For Immediate Release: March 28, 2005
Media Contact: Keren White, Curio Theatre, 215.525.1350

This May, come and see the classic children's tale, the Frog Prince, as you've never seen it before. Set in a circus, colorful characters sing their way through an hour of magic and wonder, as the flaming Salamander, the North Wind, the Giant Tree, the Great White Bird come together to battle the evil Troll King, and bring the stubborn princess and her Frog Prince together at last.

This adaptation was co-devised by Jared Reed and Paul Kuhn with original music composed by Jazz pianist Edward Kuhn. Four actors, Aetna Gallagher, Paul Kuhn, Andrew Peterson, and Keren White, play all the parts. Costumes were designed and made by Aetna Gallagher.

The play will run as part of Calvary Arts Festival, May 6-21 2005, at Calvary Center for Culture and Community (CCCC), 48th and Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia.

The Frog Prince will play at 11am, price $5-$8, on Saturdays May 7th, 14th and 21st.

Curio will also be running Theatre Shakespeare Workshops for Teens from 2-5pm, on Saturdays May 7th, 14th and 21st. These workshops constitute a three-week course and participants must commit to all sessions. Contact Curio Theatre Company at 215-525-1350, or company@curiotheatre.org for more information.

Other events at the festival include concerts, an African dance demonstration, a Renaissance music and dance performance, a local art display, food stands, poetry workshops and much more.

Check out Calvary Center For Culture & Community (CCCC) at 801 S. 48th Street Philadelphia, PA 19143, 215 724-1702 Contact: Ed Fell, 10 am - 2 pm weekdays, or info@calvary-center.org, for more information about the arts festival and Calvary Center.

About Curio
Curio Theatre Company was founded in 2001 by Gay Carducci, Paul Kuhn, and Jared Reed with a goal to illuminate classic works and styles selected from a wide variety of sources (novels, dramas, poetry, art, epic, history). The three met at Hedgerow Theatre, Rose Valley, PA. Also veterans of Hedgerow Theatre, Aetna Gallagher, joined the company in 2003, and Keren White, in 2004, when the company registered as a non-profit 501c3 company.

Curio began as a touring company serving regional schools in and around Philadelphia and beyond. Past tours include many local high schools, elementary schools, Philadelphia University of the Sciences, Temple University, and the University of Oxford, UK.

Curio is now in the process of moving into Calvary Church, at 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue, in partnership with Calvary Center for Culture and Community (CCCC). This will be the company's first year operating from their own theatre offices and permanent rehearsal space, from which to run classes for all ages, outreach programs, and a full 2005-6 season of performances. Curio is currently running an outreach program to the Lea School in West Philadelphia funded by the University of Pennsylvania and the Graduate School of Education.

Curio and CCCC are currently working to raise over $1 million in funds to convert the historic sanctuary within Calvary Church into a fully operational theatre within the heart of University City. In the meantime, Curio are launching their first full season at the Walnut Street Studio 5 Theatre, beginning August 2005, while the space at Calvary is being developed.

Company

Paul Kuhn (Artistic Director) is a graduate of the acting program at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. In Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Paul has appeared in many productions for Stephenville Festival, Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Since moving to Pennsylvania he has performed on many occasions at People's Light, Hedgerow Theatre, Bristol Riverside Theatre, and Interact. He is also a skilled theatre technician and worked as Technical Director at the Wilma Theatre for some years, and with the drama department at The Laurenceville School, NJ.

Jared Reed (Artistic Director) is a graduate of the Juilliard School in Drama. He has appeared Off-Broadway at The Roundabout and starred in The Woman in Black at the Minetta Lane. Some of his regional theatre credits include Seattle Repertory, McCarter Theatre, Yale Repertory, the Huntingdon, The Old Globe in San Diego. His most recent regional performance was at the Walnut Street Theatre in The Philadelphia Story. Jared worked as lighting and sound designer for ten years at Hedgerow Theatre, Rose Valley, PA and also taught summer drama programs for the past ten years. He has also written and directed many shows at Hedgerow Theatre and for Curio, including Great Expectations, The Iliad, and The Hanging.

Keren White (Managing Director) is a graduate of Oxford University, England. In Oxford she produced and acted at theatres including The Oxford Playhouse, the Old Fire Station Theatre, the Moser, and the Burton-Taylor Theatre. She produced and program directed The Oxford Greek Festival 2004, to which Curio Theatre Company brought their adaptation of The Iliad. She has worked as Production Assistant to the Artistic Directors at the Oxford Playhouse and at Hedgerow Theatre. Keren has also worked in marketing and promotions.

Gay Carducci (Education Director) has has extensive experience in theatre education and children's theatre, as head of Hedgerow Theatre School for over a decade and as a drama teacher for over fifteen years. She has also directed extensively for both Curio and Hedgerow Theatre Company, as well as in schools. Most recently she directed Curio's production of Macbeth for the Hadley Foundation, and she is currently directing Media Friend's School through A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Aetna Gallagher (Production Director) is a graduate of the acting program at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. Aetna has worked as a professional costume designer, actor, and teacher in Canada and Pennsylvania. At Hedgerow Theatre Aetna has appeared in productions including: Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Crucible.

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