seven ages theatricals
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By: A.A. Cristi, Broadwayworld.com
Fool will run exclusively at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan from May 23 to June 8, 2025.
Seven Ages Theatricals (7AT), Sheboygan's only indie theater company makes history with the ground-breaking WORLD PREMIERE of Fool, based on NY Times best-selling author Christopher Moore's book of the same name and adapted by Austin Tichenor, Co-Artistic Director of the famed and revered Reduced Shakespeare Company. Fool shares a comedic take on the "real" story behind Shakespeare's King Lear from the perspective of Pocket, Lear's jester. At times hilarious, poignant, and surprisingly beautiful, Tichenor's adaptation stars eight actors playing about two dozen roles.
Fool will run exclusively at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan from May 23 to June 8, 2025. 7AT Executive Artistic Director, Tom Berger, directs and provides the original incidental music, aided by John Bronston, a Broadway music director and performing artist. Fool's sets will be designed by Lee Koeppen with additional design by Steve and Sue Toepel, costume design by Sam Krueger, lighting design by Lisa Stewart, and stage managed by Trudy Berger.
Starring in the premiere will be August Rose as Pocket, the titular jester, and Stephen Meyers as Lear. Most of the cast performs multiple roles, including Tara Jackson as Goneril, Amanda Ellis as Regan, Emily Sandoval as Cordelia, Christopher Lee Fontaine as Kent, Will Forman as Edmund, and Jardin Fontaine as Edgar. Emily Milski and Brandon Otten participate in a surprising way in addition to covering the principles.
Mr. Tichenor will attend select performances of Fool, and Mr. Moore will be attending the closing weekend, followed by an event at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7, 2025 at WordHaven BookHouse for his new upcoming book, Anima Rising. There will be post-show discussions with the creators at these select performances, where audiences will get a chance to have a behind-the-scenes view of how the piece was developed over many years.
Audiences should be aware that Fool contains mature language and themes. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://sevenagestheatricals.squarespace.com/fool.
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7 Ages Theatricals is producing the world premiere of Fool, Austin Tichenor‘s adaptation of Christopher Moore‘s New York Times bestselling comic novel. Tom Berger, 7AT’s executive artistic director, talks about how this theatrical collaboration came to be, and reveals how the combination of Tichenor and Moore creates “a match made in Shakespeare comedy heaven” (Broadway World). Berger discusses the pleasure of being a theatre slut; the importance of staying in one’s artistic lane; the stress of not wanting to disappoint each other (or Fool’s creator); the paradox of having written “Schrödinger’s Play;” the trick of making sure the audience catches what we’re throwing; and the fateful coincidence of being a Christopher Moore superfan and a Reduced – as well as a real – Shakespeare guy. (Length 22:46) (Logo title art by Michael Dewey.)
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Seven Ages Theatricals (7AT) is thrilled to present the WORLD PREMIERE of Fool, based on NY Times best-selling author Christopher Moore’s book of the same name and adapted by Austin Tichenor, Co-Artistic Director of the famed and revered Reduced Shakespeare Company. Fool gives us a comedic take on the “real” story behind Shakespeare’s King Lear from the perspective of Pocket, Lear’s jester. At times hilarious, poignant, and surprisingly beautiful, Tichenor’s adaptation stars eight actors playing about two dozen roles.
Fool will have an exclusive run at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan from May 23 to June 8, 2025. 7AT Executive Artistic Director, Tom Berger, will direct the piece, as well as provide the original incidental music, aided by John Bronston, a Broadway music director and performing artist. Fool’s sets will be designed by Lee Koeppen with additional design by Steve and Sue Toepel, costume design by Sam Krueger, with lighting design by Lisa Stewart, and stage managed by Trudy Berger.
Starring in the premiere will be August Rose as Pocket, the titular jester and Stephen Meyers as Lear. Most of the cast performs multiple roles including Tara Jackson as Goneril, Amanda Ellis as Regan, Emily Sandoval as Cordelia, Christopher Lee Fontaine as Kent, Will Forman as Edmund, and Jardin Fontaine as Edgar. Emily Milski and Brandon Otten will participate in a surprising way in addition to covering the principles. More information can be found at the Seven Ages website, sevenagestheatricals.squarespace.com, and 7AT’s social media pages, or by emailing sevenagestheatricals@gmail.com. Audiences should be aware that Fool contains mature language and themes.
Mr. Tichenor will be present for select performances of Fool, and Mr. Moore will be attending closing weekend, followed by an event at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7, 2025 at WordHaven BookHouse for his new upcoming book, Anima Rising. There will be post-show discussions with the creators at these select performances where audiences will get a chance to have a behind-the-scenes view of how the piece was developed over many years.
Join Seven Ages Theatricals as Sheboygan’s only Indie theatre company makes history with the ground-breaking world premiere of Fool!
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Seven Ages Theatricals is excited to present two plays by Eve “V” Ensler in repertory – The Vagina Monologues and The Good Body, directed by Amanda Ellis and Trudy Berger respectively.
The Vagina Monologues is the result of hundreds of interviews about a topic so taboo, few women dare to speak its name. At the time of its premiere, in 1999, it was a groundbreaking achievement, but these stories are no less relevant today. From mundane to magnificent, horrifying to hilarious, they represent a vastly complicated landscape of the female experience. We believe they are meant to be heard. We invite you to listen.
The Good Body is a reflection on the sometimes funny, often fraught relationships women have with their bodies. V (formerly Eve Ensler) spoke to women around the world about how their physical selves bring joy or pain or both as they constantly evolve. This is a thought-provoking piece for people with bodies of all genders.
The cast features several notable local performers: Nanette Bulebosh, Andrea Covey, Kit Evans, Tara Jackson, Kiana Liesch, Brittany Robles, and Lisa Vihos. Bulebosh, Covey and Vihos are making their Seven Ages debuts. Lee Koeppen oversees the design. 7AT will also be hosting post-show talkbacks at most performances with experts in Women’s Studies from local universities.
The Vagina Monologues will be performed on 3/6 and 3/8 at 7:30pm, and 3/9 at 2pm. The Good Body will be performed 3/7 at 7:30, 3/8 at 2pm, and 3/9 at 7:30pm, at My Place Bar and Grill in Sheboygan, 1515 New Jersey Avenue, 53081.
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Seven Ages Theatricals, Sheboygan’s Indie theatre company, is thrilled to present John Logan’s Never the Sinner November 21st - 24th at 7:30 p.m. at My Place Bar & Grill at 1515 New Jersey Avenue. The company was previously seen at City Green in September with their annual Shakespeare in the Park production, Much Ado About Nothing.
Never the Sinner tells the famous story of the murder committed by Leopold and Loeb, two wealthy and intellectually effete Chicago boys, a hundred years ago this year. In 1924, the young 19-year-olds decided to prove their “ubermensch” acumen by committing “the perfect crime,” brutally murdering a teenaged acquaintance, just for the thrill of it and to prove that they could. Unsurprisingly, a series of immature mistakes and their own arrogance brings them to court, where their families have solicited the great Clarence Darrow (of Scopes monkey trial fame) to defend them. The media had a field day with what was then called the “crime of the century” and the trial led to an impassioned debate on the death penalty which Darrow, while convinced of the boys’ guilt, was adamantly opposed to.
7AT’s production is helmed by resident artist Daniel Hennell, assisted by Trudy Berger who also serves as the stage manager. Lee Koeppen designs and the cast stars Danile Byrne-Szafoni (Romeo & Juliet, Fool for Love) as Richard Loeb and Brandon Otten (Much Ado About Nothing, Gifts of the Magi) as Nathan Leopold. Renowned local actor and former attorney Stephen Myers also stars as the legendary Clarence Darrow with 7AT Artistic Director Tom Berger making a rare stage appearance as his opponent, Robert Crowe. Supporting acting work is presented by Kit Evans (R&J, Hamlet), Kiana Letsch (Much Ado About Nothing) and Randy Stache, making his Seven Ages debut, though he’s appeared in several productions with the Sheboygan Theatre Company.
More information and ticket links can be found at 7AT’s Facebook page or by emailing sevenagestheatricals@gmail.com. Never the Sinner contains mild adult content and may not be appropriate for audiences under 13.
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Seven Ages Theatricals is thrilled to announce that the Sheboygan-based Indie theatre company will be presenting the WORLD PREMIERE production of Fool, Christopher Moore's New York Times best-selling comic novel in a new adaptation by the Reduced Shakespeare Company's Austin Tichenor, in June 2025! Mr. Tichenor is an internationally renowned actor, playwright, and director, and the co-Artistic Director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company (creators of The Complete Works/History (abridged) family of titles). Mr. Moore is the author of eighteen novels, including Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff Christ’s Childhood Pal, A Dirty Job, and Practical Demonkeeping, amongst many others.
“Fool” tells the hilarious behind-the-scenes tale of what really happened around the events of Shakespeare’s King Lear, as narrated by Pocket, the titular jester. While Lear is considered one of the Bard’s great tragedies, the real tragedy is the obfuscation of all of the outrageous treachery, betrayal, derring-do, shagging, and general shenanigans that went on around and in the wings of the tale of the elder King. It’s a match made in Shakespeare comedy-heaven: The NY Times-bestselling novel depicting a comic version of King Lear adapted by the co-artistic director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company! Mr. Moore went on to write two more novels in the Pocket Chronicles, “Serpent of Venice,” which pitches Pocket into a mash-up of The Merchant of Venice and Othello, then “Shakespeare for Squirrels,” where Pocket must solve the murder of Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mr. Tichenor is also the co-author of the plays William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel), and the illustrated children’s book Pop-Up Shakespeare.
Developing a new work requires much time, talent, and funding, so 7AT is reaching out to its fans, as well as fans of Mr. Moore and Mr. Tichenor to help us bring this project to fruition, We’re embarking on a year-long fundraiser, divided into two parts, to raise funds for the show. Working out a premiere needs a lot; talented designers of lights, sets, costumes, sound, puppets, props, artwork; brilliant and versatile actors (Fool will use a cast of 8 playing 20-odd roles); rental of a venue, which comes with all sorts of additional fees like equipment rental, security personnel, technicians, etc.; marketing and public relations through traditional and social media; compensation, travel, and housing for the playwright and author; and a million other things that will come up over the next year as we work on helping to refine the script and bringing this vivid and hilarious story to life.
7AT is making a conservative estimate that the year-long process will cost about $30,000. However, we have a year, three other mainstage productions, and our loyal fanbase to help us get there. We also have lots of perks! We’re offering super-cool benefits ranging from attending an early developmental read, the first rehearsal, and opening, to meeting Mr. Tichenor and Mr. Moore (schedules permitting), to some very cool Fool swag, to attending a Q&A / talkback session with the creators!
Won’t you help us bring Fool to life right here in our community? A donation of any size will not only help us work towards the exciting opportunity of staging this new work but contribute to making Sheboygan a center for thrilling new theatre!