Musical Comedy "Avenue Q" Opens at Irvington Town Hall Theater Friday

"Avenue Q," a musical comedy noted for its use of live actors with puppets, will open on Friday, March 30 at the Irvington Town Hall Theater on a three-performance run. Put on by Broadway Training Center of Westchester, the show plays until April 1 (two consecutive evening shows followed by a Sunday matinee). The play is directed by Jason Brantman and his wife Fiona Santos; John Scacchetti is the choreographer and David Lovett is the production designer.

Aveunue Q opened off Broadway in March, 2003, moved to Broadway in July of the same year and ended its Broadway run of 2,534 performances in September, 2009.

One of the characters in the play is based on child television actor Gary Coleman.

The cast is composed of members of Broadway Training Center's Senior Ensemble (advanced students in grades 9-12).

The cast members are:

• Will Brosnahan (Rod), Dobbs Ferry, grade 10
• Andina Clarkson (Gary Coleman), Mount Vernon, grade 9
• Matt DiMona (Princeton), Hastings-on-Hudson, grade 12
• Lizzy Emanuel (Nicky), Rye, grade 11
• Anna Fondiller (Christmas Eve), Scarsdale, grade 9
• Brianna Gallo (Girl Bad Idea Bear), Ardsley, grade 10
• Kobe Gorn (The Newcomer), Hastings-on-Hudson, grade 9
• Jenna Lowry (Kate Monster), Ardsley, grade 11
• Ellen McAlpine (Trekkie Monster), Scarsdale, grade 10
• Emily Rosenthal (Mrs. Butz), Dobbs ferry, grade 10
• Marina Sneider (Lucy), Hartsdale, grade 10
• David Timman (Brian) Crestwood, grade 12
• Nicole Yarnold (Boy Bad Idea Bear), Dobbs Ferry, grade 10

The student assistant directors are:

• Evan Macedo, Ardsley, grade 8
• Michael Manzi, Ardsley, grade 8

"The students in Avenue Q have been learning their puppetry skills from Peter Linz, one of the foremost puppeteers in the world," Brantman pointed out. "He is a Jim Henson puppeteer, he played the lead Muppet character Walter in the recent Muppet Movie, and he was one of the original cast members of Avenue Q."

Linz is expected to attend one of the performances and field questions from the audience at the conclusion of the show. Check Broadway Training Center's website for more information.

Brantman recently directed Summer with the Stars—a week of events and concerts in Cancun, Mexico featuring 13 stars from the American Idol television show including Ruben Studdard. He has been an adjunct professor at NYU and a director and guest lecturer at Cornell University. 

For the past 12 years, Brantman has been on the directing team for the U.S. Open tennis ceremonies at Forest Hills, NY. He was a senior director at Long Lake Camp for the Arts and a director at the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. He is a graduate of Cornell University. He and Santos are the co-artistic directors for Broadway Training Center.

Santos directed and arranged the music for the off-Broadway show The Water Coolers. She was the founding Artistic Director of Brand X Musical Theatre in upstate New York and spent two years performing and directing at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

She has been a musical director at the Theatre and Dance Alliance in New York City, a Theatre Department Director at Long Lake Camp for the Arts, and an adjunct professor at New York University. Santos studied theater and music at Ithaca College and Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

"These high school aged students have done an extraordinary job of tackling both the excellently wrought scene work in the show as well as the challenges of puppeteering the entire production," Santos said.

Choreographer John Scacchetti performed on Broadway in the 2001 revival of 42nd Street and the 2008 revival of Gypsy. He holds a BS in theatre performance from Bradley University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Production designer David Lovett trained at the Chelsea School of Art and Design in London and worked at the Almeida Theatre in London. He was a visiting lecturer at the Central School of Speech and Drama and the Theatre Department of Croydon College in England.

Formed in 1991 by Mark Ruhala, Broadway Training Center of Westchester, trains children and adults in the performing arts; Brantman and Santos joined it in 2004 as artistic directors. BTC is located in Hastings-on-Hudson.

The Irvington Town Hall Theater is located at 85 Main St., Irvington, NY. The box office phone number is 914-591-6602. www.irvingtontheater.com

Adult tickets cost $20 in advance and $22 at the door. Senior and student tickets cost $15 in advance and $17 at the door. To purchase tickets on line, go to www.irvingtontheater.com