We receive lots of mail at Comics And... and we try to pass along the best news & events on to our readers. This is one such event.
On August 15, 2009, the off-Broadway science-fiction comedy StarStruck by Elaine Lee, Susan Norfleet Lee, and Dale Place, basis for the 1980’s comic book series by Elaine Lee and Michael Wm. Kaluta (who provided set and costume designs for the original production), will be presented for the first time in 25 years as an audio theatre-style live reading at the famed Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, CA.
Proceeds will help pay the medical bills of comics legend Gene Colan, the bills stemming from his bout with liver failure in 2007 and 2008. Colan is best known for his distinctive artwork on such titles as "Iron Man," "Daredevil," "Batman," and "Tomb of Dracula" (from which the character Blade was introduced).
Play it by Ear Productions, an audio theatre company in Pacific Grove, CA, will produce the event under the direction of Producing Director Lance Roger Axt. “I’m absolutely ecstatic that this is finally going to happen; speaking as both a longtime comics fan and a theatre artist, I’ve wanted to do something with this play for over a decade.
"And helping Gene and Adrienne Colan is an added bonus; they are two great people, and I’m more than happy to lend a hand.”
Tickets are only $12.00. The reading will employ pre-recorded sound effects and live effects performed by a team of foley artists, coupled with composer Dwight Dixon’s music from the original production.
There will also be a silent auction of wines, out-of-print hardcover comic collections, and rare rock concert posters from the Fillmore Auditorium (donated from Mr. Axt's personal collection). Your MC for the evening will be Steve "Citizen" Kane, the rock and roll doctor of the original KAZU in Pacific Grove.
The reading also serves a second purpose: to test the timing of the piece before a live audience, which will ultimately serve a subsequent studio recording:
A StarStruck radio series is in development, the first piece being an audio adaptation of the off-Broadway comedy, to be recorded in Maine.
The series will be produced by the new AudioComics production company (co-founders Lance Roger Axt, Dan Bernard, and the voice of "Bob the Builder," William Dufris), who will be working directly with Lee and Kaluta on both the adaptation and on several new StarStruck pieces written specifically for the medium of audio.
On the cusp of the benefit reading, an equally exciting announcement is to come regarding the StarStruck comic series’ return to print. Truly, 2009 is the year of the Female Freedom Fighters! UP THE BRIGADES!
Visit The Henry Miller Library is here
Visit Play it by Ear Productions is here
Visit AudioComics (forthcoming) here
The event is still a couple of months away but this gives you plenty of time to book airplane tickers if you need them. Gene Colan is one of the masters and has influenced many of todays artists. Any help you can provide is always appreciated.
Sounds good. Gene is da man! And a very nice guy to boot.
ReplyDeleteA Starstruck RADIO SERIES? Sounds (pardon the pun) VERY good! What other comics do they want to do?