Rainbow Players Theater Company is proud to present its 2009-2010 season!
Friday, November 20, 2009 - 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 21, 2009 - 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Blue Sweater deals with a college student who struggles with his sexuality and spirituality while falling in love with
the wrong person.
Starring: Kyle Rinderer, Leo Altafine, Paige Meyner, Tiffenie Weed, and Andrew Kulp
Saturday, May 22, 2010 - 7:00 PM
This comedy/drama asks, "Can a straight man and a gay man be friends?"
Bobby Hurland gets kicked out of his conservative father's house after he comes out of the closet, moves to Philadelphia, gets a job at a library and ends up rooming with Derek, an attractive straight man. Bobby must deal with Derek, jealous fag hags, and crazy library patrons while learning to be more assertive in life.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 - 3:00 PM
RAINBOW PLAYERS THEATER CO. presents the Allentown Public Theatre’s first Youth and Culture production, EL COQUI (The Tree Frog) on Saturday, June 5th, 3pm. APT commissioned this lively and original play, written by Allentown native Andy Wassenich, based on four Latino folk tales, to represent the ethnic population most prevalent in Lehigh Valley urban neighborhoods. Encouraging active audience participation, this bilingual play is a first step toward building community.
As told by Puerto Rico's beloved El Coqui, a tiny tree frog, this bilingual, participatory play, brings four Latino tales to life through storytelling, songs, masks, audience participation, soundscapes, humor, lots of action, and arts-based learning about the culture and traditions of Borinquen (Puerto Rico).
Located at Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley, 930 N. 4th St., 1st Floor, Allentown, PA 18102. This is a FREE event for children of all ages & groups are welcome. For more information, call Dean Hiatt, Artistic Director at 718-664-3713, or Karen Connell of Allentown Public Theatre at 610-866-7359.
“In the beginning there was no sound.” Thus Coqui, our storyteller, begins to weave a traditional tale: When the Mayan weather god, Huracan, is saddened by the lack of sound and music on his home island of Borinquen (Puerto Rico), he creates a storm that rages for a million years. It is only the song of the tree frog, El Coqui, that lifts Huracan’s heart and makes him smile again. Coqui then leads his listeners into other tales, including an adventure of the famously silly Juan Bobo, an animal wisdom tale from the Taino people and another version of how the coqui found its voice.
Friday, June 18, 2010 - 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 19, 2010 - 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
The cast of five actor/singers (2 men, 2 women and one transgoddess) present music that is clever, funny, cute, sexy, and fun, and a mix of poignant ballads, satirical sketches, and perceptive lyrics that both examine and touch the soul. Again, FOR MATURE AUDIENCES
.
Friday, July 23, 2010 - 8:00 PM
JESUS PHREAK: The Story of a Very UnLiKeLy Disciple, is a one-man show by Virginia-based writer and performer, R. Dale
Smith. Smith's show, which was first produced as part of the local Acts of Faith festival in 2008, has been touring
nationally over the past year, with shows in Missouri, Chicago, throughout Virginia, and Washington, DC.
The show, which Smith began as a student at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education,
chronicles the faith journey of a cynical church pianist who finds himself starting to believe in God even as the wider
church excludes him.
The reason the church excludes him is because he is a "mixer," i.e., someone who wears clothes made of two different
materials, violating a Biblical injunction in Leviticus. That his exclusion often recalls the Church's exclusion of gays is
no accident, according to Dale.
"I knew I wanted to tackle the gay issue in the show," says Dale, who is openly gay. "But I knew that if I did, audiences
might shut down. I hoped that by making my character a "mixer," I'd get audiences to think about a subject they'd otherwise
avoid."
His metaphor ended up doing much more than that. "[Dale's] play offers a revelatory perspective on Christianity and the
phenomenon of feeling like an outsider," says Rev. Janet James of Gayton Kirk Presbyterian Church in Richmond, VA. "[It's]
the kind of thing you want people to see and really talk about. And, she added, "it's so funny."
More audience comments, as well as pictures and promotional videos are available at
www.jesus-phreak.com.
Friday, August 20, 2009 - 8:00 PM
Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Nathan, an idealistic romantic, finally finds someone he's interested in forming a real relationship with and, with the help of Mrs. Brenowitz, his landlord and confidante, prepares a special evening for the two of them - until the mysterious Maxine arrives - and then there's Mr. Lutzic, an old lecherous tenant who has the hots for Mrs. Brenowitz.