Beginning tonight and running through Saturday, May 14, Burr and Burton Academy’s Performing Arts Department will present the spring musical, Avenue Q. Winner of the 2004 Tony for best musical, best score and best book, Avenue Q tells the hilariously funny story of Princeton, a recent college grad, his move to the big city, and the adventures and struggles Princeton and his new friends face while making their way in the world.

Avenue Q opened on Broadway in 2003 and ran continuously until 2009.  After that, it reopened off Broadway where it continues to run today.  Locally, the show was presented at the Weston Playhouse in their 2010 season and continues in popularity. BBA is presenting Avenue Q: School Edition, which differs slightly from the original Broadway version, so that it is more accessible to everyone in the community.

Unique to Avenue Q is the use of puppet characters, animated and voiced by human actors who are visible on stage.  Human characters interact with puppet characters to bring the story to life, Sesame Street style. Learning to handle the puppets was certainly a new experience for the Burr and Burton students.  Jim Raposa, Director of Theater at BBA, contacted friend, Rick Lyon, an award winning puppeteer, puppet designer and original cast member of Avenue Q, to help.  Lyon arrived.  During his three-day bootcamp, he taught the students essential puppetry techniques as well as instilled in them a deeper understanding of the show and its characters.

Prepare to laugh until your belly aches at Burr and Burton’s Avenue Q presentation this week. Shows are scheduled for 6:30 in the Riley Center for the Arts at Burr and Burton, Manchester. Tickets are available online.

For more information:
Burr and Burton Academy