For Immediate Release: February 15, 2007
Media Contact: Tyler Melchior, 1812 Productions, 215.592.9560

As part of its 10th Anniversary season, 1812 Productions is pleased to announce the implementation of a new production series. The Development Series will bring to the Philadelphia area new works that are in development with the goal of introducing audiences to one-of-a-kind comedy experiences and broadening the artistic depth of theatre artists and their creations. By giving artists the chance to take an audience through their own working process, The Development Series affords them opportunities for questions and critique, and lets theatre patrons get a glimpse of the effort that goes into bringing new work to life.

To inaugurate this new series, 1812 Productions is pleased to offer a first glimpse into the creation of a one-of-a-kind musical experience. Small Fish will have a limited two-week workshop engagement in Philadelphia at 1812 Productions' Rehearsal Studio, 421 N. 7th Street, 2nd Floor, from March 13 to March 25. All tickets are $10 and can be purchased by contacting 1812 Productions' box office at (215) 592-9560 or online at www.1812productions.org.

Small Fish takes a completely fresh turn in the world of musical theatre as the story is told completely through puppets. Small Fish is the newest creation from puppet-operetta diva Susan J. Vitucci and her fourth collaboration with composer Henry Krieger (Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee for Dreamgirls). Starring the most vivacious chicken ever conceived, La Pulcina Piccola, Small Fish finds this feathered prima donna in the under-water world of the Bermuda Triangle-steering clear of a manta ray political boss and his cronies, befriending sardines, and discovering the "lost city" in the greatest musical spectacle the puppet world has ever seen.

Beginning with inspiration from her mother's collection of clothespin Christmas ornaments, and the tale of Chicken Little, Susan embarked on creating a new world of adventure for her egg-hatched protagonist. Thus, Chicken Little became La Pulcina Piccola, and made her stage debut in the 1999 musical, Love's Fowl. It was after seeing a workshop performance of Love's Fowl that Henry Krieger joined Susan in telling La Pulcina's story.

Since her debut, La Pulcina has garnered a loyal following of fans and even spawned her own line of merchandise. "La Pulcina is a character I know really well," says Susan who also publishes the diva's diaries of her many exploits on www.pulcina.org. "She is the star of her world, and she has a story to tell." Likening her to Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Maria Callas, Susan calls La Pulcina, ".every heroic superstar rolled into one. But at the same time she is modest and humble. She is an icon!" This is no short order for a performer made of clothespins and Styrofoam.

At each presentation of Small Fish, audiences will be given the chance to see not only the fantastic material that Susan and Henry have created, but also the work that goes on behind the performance-puppeteers in action, scene changes, work that changes and grows from presentation to presentation. "Susan has such an individual style," says 1812 Productions' Artistic Director, Jennifer Childs. "I have never seen anyone tell a story quite like she does. We created the Development Series to support new work and give time and resources to fostering new comedy. I'm thrilled that with Small Fish we are supporting such a distinctive artist and such a unique comedic form."

Cast and Crew Bios

Susan J. Vitucci (Creator, Puppeteer, Designer, Vocalist): Susan is librettist, director, puppet designer, and performer of the acclaimed puppet operetta Love's Fowl (music by Henry Krieger) that features her puppet company, the Clothespin Repertory Theatre and its star, La Pulcina Piccola. Love's Fowl gained national recognition from a feature that is often rebroadcast on public radio's "This American Life". The work enjoyed a successful run at New York Theatre Workshop and has toured the U.S. to Spoleto USA Festival 2004 and the Portland (Oregon) Institute of Contemporary Art's Time Based Art festival, among other venues. Among her website content credits is the serialized, apocryphal, but true, Secret Diaries of La Pulcina Piccola. Susan serves on the advisory board of the 52nd Street Project. She is also a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect, a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre's playwrights unit, and holds an MFA from the Yale University School of Drama. Susan is currently developing the libretto and puppets for Small Fish, a new work (in English) for the Clothespin Repertory Theatre with music by Mr. Krieger, directed by Jennifer Childs.

Henry Krieger (Composer): Henry is the Grammy Award-winning composer of the legendary Broadway musical Dreamgirls (lyrics by Tom Eyen), for which he also received Tony and Drama Desk nominations. His second Tony Award nomination, in 1998, was for his score to Side Show (lyrics by Bill Russell). Also for Broadway, he composed the music for The Tap Dance Kid, which won two Tony Awards (lyrics by Robert Lorick). His recent work includes the score for the new musical Lucky Duck (lyrics by Bill Russell), which has toured the US, and the score for the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of the film Flamingo Kid (lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.) He composed and frequently performs in Love's Fowl (libretto by Susan J. Vitucci), an operetta sung in Italian and performed with clothespin puppets. His new collaboration with Ms. Vitucci is Small Fish. Most recently, he received three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song for The Dreamworks/Warner Brothers motion picture adaptation of Dreamgirls, directed by Bill Condon.

Jennifer Childs (Director): Jennifer is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of 1812 Productions. For 1812 she has conceived and directed The Big Time, Another Big Time, Like Crazy Like Wow, Something Wonderful Right Away, Always A Lady and Double Down, and This Is The Week That Is. She is a ten time Barrymore nominee, winning the 1996 Best Supporting Actress in a Play award for the Wilma's Escape From Happiness and the 1999 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theater Artist. She is an instructor at the University of the Arts and the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation.

Company History
Artistic Director Jennifer Childs and Resident Artist Pete Pryor founded 1812 Productions in the spring of 1998 with a goal to entertain and educate audiences through comedy, and to support and hire local artists. Philadelphia Weekly named 1812 Productions the "Theatre Company of the Year 2002-2003". At the close of the 2002-2003 season, 1812 Productions was the recipient of eight nominations and two wins at the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. 1812 Productions received eight Barrymore Award nominations for its 2004-2005 season and most recently closed its 2005-2006 season with the world premiere, and Barrymore Award winning, production Daughters of Genius. Their education program, 1812 Outreach, received four consecutive nominations and been awarded once the Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. On April 20, 2005, 1812 Productions received an honorary citation from the City of Philadelphia for outstanding work and commitment to the Philadelphia arts community. 1812 Productions, while continually on the search for a permanent home, continues to perform at various locations around Philadelphia.

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