Cupcakes, Lemonade and Strippers: Midwestern Plays
by Jess Burkle
Wings Theater (West Village) June 30, 2009 at 8pm
Director - Mary Birnbaum & Jess Burkle
Producer - Leticia Frazao
Written by - Jess Burkle
CUPCAKES, LEMONADE, AND STRIPPERS: MIDWESTERN PLAYS was art.party’s very successful summer fundraiser. An evening of sharp and hilarious shorts by Associate Artistic Director Jess Burkle, MIDWESTERN was art.party’s first stab at new plays. Rehearsing with fourteen actors over the course of two weeks, we refined and crafted five different pieces, linked by Burkle’s sassy archetypal characters and their quick, smart dialogue.

Despite the quick rehearsal time, MIDWESTERN was still an art.party experience for its enthusiastic audience! As the audience entered the theater, they were given name tags and asked to create their Midwestern persona. Taped to the bottom of each seat was a Midwestern “fortune” along the lines of “You’re the apple of my eye!”

MIDWESTERN was when we became aware of the excitement of the art.party experience—that our shows are as much about people getting together in a room as about the onstage action.

In the end, MIDWESTERN raised nearly $1,000 for art.party's later productions of BRYANT IN THE PARK, DUCHESS IN THE DARK and SO MUCH DEPENDS UPON [A RED WHEEL BARROW].
PHOTOS

CAST: