Tag Archives: Evan Tanner

This Weekend only – Pagans on Bobsleds XXV! as only Red Octopus can bring it!

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Red Octopus Theater presents Pagans on Bobsleds is XXV! A holiday tradition for many, Red Octopus theater is proud to present Pagans on Bobsleds XXV!

Pagans on Bobsleds XXV! will be performed December 8, 9, 10, 2016 at The PUBLIC Theater, 616 Center St., in downtown Little Rock. Shows will start at 8PM and doors will open at 7:30PM. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, students & active military and veterans. No reservations are necessary and there will be refreshments available. The show is recommended for mature audiences, child tickets are $496.  (If you tell them Jason Willey sent you, you might get a kid in for a discounted price of $377.)

Pagans on Bobsleds started twenty-five years ago by a bunch of a actors, writers, artists and plain weirdos looking to do something that wasn’t happening in the local arts scene. Since then, this yearly cacophony of holiday themed sketch comedy has become a tradition not only for the members of Red Octopus, but for many of their fans. Through the years, the Pagans On Bobsleds cast has included over 100 different actors, writers, musicians and artists.

The show started long before any of the current cast was in Red Octopus and before a few of them were born. With timeless favorites like Santa-man, Fruitcake, Frosty, the Choirs and the Pagans on Bobsleds song, this show will also feature new material from The Old Lady, Hermes the Elf and a special tribute to Santa. So we invite everyone to come celebrate twenty-five years of Pagans on Bobsleds this holiday season!

The cast includes Alli Clark, Lesley Dancer, Josh Doering, Scott Dombroski, Drew Ellis, Sam Grubb, Jeremiah Herman, Anderson Penix, Evan Tanner, Jason Thompson and Jason Willey with special help from Michael Goodbar, Luke Rowlan and Christina Wang.

For more information please contact Red Octopus Theater at (501) 291-3896, or RedOctopusTheater@gmail.com. Red Octopus is also online at www.redoctopustheater.com. To contact The PUBLIC Theatre, call 374-PLAY.

Pagans on Bobsleds XXIV: One More Splash! pays tribute to late, great Sandy Baskin

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ROT Pagans SandyPagans on Bobsleds XXIV: One More Splash! is newest installment in the long running holiday tradition for Red Octopus Theater. Pagans on Bobsleds XXIV: One More Splash! will run December 10-12, 2015 at The PUBLIC Theatre, located at 616 Center Street, in downtown Little Rock, AR.  Doors will open at 7:30PM and the show will start at 8:00PM. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, military and students.  Tickets are general admission, no reservations and there will be refreshments available.  The show is recommended for mature audiences, child tickets are $490.

Pagans on Bobsleds XXIV: One More Splash! a memorial to Sandy Baskin, long time head writer and director of Red Octopus Theater, who passed away earlier this year.  There is no adequate way to measure the influence Sandy Baskin had on the central Arkansas performing arts community and countless actors in her 3 decades of performing, writing and directing.  Sandy Baskin performed with Red Octopus theater for over 20 years and for much of that time was the head writer and director of countless live sketch comedy shows, short films and other performances.  Ms. Baskin may have left this plane of existence, but she will always be the head redhead in Red Octopus.

This year, Pagans on Bobsleds, the long running Red Octopu holiday tradition, will be a greatest hits of Sandy’s  favorites including Fauzio’s, The Nutcracker Suite, Elves What Woo, The Old Lady, They’re Having Eggnog, Devil Hound, Santaman, Fruitcake and many more. Unfortunately, due to her passing, Sandy really left the other Octopi in a lurch for a funny lady with a red bouffant that can cuss like a sailor.  That role is in a lot of these sketches, but  Red Octopus thought, the only thing to do without Sandy Baskin, was to make everyone try to fill her comedy shoes.  It will take a cast of 12 including Frank Butler, Alli Clark, Brian Chambers, Sarah Cunningham, Lesley Dancer, Michael Goodbar, Jeremiah Herman, Nichole Henry, Anderson Penix, Luke Rowlan, Brittany Sparkles, Evan Tanner, Jason Thompson and Jason Willey

Current Executive Director of Red Octopus, Jason Willey said, “Sandy loved hanging out with her people and often she’d say she was just going to have “one more splash” before we called it a night. That usually turned into another hour and a lot of laughs. Everyone in Red Octopus will miss having one more splash with Baskin.  We thought, that’s what this show should be for Red Octopus and our fans, one last splash, for Baskin.”

Red Octopus Theater looks forward to seeing all our friends and fans for Pagans on Bobsleds XXIV: One More Splash, a tribute to the one and only Sandy Baskin.

For more information please contact Jason Willey, Executive Director, Red Octopus Theater at (501) 291-3896, or RedOctopusTheater@gmail.com. Red Octopus is also online atwww.redoctopustheater.com.

To contact The PUBLIC Theatre, call 374-PLAY.

 

Have a Blast with Summer Oven presented by Red Octopus Theater

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Members of the cast rehearse “Free Yoga” a sketch for Red Octopus Theater’s upcoming Summer Oven sketch comedy show.

Members of the cast rehearse “Free Yoga” a sketch for Red Octopus Theater’s upcoming Summer Oven sketch comedy show.

Summer Oven, the new original sketch comedy show by Red Octopus Theater, will run August 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 at The PUBLIC Theater, located at 616 Center Street, in downtown Little Rock, AR.  Doors will open at 7:30PM and the show will start at 8:00PM.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, military and students and are available before the show. There are no online ticket sales or reservations. There will be refreshments available.  The show is recommended for mature audiences and child tickets are $567, plus a lock of hair.

August in Arkansas makes you want to kiss the person that invented air conditioning and drink your own weight in sweet tea.  Naturally, Summer Oven is about Arkansas’s oppressive summer heat and all the crazy it brings out in us.

Several new sketches planned for the stage include “Mr. Science”, the story of a local kids science show host who has reached his breaking point with baking soda volcanoes.  “An Apology for Hulk Hogan” where a wrestling fan tries to apologize to everyone Hulk Hogan has insulted.  “Free Yoga,” the sign says free, but what about your soul?  Also “Humid Hair, the newest beauty trend and “The Sweat Report”, Arkansas’s newest web weather forecast.

“We don’t want to remind you it’s hot, we want to make you laugh while you sweat,” said Jason Willey, Red Octopus Executive Producer.

The cast includes Sandy Baskin, Brian Chambers, Lesley Dancer, Drew Ellis, Michael Goodbar, Sam Grubb, Jeremiah Herman, Evan Tanner, and David Weatherly. Performances are open to all ages, but recommended for mature audiences because of adult language and situations, again, child tickets are $567 and a lock of hair.

Red Octopus Theater has been performing original, live sketch comedy in central Arkansas since 1991.

For more information please contact Red Octopus Theater at (501) 291-3896, or RedOctopusTheater@gmail.com. Red Octopus is also online at www.redoctopustheater.com.

The Peeps Show is latest offering from Red Octopus

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The Peeps Show, a new original sketch comedy show by Red Octopus Theater, will run April 24, 25, 30 and May 1, 2, at The PUBLIC Theatre, located at 616 Center Street, in downtown Little Rock, AR.  Doors will open at 7:30PM and the show will start at 8:00PM.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, military and students and are available before the show.  No reservations are necessary and there will be refreshments available.  The show is recommended for mature audiences, children tickets are $549.

Red Octopus Theater, performing since 1991, starts off their 2015 season with The Peeps Show, a show about spring, warm weather, rebirth and marshmallow candies.  The Peeps Show will also begin a series of productions featuring aspiring Red Octopus members.

The Peeps Show will feature five new faces for audience members as well as a strong cast of veteran performers.  New performers auditioned earlier in 2015 for a spot in a Red Octopus show and perhaps an invitation to join the regular cast.

Jason Willey, Red Octopus Board Member said, “Sketch comedy and theater, in general, need new blood to keep it going and to keep it fresh.  We held auditions after getting a lot inquiries and we found some funny people.  Hopefully, we won’t scare them all off.”

The Peeps Show will exam the many facets of Spring, sparing no one or thing in it’s path.  Religious themes pop up in “Jesus Saves”, about the onslaught of retail business on holidays.  The show will feature live coverage of the Arkansas Legislature in, “So This Is What They Did Now…”  The children’s PBS show “Bumblechunks & Friends” will teach kids about Easter around the world.  And Park rangers, Thomas and Tom will get you ready for your “first date hike” up Petit Jean in “Love at the Top.”  There will be some old favorites mixed in and a bunch of new material all lampooning all your favorite things to love and hate about the change in seasons.  So come out and support live sketch comedy with Red Octopus Theater.

The cast includes Brian Chambers, Alli Clark, Drew Ellis, Michael Goodbar, Evan Tanner, David Weatherly and Jason Willey and featuring Scott Dombroski, Sam Grubb, Nichole Henry, Jeremiah James Herman and Anderson Penix.. Performances are open to all ages, but recommended for mature audiences because of adult language and situations, again, child tickets are $549.

For more information please contact Red Octopus Theater at (501) 291-3896, or RedOctopusTheater@gmail.com. Red Octopus is also online at www.redoctopustheater.com.

 

Red Octopus Theater annual Pagans on Bobsled! continues through this weekend

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David Weatherly, Sandy Baskin, Evan Tanner, Alli Clark, Desiree Blair and Michael Goodbar practicing their choral workings for Red Octopus' Pagans On Bobsleds!


David Weatherly, Sandy Baskin, Evan Tanner, Alli Clark, Desiree Blair and Michael Goodbar practicing their choral workings for Red Octopus’ Pagans On Bobsleds!

Pagans On Bobsleds!,an all original sketch comedy show by Red Octopus Theater, runs December 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th at The PUBLIC Theatre, located at 616 Center Street, in downtown Little Rock, AR.  Doors will open at 7:30PM and the show will start at 8:00PM.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, military and students.  No reservations are accepted and there will be refreshments available.  The show is recommended for mature audiences.

Pagans On Bobsleds!, was Red Octopus’ first full length original sketch comedy show back in 1992. They are proud to present the 23rd annual installment of their Christmas Holiday Extravaganza.  Not unlike the troupe that performs, there will be plenty of misfit toys, skewered representations of the season and a plethora of ethnic and political views of the holidays.  There will also be themes of family togetherness, family dysfunction, drunken elves and ‘How to deal with Muzak at the mall’, as well as many depictions of Father Christmas and seasonal choral styling.
So come to The PUBLIC Theatre to relieve your holiday stress with Red Octopus Theater and you may very well get your stocking stuffed.
The cast features Sandy Baskin, Alli Clark, Michael Goodbar, Evan Tanner, David Weatherly and Jason Willey.
For more information please contact Red Octopus Theater at (501) 291-3896, or RedOctopusTheater@gmail.com. Red Octopus is also online.
To contact The PUBLIC Theatre, call 374-PLAY.

STREETCAR and METAL in LR this weekend

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Two Little Rock theatre groups present offerings to heat up cold winter nights this weekend.

THE METAL CHILDRENThe Weekend Theatre, in its 20th anniversary season, presents award winner Adam Rapp’s play Metal Children.  Rapp, who is one of the most prolific playwrights today, tells the story of a small town ripped apart by a debate over a book.

When a young adult novel about teen pregnancy is banned by the local school board, it ignites a fierce and violent debate over abortion, religious beliefs, and modern feminism. A directionless New York City author arrives in town to defend the book and finds that it has inspired a group of local teens to rebel in strange and unexpected ways. The book also inspires a swarm of teenage pregnancies, a horde of pig-masked vigilantes terrorizing the populace, a suicide, and at least one murder attempt. A timely and unforgettable drama about the failure of urban and heartland America to understand each other, The Metal Children explores what happens when fiction becomes a matter of life and death.

The play is directed by Justin A. Pike (who most recently directed Annie for the Royal Players in Benton).   The cast includes Don Bright, Wendy Darr, Anna Findley, Augusta Fitzgerald, Duane Jackson, Grace Lytle, David Monteith, Samantha Porter, Donna Singleton and Evan Tanner.

The production opened last weekend and continues on Fridays and Saturdays through January 26.  The shows take place at the Weekend Theatre located at 7th and Chester.

Precipice Theatre Prepares for Opening of 'A Street Car Named Desire'One of Little Rock’s newest theatre groups, Precipice Theatre, presents Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winner A Streetcar Named Desire.  The world of Blanche, Stanley, and STELLLLLLLAAAAA are brought to life amid the sweltering heat of New Orleans. Things are hardly what they seem in a world where a paper lantern is used to transform a plain lightbulb and light may hide more than the darkness.

The show opened last night and continues on through Sunday, January 27.  There are two performances today (2pm and 7:30pm) and a matinee tomorrow at 2pm.  Doors open 30 minutes prior to the performance.   Streetcar is being performed at the Public Theatre located at 616 Center Street.  To reserve tickets, send an email to LRprecipicetheatre@gmail.com and let us know your name, number of seats needed, and which performance you will be attending.

The production has been directed by Paul Seminara, Cory Cotham and Jennifer S. Walker.  The cast includes Heather D. Smith, Ricco Ardemagni, Rachel Bland, Paul Seminara, Brent Wood, Caitlin Selacavich, Jennifer S. Walker, Steve Sullivan, Cory Catham, Andy Stanley and Tracy Crain.

 

Arts & Humanities Month: PIPPIN at The Weekend Theatre

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The Weekend Theatre’s production of Pippin continues this weekend and runs through October 23 (which is the 39th anniversary of the show’s official opening on Broadway).  Shows start at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday nights and 2:30 on Sunday afternoons.

Tonight, (October 13), there is a special “Magic to Do” performance.  Doors open at 6:15 p.m., with food and a chance to mingle with the cast, followed by a magic show at 7 p.m. featuring David Weatherly, assisted by other cast members. The performance of “Pippin” begins at 7:30 p.m.

Pippin is a fanciful musical by Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz. It tells the tale of a young man searching for his place in the world and his corner of the sky.  The cast is led by Malcolm Glover, Craig Wilson, Julie Atkins, Byron Taylor, Charlie Askew, Evan Tanner, Pamela Crane and Patti German.  John C. Thompson directed the production, which was first directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse.