiences in New York City. We’ll have 5 performances between July 13-28. Please check out bendintheroadmusical.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest news. Read the Playbill article to find out more or check out the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) here. Rehearsals begin in June and performances in July. We’ll see you all in New York this summer!

A Look Back… What a Year!

In Movies, Musicals, Our Work, Social Media, Theater on February 7, 2013 at 1:29 am

It’s important to look back and then look ahead. Last year was a great year for 134 West. We want to thank all our clients, partners and supporters for letting us bring some amazing projects out into the world. We got to work on such amazing projects with our favorite folks at AvatarLabs – ThinkLA’s 2012 Digital Agency of the Year! Congrats and thanks to their amazing team! In addition, it was a great pleasure to work on the award-winning and utterly charming Safety Not Guaranteed for FilmDistrict.

Our theater projects really took off in 2012!  We took sexy thriller Poison Apple to the New York International Fringe Festival and thanks to our Kickstarter campaign and supporters, we produced the world premiere of a brand new musical Bend in the Road at the Carrie Hamilton Theater at the Pasadena Playhouse. You can buy the demo album at CDBaby or iTunes!

This year is going to be equally great. We are looking forward to the next production of Bend in the Road. We’re a finalist for the New York Music Theater Next Link Project so fingers crossed we get to bring this great family musical to New York! Poison Apple is now available for licensing – email poisonappleplay @ gmail.com for more info.  Plus, we loved producing the demo for Bend in the Road so much, we decide to produce another album! O’ Baby Mine is a kid’s album of songs and lullabies inspired by Shakespeare! Check it out!  We want to welcome social media marketer Serita Robinson to 134 West! You can follow her at Twitter @snugsandstruggs.  Stay tuned for more news as 2013 brings us new projects! Follow us at Twitter or like us on Facebook.

BEND IN THE ROAD nominated for FOUR Broadway World AWARDS!

In Musicals, Our Work, Theater on November 30, 2012 at 10:15 am

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134 West’s production of the new musical Bend in the Road, inspired by the classic novel Anne of Green Gables, has been nominated for FOUR Broadway World Awards, including Best Musical! Voting is now open to the public. Please vote for us now!

Best Musical (Local Production): Bend in the Road

Best Actress in a Musical (Local Production): Alison Woods

Best Choreography (Local Production): Kevin Lee

Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Local Production): Melinda Porto

Audiences and critics agree that Bend in the Road was one of the best new musicals of the year! We are the little engine that could and now looking for the next Bend in the Road production that will hopefully lead us on to Broadway! Find out more at http://bendintheroadmusical.com, Facebook or watch the trailer below: