Producer's Note
In February 2012, I resolved to fill a void that had been present in my life since retiring from high school drama. As anyone who’s been in a show can attest to, there are few activities that offer such fun, community, and creative self-expression. Yet even in New York City, with its bounty of recreational offerings, there seemed to be no opportunity to be in a show simply for the fun of it. Suddenly, a new possibility emerged…
Welcome to AfterWork Theater Project, a community where everyday people can enroll to perform in fully-staged plays and musicals. No audition required. AWTP is one of kind in that our commitment lies in fostering fun, community, and self-expression for our participants. It is our belief that this transformative experience unleashes rich and moving performances, inspiring audiences with the magnificence of the human spirit.
For our first production we took on Hair: the American Tribal Rock Love Musical and the results have been astounding. Our cast hails from far and wide (one cast member travels from Virginia!) to rehearse after work and on the weekends. They run the gamut: from advertising executives to teachers; from recent college grads to senior level attorneys. About the only things they have in common are that none of them are professional actors and all of them love to perform.
Thank you for being here to support friends and family at this, our inaugural production. We hope you enjoy the show!
Evan Greenberg, Founder/Artistic Director AfterWork Theater Project
Director's Note
HAIR was one of the first scripts in my hand at age 12 that made me fall in love with rock musicals. It was introduced to me by one of my childhood best friends. An Aquarius by law of the universe, her spirit and freedom that she exhibited in life and love was something I always admired of her while we were growing up together. As time went on, many paths have come and gone, and although she is no longer here on earth with us, her spirit and passion is what drives me to do what I do in life. To create, love and hopefully,... inspire others. What Rado, Ragni and MacDermot created in this masterpiece in the 1960's was something that rings and sings true to all generations. A sense of love, freedom, self-awareness and expression and the ability to speak your mind and become larger than life. This musical has changed the face of theater history and has been done millions of times all around the world. But all I know is how it has affected us here in this particular journey. What I do know is that it is the first show selected to inaugurate the AfterWork Theater Project- and what a perfect choice to do so. This process has been a very fun-filled one, filled with new faces, familiar faces and a great production team and cast that pulled through whatever obstacles came their way to make something special and memorable. All of us have been pulling energy from all our resources to make HAIR happen, and I cannot thank everyone enough for making it our own- in our very special way. Thanks to everyone who participated, who worked so hard, and to YOU the audience- for supporting our endeavors and making HAIR our very own. To Glory. - Alex Perez
