JYM Theatre Celebrates 10 Years with Avenue Q

JYM Theatre Co. celebrates its 10th anniversary with the Tony Award winning musical Avenue Q at the Phoenix Theatre, Elwood (Vic) from May 5 to 19, 2012.

Avenue Q offers an irreverent take on the joys and struggles of making it on your own. Singing puppets and their human neighbours tackle life's most vexing issues - including love, sex, money, race and how to tell your roommate he's gay. The place is New York City, and the street is Avenue Q, the only address you can afford when you're fresh out of college, or out of a job, or just trying to find your way in life. A fun and entertaining new musical for adults, JYM theatre promises Avenue Q is sure to get you laughing, crying and appreciating the monster within.

Avenue Q is directed by Pip Mushin. Since graduation from WAAPA, with experience as a director, writer and actor in theatre, film and television, Pip is probably best known for his supporting roles in Strictly Ballroom and Frontline.

Pip says of Avenue Q “ It's such a unique piece of theatre. The combination of the traditional musical theatre requirements, acting, singing and dancing, with the addition of puppetry adds a wonderful challenge. As a director it's great to be challenged in different ways. That's the best way to keep your brain ticking.

“The puppetry has been the major challenge. The actors have spent an incredible amount of time learning puppetry skills, and mostly from scratch. The creative team have had to gain an understanding of how best to utilise these furry creatures. Aside from that, it's been a long rehearsal process and it's important to peak at the right time. “To maximise the time in the rehearsal room whilst building to opening night without burning the actors, or allowing the show to get flat, is always a challenge when the rehearsal period is measured in months rather than weeks.”

Celebrating its tenth year in 2012, JYM theatre co. is Australia's only Jewish musical theatre company. JYM is committed to high-quality, inclusive productions which provide a creative outlet for the Jewish community and beyond.

The company feels that the show is a unique choice, as the Jewish community is sometimes perceived as being a bit more conservative, and the show is not!

But Pip Mushin says, “Jewish audiences are traditionally avid theatre goers, so they're pretty much used to the conventions of theatre. I think for the most part they'll get a big kick out of the anything offensive or inappropriate.”

JYM’s past productions include The Witches of Eastwick, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Sweet Charity, Fame! and Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Cast

Sam Anderson - Princeton