Wisconsin Best Friends, One Dead Husband, Banana Clips, and a Multi-Million Dollar Empire
August 31 – September 2 at 8:00 pm at The Wild Project
Jane Johnson for the Stay at Home Shopper, a musical comedy, will have its New York Premiere at The Wild Project. The limited run plays three shows, Thursday, August 31 – Saturday, September 2 at 8:00 pm at The Wild Project in the East Village.
The two-person comedy was written by comics Shane O’Neill (Joe’s Pub/UCB house team Character’s Welcome) and Jill Pangallo (Joe’s Pub/S.U.C.K. Stand-Up Comedy Klub) who also play best friends and crafting entrepreneurs Jane Johnson and Pam Weldon. Jane Johnson for the Stay at Home Shopper contains original songs co-created by O’Neill, Pangallo, and musician/composer Lori Scacco (Joyce Theater/ Harvestworks). The production had its World Premiere at the OUTsider Fest at The Vortex, in Austin Texas.
About Jane Johnson for the Stay at Home Shopper:
Jane and Pam of Mishepaqueniquamowoc, Wisconsin have been friends since childhood, but when Jane’s husband dies of a heart attack the same week that Pam’s husband leaves her for another woman, they need to depend on each other like never before. They end up making extra cash by crafting the small accessories line. What began as a table set up outside of their church selling Jane’s whimsical banana clips, has become a multi-million-dollar empire with a loyal fan base of “Clipperchicks,” Jane’s nickname for the largely-Midwestern women who love her fun and festive aesthetic.
Jane Johnson for the Stay at Home Shopper takes place over the span of one hour during which Jane and her partner Pam Weldon sell their accessories on the Stay at Home Shopper network, a channel not unlike QVC. The show features original songs, calls from viewers at home, and sweetly aggressive marketing techniques. The message is the same as Jane’s call to her fans: “Little Turtle, it’s time to come out of that shell!”
Supporting cast is led by Obie award-winning, trans-genre artist Mx Justin Vivian Bond (Tony Nominated for Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway) as Jessamyn, modeling via video projection. Live voice-overs by comedian Sandy Honig. Pre-show reel features cameos by downtown performers Max Bernstein, Heather Litteer, and Joanna Choy. Additional onscreen modeling by comics Kourtni Beebe and Rasheda Crockett. The creative team includes costumes design by Dusty Lynn Childers and technical direction by Kryssy Wright.
Performances take place at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street (between Avenues A & B), New York, NY 10009. Subways: F to 2nd Avenue (closest), 6 to Bleecker Street, B/D/M to Broadway-Lafayette. Running time: 60 minutes.
Tickets are $16.00 and are available at:
Thursday, August 31st at 8:00 pm https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10182486
Friday, September 1st at 8:00 pm https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10182487
Saturday, September 2nd at 8:00 pm https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10182488
More info is available at www.thewildproject.com/performances/2017-Jane-Johnson.shtml and www.facebook.com/events/158924404656108
BIOGRAPHIES
Shane O’Neill (Writer/Performer) is a writer, performer, and video maker living in Brooklyn, NY. His writing and videos have been featured in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Refinery29, and ArtNews New York. He has appeared onstage at Joe’s Pub, the LaMama Theater, and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, where he is currently a member of the Characters Welcome house team. He performs a monthly one-man variety show called “Tonight’s Special with Shane Shane” which was chosen as one of the best events of 2016 by Time Out New York. He works in the video department of The New York Times, where his editing work on the POV collaboration “Who, me? Biased” earned him an Emmy nomination. He has a boyfriend named Dusty, a cat named Wanda, and a lovely family–both chosen and by blood–in the Great Midwest, all of whom he loves a great deal. www.shaneshane.net
Jill Pangallo (Writer/Performer) a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and creative consultant. She performs monthly with her comedy collective, S.U.C.K. and exhibits internationally as the collaborative duo, SKOTE, which she co-directs (with Alex P. White). As one-half of the performance duo, the HoHos (with Cathy Cervenka), she performs in long running NYC ensemble shows. Pangallo has received numerous awards and accolades including grants and commissions from the University of Texas, The Idea Fund, City of Austin’s Art in Public Places, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Pioneer Works, and The Tang Museum. She curates a variety of ensemble performance events, including The Way We Were. In addition to her own pursuits, Jill works with some of New York City’s most talented alternative performers to develop and produce their own solo works. Pangallo released Your Main Thing, a self-produced web series, and is currently performing her solo show, Mediocre & Loving It! She lives and works in New York City. www.jillpangallo.com
Lori Scacco (Music) is a composer, musician, and sound collagist based in New York City. Her work spans the worlds of art, film, classical dance, and performance. Select collaborations have been presented by Harvestworks, the Joyce Theater, the Miller Theatre, the New York Choreographic Institute, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and the Wexner Center for the Arts. Scacco has been an ensemble member of Savath + Savalas and Helado Negro, and is one half of psych-folk duo Storms. Her recordings appear on a number of experimental labels in the US, the UK, and Japan. www.loriscacco.com