The following press release was sent to the Bloomingtonian:
Constellation Stage & Screen presents its inaugural production
The Grown-Ups: An Immersive Outdoor Experience at The Hundredth Hill
By Skylar Fox and Simon Henriques | Directed by Skylar Fox
Bloomington, IN– “The Grown-Ups is the coolest new play you probably can’t see.” – TimeOut New York
Constellation Stage & Screen is opening its Inaugural Theatrical Season with a site-specific, outdoor production of The Grown-Ups. This new play, written by Skylar Fox and Simon Henriques, will be performed at The Hundredth Hill Artist Retreat and Residency, September 14 – October 1. Not only is it the company’s first theatrical show, but it’s also Constellation’s first Page-to-Stage-to-Screen project. After its theatrical run, Constellation will develop The Grown-Ups as a feature film to be shot locally in 2023 and subsequently released globally. Directed by co-creator Skylar Fox, The Grown-Ups is an experience not to be missed.
Created by Nightdrive, a New York City based theater company, The Grown-Ups was originally performed in 2021 for a group of six to eight people in a backyard in North Brooklyn. Constellation is thrilled to bring this show to Indiana audiences for the first time, creating the biggest, most immersive version of this play yet. The show takes place at a sleepaway camp, around a campfire. As a site-specific show, Constellation is presenting the play outdoors at The Hundredth Hill, an artist retreat and residency located 20 miles north of Bloomington.
The campers are all finally asleep, and the lake is getting quiet. Have a beer; make a s’more; tell a scary story. Figure out what you’re going to have to do in the morning to keep camp fun and safe without letting the kids find out about…well, you’ve seen the news. I just got a push notification–they’re getting closer. Following a group of camp counselors trying to mold the leaders of tomorrow when tomorrow is looking bleaker and bleaker, The Grown–Ups explores the traditions that change us, what it takes for us to change them, and how to change yourself when you’re hopelessly, tragically not prepared for this.
Constellation Stage & Screen is bringing together the original cast for its Indiana run! Playwrights Skylar Fox and Simon Henriques will be on site and directly involved, with Fox directing the production and Henriques starring as Lukas. The cast also features original co-creators and Nightdrive members Justin Phillips, Emily Elyse Everett, and Chloe Joy Ivanson. New to the team is Carrie Adams, a New York based performer and producer, starring as Maeve.
As a company dedicated to producing new works, Constellation is delighted to be working with Nightdrive, the New York City based theater collective that created the show. Nightdrive makes rigorously irreverent, demandingly vulnerable, borderline-impossible plays that use indelible moments of stagecraft to build thrillingly personal relationships with audiences, empowering them to reimagine themselves and what they’re capable of. Their work includes an apocalypse around a campfire (The Grown-Ups, secret Brooklyn location); a live immersive alien movie (Alien Nation, Paradise Factory); a five-dimensional community meeting with a full pancake breakfast cooked on stage (Providence, RI, The Tank); a haunted rock concert (Thank You Sorry, Ars Nova); and a hybrid comic book with interactive animation (Apathy Boy, The Brick & Ars Nova). They have been semifinalists for the American Playwriting Foundation’s Relentless Award, finalists for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, and resident artists at Pipeline Theatre Company and Ars Nova.
Due to the intimate nature of the show, availability is extremely limited. Tickets are available through Constellation’s website (SeeConstellation.org) and box office (812.336.9300, open M-F 12-5pm). Seating will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own refreshments. Because The Grown-Ups takes place entirely outdoors, masks are optional. For tickets and more details, visit SeeConstellation.org.
See Constellation’s inaugural theatrical performance around a fire and under the stars, September 14 – October 1!
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