Incredible true story of seven vaudeville-performing siblings with dwarfism and their year with Josef Mengele is brought to life.
November 6 - 15 at American Theatre of Actors
Jack Eidson & Sally Lindel present the World Premiere of THE LILLIPUT TROUPE, a new play with music by Gaby FeBland. Directed by Alex Benjamin, performances begin November 6 at Off-Broadway's Chernuchin Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors.
THE LILLIPUT TROUPE tells the incredible true story of the Ovitz family, seven Jewish vaudeville-performing siblings with dwarfism who survived a year in Josef Mengele's laboratory. Structured as a post-war vaudeville retelling of "Snow White," the play follows the Lilliputs on their unlikely journey from their home in the mountains to vaudeville stages across Europe to the laboratory of the most notorious war criminal of the 20th century. Combining klezmer music, shadow puppetry, and the humor of vaudeville THE LILLIPUT TROUPE spotlights the power of family, the weight of survival, and the place of theatrics in a world of war.
THE LILLIPUT TROUPE stars Hollis Andrews, Aaron Beelner, Sofiya Cheyenne, Sarah Folkins, Lauren Mayeux, Laura Presley-Reynolds, and Caleb Tourres. The production team includes Corinne Bass (scenic design), Aaron Lorenz (lighting), Veronica Johnson (costumes), Conor Keelan (sound design), Amanda Perry (props and puppets), and Matt Deitchman (original music).
Gaby FeBland is a Brooklyn-bred playwright, performer, and amateur accordionist. Since graduating from Northwestern University last spring, her plays, SEUSSICAL: A TRAGEDY and CLEMENCE AND TATE AND THE GRAVITY OF LOVE, have been produced in Chicago. As an actor, she has worked at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago Children's Theatre, and Adventure Stage. She is a recipient of the Advancement of the Arts' 2010 YoungArts awards in Short Fiction and Musical Theatre and was a member of the Advanced Playwriting Workshop at Young Playwrights Inc., where she developed a play with Lucas Hnath and Kait Kerrigan. She is a proud graduate of the LaGuardia High School Drama Department.
Alex Benjamin is a director, writer, and musician with a B.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University. Alex has worked in the performance programs department at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the education department at Adventure Stage Chicago, and was the music coordinator for Sideshow Theatre Company's recent STUPID F...ING BIRD. He teaches music and theatre at the Actors Training Center at the Wilmette Theatre, Emerald City Theatre, and the Music Institute of Chicago.
THE LILLIPUT TROUPE is part of the 2015 Araca Project, an initiative of the commercial producing group The Araca Group (Urinetown, Wicked, A View from the Bridge). The Araca Project endeavors to embolden artists to recognize the power of the entrepreneurial spirit in shaping one's artistic future. For more information visit www. aracaproject.com.
THE LILLIPUT TROUPE runs November 6 - 15; Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday -Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Chernuchin Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors (314 W 54th Street). Running time is 75 minutes, no intermission. Tickets are $25 for general admission / $30 for reserved seating at www.thelilliputtroupe.com.