The FUN in FUNctions

Know Theatre’s resident company members Jenny Guy and Daniel S. Hines presented a series of student matinees of “Calculus: The Musical!” at the theatre’s 1120 Jackson Street location the week of April 21st. We had over 350 students representing schools from all over the tri-state area attend and we hope a good time was had by all. Just look at ‘em! Look how fun that was!

We will be continuing this matinee program in 2009-10 for local Cincinnati audiences, so contact me for more info if you’re a local teacher!

Meanwhile the intrepid Babs and Breona are still out on the road and have so far performed for literally thousands and thousands of students in such far-flung and exotic locales as Texas, Massachusetts, and most points in between. One of them says:

“The musical was so much fun to see and hear! Thank you for the excitement that you (the actors) made us feel when the songs were sung. I like the fact that the audience was able to participate and that the calculus songs were actually tunes that we know. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen people that were as excited about calculus as the actors. Thanks for making calculus be a little more fun that it used to be.”

The FUN in FUNctions? We got it right here!

pssst…

…we are open for scheduling for the 2009-10 academic year! Lock in your date early!

More news, photos, and such coming soon(ish).

Happy 2009!

So it’s already 2009 and we’re pushing right on through to spring semester! It is time to announce even more exciting news for Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s touring production of “Calculus: The Musical!” We have two new smart, hilarious, talented, loveable, (dy)namic Calcul-actors among us!

Meet Ms. Breona Conrad and Mr. Babs Ipaye!

Breona comes to us from Ft. Wayne, IN and Babs is from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (and has been working here as a resident actor at Know Theatre all season). They are excited to hit the road and we are excited to have them!

As I type this they are upstairs having a video conference call with Marc (who’s presently in Minneapolis), brushing up their Calculus and discussing the book “Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea” by Charles Seife. I should put in a plug for this book and mention that it was a huge inspiration in the writing of “Calculus: The Musical!” and is highly recommended to anybody interested in the philosophy of mathematics. It is required reading for everyone who comes on board with this project and is a fine, fine specimen of work.

We have lots of shows coming up in 2009 and have room for more, so contact me today to get on the schedule! We’ll be hitting Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Northern Ohio, Pennsylvania and all kinds of places on the East Coast this spring.

Stay tuned for further news and updates, and as always, may Calculus be forever in your heart, in 2009 and beyond.

xoxo,

Sadie

Presenting…

At last! It is my and Marc’s profound pleasure to introduce to you THE NEW NATIONAL TOURING CAST OF “CALCULUS: THE MUSICAL!”

You will be entertained this year by Ms. Sarah Stephens and Mr. Dan Davidson of Cincinnati, OH. Both Marc and I have had our mathematical socks rocked off by their talent and brains. You are going to love them.

They spent an intensive week with Marc doing nothing but learning Calculus all day long. While they both have strong math backgrounds, we all consider it important that they receive in-depth training in the subject. They pored over every element of the script and each lyric of the songs. At the end of each day Marc could not stop raving about their aptitude for the material, the thoughtful questions and observations they would pose, and their striking enthusiasm for the complexities of the project.

On Tuesday October 28th Marc and I gave our final performance at Know Theatre of Cincinnati. We were joined on stage by Sarah and Dan to introduce them and send them off with our best wishes.

On Thursday we wrapped up shooting all the new videos for the new production. I can’t wait to see them! Laura Franzini’s costuming is inspired and the performances by Kirk, Babs, Courtney, Alana and Dexter as the “Five Sizes of Numbers” are hilarious and endearing beyond words.

Sarah and Dan along with Eric Vosmeier (director) are working hard on giving the staging of the newly updated script its final touches before they hit the road on November 10! It has been a surreal experience working with these guys on updating, improving, and reshaping the material in which Marc and I have invested so much of our lives these past years into something new, yet true to the original spirit. The script is truly a stronger one thanks to these new collaborators. It’s immensely rewarding and equally (if not more) terrifying to see the show take on a new life of its own.

Please join us in welcoming Sarah and Dan and wishing them good luck!

Matheatre announces exciting partnership with KNOW THEATRE of Cincinnati!

After two years of touring our own little show throughout the US and Canada, bringing the joy of Calculus to over 20,000 individual students, math enthusiasts and curiosity seekers, Marc and I will be retiring from performance of “Calculus: The Musical!”

Don’t cry on your calculuator! This is a good thing!

We are CRAZY EXCITED to announce that the tour of “Calculus: The Musical” will now be produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati, as part of their “Know-To-Go” education series! This means fantastic improvements to “Calculus: The Musical!” as it continues to tour under new, fresh artistic leadership.

The Know Theatre’s production will still be the comic “review” of the concepts and history of Calculus that Sadie and Marc brought to your school or event–but with big improvements. The tour will now feature two casts of professional actors/teachers–one which will tour throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, and one which will tour nationally. The new casts, along with the support base of a professional theatre company and its staff, will improve production values as well as increase availability as demand for performances continues to grow. Yours truly, Sadie Bowman, will be joining Know Theatre’s full-time staff in Cincinnati as Education Coordinator, so while business aspects will be routed through Know Theatre, I will remain your point of contact as we schedule performances both locally and nationally.

Marc and I, along with Know Theatre’s managers Eric Vosmeier (Managing Director) and Jason Bruffy (Artistic Director) look forward to continuing to put the “edge” back in “education” by keeping Calculus in the hearts of math lovers, theatre lovers, and everyone in between as “Calculus: The Musical!” continues to tour far and wide. Please join us in welcoming the new “Calcul-actors” to the family!

But don’t worry–Matheatre isn’t finished yet! Marc has been hard at work composing and recording a new album of all-original math music (available here soon!), and the long-hinted-at Geometry opera is still in the oven. We of Matheatre are delighted to pass the torch of touring on to the cast and staff of Know Theatre. I am especially excited in my new role with Know Theatre and to be able to continue working with all of you.

That said, we are now officially accepting booking requests for “Calculus: The Musical!” for the 2008-09 school year, so send me your inquiries soon to get on our calendar!

Thank you for your continued support–I look forward to continuing to engage and entertain you and your students as “Calculus: The Musical!” continues to grow and improve. I look forward to talking with you soon!

xoxo,

Sadie Bowman