Newburyport – While waiting until they are able to reopen their doors to the public, the Firehouse Center for the Arts does what it has always done – providing high quality arts and entertainment to their community. After marking a full year of closure on March 13, actors return to the stage beginning March 25 to perform EDGES: A Song Cycle by Tony, Oscar, and Grammy Award winning duo, Pasek and Paul.
“EDGES is what you make of it.” says John Moynihan, Executive Director of the Firehouse Center for the Arts, “It is a series of songs that are loosely connected and beautifully sung by an allstar cast. It’s funny, sad, and poignant – and it touches upon experiences that we’ve all been through”
The songs follow four nameless actors as they experience joy, heartbreak, love, anger, and the pitfalls of entering a world that they may not be quite ready for. Throughout, their resilience shines through as they navigate who they are and who they want to become.
Pasek and Paul met as freshmen at the University of Michigan and wrote EDGES as sophomores. When asked in a TheaterJones interview in 2014 the inspiration for the cycle, Justin Paul said “mostly it was the struggles we had and the things going on with our friends.”
The cast includes Carli Hamilton (Little Shop of Horrors, [title of show]); Cristian Ramos (Shrek, American Idiot); Andrew Burton Kelley in his Firehouse debut; and Rachel Pantazis (Avenue Q, The Last Five Years). A professional crew will stream the production from the Institution for Savings Mainstage at the Arakelian Theater.
“This has been such a difficult year for so many” Moynihan said, “This performance reminds the community that we’re here and that we’ll be here on the other side. While we love being to perform virtually, nothing beats the collective laughter or loss of breath of a live audience. This show has a bit of both.”
Showtime is 7:30pm, Thursday through Sunday, exclusively online. Tickets cost $15. To reserve, visit www.firehouse.org.
Firehouse Center for the Arts is a member-based non-profit organization located on the waterfront at Market Square in Newburyport, home to the Institution for Savings Mainstage in the 191 seat Arakelian Theater and Institution for Savings Art Gallery. The Firehouse offers live theater, film, dance, music, children’s programming, arts education for youth and adults, the acclaimed New Works Festival, and a rotating art gallery that exhibits works by local and international artists. The Firehouse is handicapped accessible.
