Betsy is Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, BORED! November 5, 2010

The New York Times calls this new comedy "a briskly paced romp through daydreams" and that "with a mummy shuffling down the aisle, a news conference unfolding in the midst of the audience and a talking cat jumping off the stage, the new production at Looking Glass Theater shouldn’t leave children bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. Or even just bored."

Looking Glass Theatre, celebrating almost 20 years of productions strengthening the voice of women in theater and the arts, proudly presents Betsy is Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, BORED!, a new play for children which explores the power of imagination written by Judy Sheehan, one of the original cast members of the long-running Off-Broadway show Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. Looking Glass resident director Amanda Thompson directs the production, which opens Saturday, October 16 and runs through Sunday, November 21 with performances Saturdays at 12pm and 2pm, Sundays at 2pm and 4pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children 12 and under. TDF vouchers are accepted. Running time is approximately 50 minutes without intermission; show is appropriate for ages 3-10.

As the play begins, audiences of all ages meet poor Betsy, who is stuck at home on a rainy Saturday, when her parents say the single most annoying thing any parent can say: use your imagination. Hah! Betsy imagines herself as a star balloon baseball player, a famous Egyptologist, and a scientist/inventor with a talking cat for a best friend. It’s all fun and games until her imagination comes to life and moves in with the family. Imagination is way more powerful than Betsy ever suspected. Parents: be warned. After seeing this show, your kids might unleash the power of imagination. Yikes!

Playwright Judy Sheehan, a New York City parent and the tenth of 12 children, has written many works, including two plays for kids: I Hate Spinach and Betsy Blue or I Was A 9-Year Old Blues Diva, both produced at Looking Glass Theatre. She’s written numerous other plays, including Alice In Ireland and What To Do About Nothing. Sheehan is also the author of two novels: ...And Baby Makes Two and Women In Hats, both published by Ballantine.

LOOKING GLASS THEATRE - Looking Glass Theatre’s mission is to theatrically and truthfully reflect a female vision on the stage while creating a community of artistic freedom. We fulfill this by presenting female directors' visions of original works or the classics and by staging new plays either written or directed by women. This includes children’s shows and educational programming as well as our semi-annual festival of new works, featuring emerging women playwrights and directors, each season. In 2009 nytheatre.com said, “Looking Glass Theatre deserves kudos for consistently programming affordable shows for families that really are produced and staged with the youngest theater-goers in mind.” In 2008, The New York Times called Looking Glass Theatre’s Adventures of the Puppet Princess “charming” and “especially amusing to children under 10...a substantial introduction to the culture of Bali.”