The City that Cried Wolf

Written by Brooks Reeves
Directed by Leta Tremblay
Produced by State of Play Productions Inc 

Nomination: Outstanding Sound Design, Jeanne Travis

Photos by Hunter Canning

About the Company: State of Play Productions is an incubator hatching new work by theater artists. They embrace challenges and foster communication. They shake up the traditional order by encouraging actors to produce, working alongside writers and directors from the beginning to create art of unprecedented creativity and bold integrity. To reach the largest audience possible, they expand across media, presenting work in radio, film and other audio/visual formats.

About the Production: The City the Cried Wolf is a noir, fairy tale dark comedy with a healthy splash of political commentary. Little Bo Peep, a sultry singer seeks her sheep! Jack B. Nimble, a private eye hot on her tail! Corruption! Passion! Betrayal! Scrambled Eggs! Can Jack crack Rhyme Town's stickiest murder, or has he fallen for the wrong dame? Join private eye Jack B. Nimble as he makes some astonishing discoveries while tracking down the criminal mastermind behind the murder of Councilman Humpty Dumpty. A noir style detective story featuring everyone's favorite nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters.

Producer Michelle Concha Herko and nominee Jeanne Travis talk about staging this work with intriguing contrasting themes.


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What first attracted you to this project?

Michelle: It was the 10th anniversary show for State of Play and the show that started it all for the company in NYC.

Jeanne: The design concept. A "no-escape action thriller" based on fairy tale characters juxtaposed on a backdrop of gritty film noir. I could not wait to play!

What was your favorite part of working on this production?

Michelle: Revisiting the show that stated it all for State of Play Productions in NYC.

Jeanne: The team! After the first dress rehearsal we realized that we had created an epic mini-musical. I composed multiple songs and incidental music for this play - not knowing at the start that I would be needing too. I had less than a few weeks to put it all together from scratch and I never felt the pressure. Having your team have your back means so much when approaching new work and is exactly why I loved working on this production.

What was the most challenging part of working on this production?

Michelle: Finding a fresh look to a show that had already had a very successful run the first time around.

What did you want the audience to walk away with after watching The City that Cried Wolf?

Michelle: Fun, Laughter, Silliness and an appreciation for the genre and the unbelievable similarities to a piece written 10 years ago and today.

What was the wackiest part of this production?

Michelle: Film Noir and Nursery Rhymes! Fairy tale characters in a gritty world and the where they stand outside of the books.

Jeanne: OMG the cast was hilarious. We had to hold a couple of times because the entire team couldn't stop laugh-crying at certain scenes to take notes.

Did you learn anything new from your experience of working on this project?

Jeanne: I tackled my fear of composing for live theatre. I sweated bullets the first time I had to present "The Song" that was the make or break tune in the show. My heart was in my throat when I played it for the first time. The actress that had to sing it looked at me with a huge smile on her face and said "Wow! I get to sing this"? I felt like I won all the chocolate in the world after she said that. This project def. made me a stronger artist.

What was it like working with this group of artists?

Michelle: Jeanne was a dream to work with, her constant attention to detail and excitement about the piece.

Jeanne: Everyone had an open heart and were so grateful for everyone's time.

Make sure to follow State of Play Productions on Twitter @SOPProductions