Blueprint Specials

DATES:

January 6-11, 2017

PERFORMED AT:

Intrepid Museum

STARRING:

Laura Osnes and Will Swenson

ADAPTED & DIRECTED BY:

Tom Ridgely

WRITTEN BY:

Frank Loesser, Arnold Auerbach, José Limón, et al

ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED BY:

Special Services Division, Army Service Forces, 1944-45

DESCRIPTION

In the summer of 1944, engulfed by a war spread across three continents, the US Army made a foray into some unlikely territory: producing Broadway-style musicals. Created by a Who’s Who of 20th century American entertainers, including composer Frank Loesser and choreographer José Limón, these remarkable artifacts were designed for soldiers to put on in the field as a way to boost morale.

In partnership with the Intrepid Museum and Under the Radar Festival, Waterwell excavated and revived these lost shows as a collaboration between civilian artists and military veterans. Tuneful, subversive, and disarmingly witty, the Blueprint Specials offer a fresh and surprising look at the intersection of conflict and culture. This staging, in a converted hangar of the former USS Intrepid, was the Blueprints’ first since World War II and their first ever for the American public.

INFORMATION

Featuring: Mark Banik, James Edward Becton, Kate Berman, Brad Bong, Tislarm Bouie, Adrienne Brammer, Lyndsey Brown, Hugh Cha, Hanna Cheek, Enmanuel Crespo, Taylor Crousore, Jennean Farmer, Jenny Florkowsi, Ethan Hardy, Kurt Hellerich, Melissa Rose Hirsch, Curtis Edwin Holland, Rich Hollman, Dea Julien, Sandra W. Lee, Quinn Mattfeld, Emily McAleesjergins, Erica Page, Malcolm Phillips, Eddie Rodriguez, Nelly Saviñon, Kelsey Shaw, Robert Soto, Mandy Striph, Jennifer Joan Thompson, Kevin Townley, Damion J. Williams
Principal Music & Lyrics: Frank Loesser
Principal Book: Arnold M. Auerbach
Principal Original Choreography: José Limón
Music Supervision & Arrangements: Sonny Paladino
Music Reconstruction & Assistant Music Direction: Isaac Alter
Choreography: Patrick McCollum
Choreography in the Style of José Limón: Colin Connor and Members of the Limón Dance Company
Dancers from the Limón Dance Company: Kathryn Alter, Bradley Beakes, Elsie Drew, Kristen Foote, David Glista, Ross Katen, Logan Kruger, Brenna Monroe-Cook, Jesse Obremski, Savannah Spratt, Mark Willis
Scenic & Costume Design: Andrea Lauer
Lighting Design: Simon Cleveland
Sound Design: Josh Millican
Production Stage Manager: Katie Young
Executive Producer: Arian Moayed
Producer: Victor Hurtado
Assistant to the Producer: Allyson Harasimowicz
Associate Producers: Jeanne Houck, PhD, Damon Owlia
Assistant Producer: Sarah Flamm
Assistant Stage Manager: Kat Meister
Production Assistants: Elaine Cotter, AC Horton
Associate Director: Jamie Anderson
Assistant Scenic & Costume Designer: Ryan Wilbat
Costume Assistant: Chris Hynds
Properties Supervisor: Eitan Negri
Production Management: Erica Blumrosen, Duncan Northern, TINC Productions
Technical Director: Patrick Evans
Wardrobe Supervisor: Keturah Thorpe
Dresser: Emily Naylor
Master Electrician: Jeff Gioso
Follow Spots: Nyles Farmer, Leah Bekker
A1: Alex Huerta
A2: Miriam Milder
Research Advisor: J. Riley Caldwell-O'keefe, PhD
Lighting Equipment: Frost Productions
Press Representatives: Rick Miramontez, Michael Jorgensen, DKC/O&M
Photography: Ryan Jensen
“Connecting Military Officers, Veterans, and Civilians in ‘Blueprint Specials’” - American Theatre Magazine
“Working in the Theatre: The Blueprint Specials” - American Theatre Wing
The Lost (Now Found), DIY Musicals for WWII GIs - WNYC
“Blueprint Specials” - Talkin’ Broadway
“Unearthing Rare Second World War Musicals” - The New Yorker
“‘Blueprint Specials’: Theater Review” - The Hollywood Reporter
“‘Blueprint Specials’ comes to the Intrepid Museum for limited performance” - PIX11
“Step Aboard or Put on That Blindfold: 2017’s Theatrical Adventures” - The New York Times
“Photos: In Rehearsal With Laura Osnes and Will Swenson for the Blueprint Specials” - Playbill
“Public Theater Takes Its Under the Radar Festival to a Warship” - The New York Times