live! for $5
Our annual series of live performances for intergenerational audiences and participants, available to all for a ticket price of only $5. Live! for $5 programs are sponsored by The W.F. Whitman Family Foundation in memory of Maia Aprahamian and the Anahata Foundation.
Diamonds & Toads
“Diamonds and Toads,” written by Melody Bates, is a hilarious and unflinching dive into the underbelly of wicked stepmother and stepsister stories, Melody’s take on this tale comes complete with a marvelous fairy godmother named Florabella, a talking toad, and a true happy ending that doesn’t rely on prince charming. Costume design, by Jennifer Paar, features a rococo silhouette, ribbons and ruffles, bejeweled fabric and adornments, and hand-made gossamer wings. Florabella’s wand is topped with a jeweled lotus flower. “Diamonds & Toads” is a dazzling and transportative live storytelling experience for audiences of all ages!
Location: Stonington Opera House
Tickets: $5
Ages: All ages!
MELODY BATES (she/ they) is a native Oregonian actor and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a queer femme creatrix who brings people together to make art that is radical and wildly entertaining. Her award-winning work includes the plays Avalon and R & J & Z, both of which had world premieres on Deer Isle. As an actor, she has performed at The Public Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, La MaMa E.T.C., A.R.T Boston, Theatre des Amandiers (Paris), Cankarjev Dom (Ljubljana), and the Metropolitan Opera, where she has recently worked with directors Simon McBurney, Bartlett Sher, and David McVicar. TV and film work includes Law & Order SVU, PBS Great Performances, and the indie feature Ask For Jane. Melody’s play R & J & Z, called “boisterous and splendid” by the NY Times, is available from Original Works Publishing and continues to be produced around the country. The NYIT Awards have recognized her with acting, writing, and original music awards. She was featured in Necessary Exposure: The Female Playwright Project and was a finalist for the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright award. Avalon, her site-specific collaboration with Peter Beerits and Jennifer Paar, received the state of Maine’s 2020 Innovation & Creativity Award.