Hilarious farce, Gods of Comedy, runs March 29—April 21
March 2024
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It will not surprise you that Gods of Comedy is, well, of course, a comedy
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In Gods of Comedy, a young woman calls on the gods of Ancient Greece to save her love life—but it’s not the gods of love who show up to help. Theatrikos favorite playwright Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor) is back with a hilariously divine farce filled with screwball deities, carnal complexity, conspicuous consumption, madcap mayhem, a touch of romance, and lots of laughs.
Ken Ludwig’s latest comedy made its debut in 2019. The comedic play features the Greek god Dionysus, the muse Thalia, and a pair of modern-day university professors; one of whom has just discovered the find of the century—a manuscript of the lost tragedy Andromeda by Euripides. But then, of course, they lose the manuscript. The gods appear to help. But they’re confused and irreverent and no help at all. At which point comedic mayhem ensues.
“I envy the audience to get to see it all for the first time!,” says actor Isaac Muskie who plays Dionysus, the Greek God of Drunken Revelry. “I’ve loved getting back into theater, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to flex the more creative side of my brain.”
In this play, “there will be laughter, tears, and more importantly a happy ending which the audiences will rollercoaster through,” says actor Heather Gallegos who plays the god muse Thalia. “I have really enjoyed getting to learn about the Muse of Comedy, Thalia and how comedic she is in everything she does. I have also really enjoyed getting to know the cast and work with them to create a fun farce.”
Actor Aerol Shepard says, “The play is nonstop humor. Sure to make everyone laugh at least once.” [Editor: I hope more than once!]
Performances of Gods of Comedy are at Theatrikos, March 29—April 21, 2024. There’s a reception on opening night. Theatrikos’ special Family Night is Thursday, April 4. Tickets are lower price on Family Night.
Our new parking lot is available for patrons at the NE corner of Cherry and Leroux.
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“Every show we’ve seen at Theatrikos has been great. Keep up the good work.”
—Cindi Chatters, Williams, Patron, Harvey
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Men on Boats Auditions and Kids Summer Camps
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Looking for Female Actors for Men on Boats
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Despite the name Men on Boats, there are no men in this cast. This cast will be made up of 10-12 actors who are anything but cisgender white males. The entire cast is all women. We’re looking for diverse actors who are female-identifying, trans-identifying, gender fluid, and/or non-gender-conforming. For this show, we are especially looking for women of color. Men on Boats auditions are March 10 and 11.
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2024 Kids Summer Theatre Camps
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Summer Camps: May 27—August 2, 2024
One and two week camps.
Enrollments are now being accepted for 2024 summer theatre camps. Our 2023 camps all sold out. So, we recommend enrolling quickly for 2024.
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The UFOs, Theatrikos’ improv company is entering its third year. Everyone is welcome; from first-timers to seasoned actors. The only requirement is a desire to try new things and have fun! You can be silly with us!
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Theatrikos partners with local restaurants. You dine at the restaurant and they give us 10%—20%—30% of selected revenue for that day. You get some great food. Theatrikos gets a little kick in the bank. The first one is tonight at Someburros!
- Someburros—February 29
- Black Barts—March 24
- Fratelli Pizza—April 23
- Panda Express—May 4
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ArtWalk, Actor Safety and Flagstaff Music Theatre
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First Friday ArtWalk March 1
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Theatrikos participates in Flagstaff’s First Friday ArtWalk on Friday, March 1. We have short 15 minute performances from 6 pm to 9 pm. Improv, stand-up comedians, music, TheatriKids singing. Plus, you can meet Phineas Flag in person.
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Keeping Cast and Crew Safe
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Theatrikos is always keeping cast and crew and staff and volunteers as safe as possible. In January the City of Flagstaff, our landlords, installed additional safety railings on the stairs that connect the back stage to the basement green room and dressing rooms.
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Flagstaff Music Theatre presents Urinetown, a sidesplitting dark comedy of greed, love, revolution (and musicals!), in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. March 29—April 7 at Coconino Center for the Arts.
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Adam Wintz and Sara Bendel Ryan are up next directing Gods of Comedy and Men on Boats respectively.
Sara Bendel Ryan has been very active in musical theatre in Flagstaff for many years, first as a musician, then as a stage mom, then as an actor and a music director for Flagstaff Art Music and Education (FAME), which she helped found. She even wrote, produced, and directed a musical called Hardy Girls the Musical. Most recently, she acted in Matilda the Musical with TheatriKids. Comments Ryan, “I feel that because I have been involved in so many different aspects of theatre, I can create a fun and unique experience for the audience.”
Adam Wintz acted in Theatrikos’ recent production of Stage Kiss. Wintz, who pursued music in college and after that became a successful attorney, says appearing in Stage Kiss was a real turning point for him. “That experience was incredible and completely reignited my passion for the theatre,” explains Wintz. “Coming into this, I was wondering if it would be hard for me to direct the action and not perform. But I’m really enjoying working with this incredible, exciting young cast.”
Wintz’s vision for the show centers on the excitement of live theatre: “No two performances are ever the same.” He aims to make Theatrikos a destination for everyone, including 20- and 30-somethings, who are not always the target audience. “I want the theatre to be a happening place on a First Friday in addition to a destination for a Sunday matinee, and our play is designed specifically with that in mind,” notes Wintz.
To make a great show, Wintz is working to create a safe, creative space where actors can explore and invent. “Everyone’s ideas are welcome,” according to Wintz. “We will try every possible take on a line or scene until we find the funniest variation. A director doesn’t have a perfect vision that never alters during rehearsal. Instead, actors, assistant directors, and stage managers all get to put forth their ideas and try them out.”
For Wintz, becoming part of Theatrikos has created an important bond to Flagstaff. “For the first time,” he says, “I have really started to feel like I’m part of this community.”
Like Hardy Girls the Musical, Ryan’s upcoming production of Men on Boats has a basis in Southwestern history. Men on Boats has a twist, though: although it takes off from John Wesley Powell and his team’s exploration of the Colorado River, the diverse cast uses only women and non-binary actors, per the playwright. This production is quite significant to Theatrikos’ artistic mission, as Ryan explains: “Men on Boats is Theatrikos’ primary entry into ARTx, which is the Flagstaff arts festival celebrating arts and ideas. With this show, we are uniting the theatre world with the river and boating community, as well as partnering with a couple of great musicians.”
Men on Boats is an opportunity for a groundbreaking show: “Recreating John Wesley Powell’s epic journey down the Colorado will be exciting but challenging. I am looking forward to incorporating different ideas and thoughts from the actors, my assistant directors and the rest of the production team to produce a great show. I hope the audience will feel like they are on a wild ride down into the canyon. It will be very relatable to the river community in Flagstaff. I look forward to welcoming them to the theatre,” says Ryan.
Gods of Comedy runs March 29—April 21 and Men on Boats runs May 17—June 9. The June 9 performance of Men on Boats is in Cottonwood.
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Theatrikos Theatre Company
928 774 1662
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