[FLCC News] Boz and the Bard Productions, Inc. Brings Lizzie Borden Production to Fair Lawn Community Center

[Fair Lawn Community Center News]

Boz and the Bard Productions, Inc., a theater production company formed in
2000, is proud to announce their new affiliation, through a borough
sponsorship, with the town of Fair Lawn. "We are thrilled to be working in
this beautiful, professional new space," say co-founders Frank Avellino and
Steve Hess, of Hackensack. 

Boz and the Bard has played the Sande Shurin Theater in NYC, the Sanford
Meisner Theater in NYC, as well as the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center,
where the company revived their NYC debut production of Marjorie Conn's
"Miss Lizzie A. Borden Invites You To Tea."  Robin Schamach, Corporate and
Cultural Planner of the theater at Fair Lawn Community Center expressed an
interest in this play when Frank and Steve first introduced themselves. Ms.
Schamach felt a play about Lizzie Borden would fit perfectly into the
October pre-Halloween slot.

Come and Hear the Makings of a True Horror Story

Most of us know the gruesome events that took place in 1892 in the Borden
home in Fall River, Massachusetts. And, ever since the infamous butcherings
of Miss Lizzie's parents in the heat of that August 4th morning, that old
poem about Lizzie Borden taking an axe has been recited daily by children
all across the world. Most of us know that Lizzie was arrested, tried, and
eventually acquitted of murder. But not many of us know or understand the
rest of Lizzie's story.

In "Miss Lizzie A. Borden Invites You To Tea," we find Lizzie an aging,
lonely spinster in 1913. Twenty one years after the murders, the notoriety
of her trial has waned and her heyday has passed. Her status as 'social
celebrity' has faded, and has left her forgotten by all but a handful of
hungry local journalists, and a bitter, taunting few who won't allow her
peace. In this one-woman tour-de-force starring Karen Asconi of Jersey City,
we witness Lizzie's powerful lust for freedom and learn how such a yearning
can drive one to acts of unimaginable desperation.

The Bard and Who?
Avellino and Hess named their production company in honor of their two
favorite writers, Charles Dickens (whose early pen name was Boz) and William
Shakespeare (The Bard of Avon). The traditions established by these masters
of literature and theatre are the traditions that Frank and Steve strive to
carry on in their own work.

As B&B continues to become a presence in Bergen County and Northern New
Jersey, you can expect more than the usual bill of faire generally seen in
the area. This company can flavor a season with a wickedly clever new
script, revisit a superbly written comic classic, or shake its audiences to
their core by poignantly exposing human foibles and honoring human courage.
You can be certain that you will leave the theater talking, debating,
inquiring or simply rediscovering the beauty of life.  And, since B&B offers
Sign Language Interpreted performances, B&B will make sure that whatever the
genre, whatever the play, the Deaf and hard-of-hearing audience will
experience the same depth of emotion as the hearing audience.

Boz and the Bard Productions, Inc. is proud to bring this revival of their
critically acclaimed production of "Miss Lizzie A. Borden Invites You To
Tea" to the Fair Lawn Community Center for a special, co-sponsored, limited
engagement. "Ms. Asconi's ...fascinating, high-strung performance...under
Frank Avellino's taut direction...is a worthwhile experience," claimed Peter
Filichia, of The Star Ledger.

Performances of "Miss Lizzie" run Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and
Sundays at 2:00 PM, October 19-21 and 26-28, 2007, at the Fair Lawn
Community Center, 10-10 20th St. (at the corner of Kipp St.), Fair Lawn, NJ.
Tickets are $20.00 in advance, $25 at the door. For tickets call
866-811-4111 or visit www.bozandthebard.com for more information.