Asheville Creative Arts co-founders, Abby Felder and Robbie Jaeger, present an opportunity to meet the playwright/composer and select cast members of Miss Nelson Is Missing!
Malaprops Bookstore/Cafe will host a free special event on Thursday, July 16, 2015 from 5:30-6 p.m. that will include selections from songs from the production of Miss Nelson Is Missing! Join the cast for light refreshments and a Q&A session led by Joan Cushing, who according to TYA Magazine, “is the most produced playwright in children’s theatre.”
According to artistic director Robbie Jaeger, “We are really excited to build this partnership with Malaprops, and to be part of a forum that celebrates writers creating work for multigenerational audiences. Joan is a leader in the field, and it’s an honor to bring her to Asheville.”
Producing director Abby Felder states that, “In coming seasons, ACA will focus on nurturing new works through an Incubator Series that helps develop plays, and we will seek out world premiere productions. This event, which will allow Joan to discuss aspects of her artistic process, is the perfect springboard for these new initiatives.”
Miss Nelson Is Missing! follows a long suffering teacher, Miss Nelson, who is played by ACA resident artist Gina Jones. When she turns up missing the students of Room 207, played by Kelli Cayman Cozlin, Jordan Ellis, Emma Gwynneth Gutt, and Maximilian Koger, are in for a surprise when she is replaced by Viola Swamp, a scary substitute. In desperation, the students set out to find their beloved Miss Nelson with the help (and hindrance) of an assortment of colorful characters, played with zest by local favorite Strother Stingley… but will they ever get her back?
Miss Nelson’s creative team includes costumes by Caroline Bower, props by Chifferobe Home and Garden, sets by Gian Marco Lo Forte, sound by Jonesalee, and lights by Eric Winkenwerder and Barbara Berry. Production Manager is Anthony Napoletano.
Tickets, which are $23 (adults) and $12 (students), are available at the NC Stage Box Office: www.ncstage.org. Groups and camps may contact ashevillecreativearts@gmail.com for a schedule and to purchase discounted $7 tickets. Special weekday performances for students include an Activity/Fun Guide developed by Lucy Hazlehurst. For more details please call (914) 830-3000 or (828) 239-0263.
Whet your appetite for their fabulous new production, Miss Nelson is Missing!, meet some of the cast and crew, and hear music from the show performed by Joan Cushing, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the stage adaptation. The musical is based on the book by Harry Allard.
Miss Nelson Is Missing! will run from July 16-26 at NC Stage, 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville. Visit www.ncstage.org.
If You Go: Selections from songs from Miss Nelson Is Missing!, Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. at Malaprops Bookstore/Cafe, 55 Haywood St., Asheville. Call (828) 254-6734, or visit www.malaprops.com.
