Event Name
AFT Logo

 

 

     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

 

      November 11, 2011           

 

      Contact: Holly Feldman, Manager of Marketing and Audience Development

      (920) 854-6117

      [email protected]

 

 

 

American Folklore Theatre Presents Home for the Holidays with AFT

All new for 2011, concert will feature Katie Dahl, Karen Mal, and James Valcq

 

The holidays are a time for reunions. This winter, reunite with Katie Dahl, Karen Mal, and James Valcq to celebrate the holiday season. In the historic Gibraltar Town hall, this trio of AFT favorites will present an evening of songs and stories gathered from their own diverse holiday scrapbooks. Songs will range from the very old to the very new and will come from faraway lands to the streets of Fish Creek.

 

Home for the Holidays with AFT will return to Old Gibraltar Town Hall in Fish Creek for five performances from December 28th through December 31st.  

 

Katie Dahl is a professional singer-songwriter whose reputation is quickly gaining the folk-world's attention. She has performed her original songs everywhere from the dusty cliff country of Mali, West Africa, to the winding canals of southern France, to the cedar forests of the American northwoods. A lifelong nomad, Katie has most recently found herself at home in the vibrant music scene of Door County. This past summer, Katie showcased her talents at Big Top Chautauqua opening for the celebrated folk artist, Dar Williams. An AFT fan for as long as she can remember, Katie made her first appearance on the AFT stage in the 2009 production Sunsets and S'mores.

 

Karen Mal is also no stranger to the AFT stage. She performed in the original casts of Lumberjacks in Love, Belgians in Heaven, and Fishing for the Moon, and appeared in the very first AFT show to perform at the Gibraltar Town Hall, And If Elected.Ranging from charming to seductive, impressionistic to philosophical, her songs have brought her nationwide acclaim. Based in Austin, TX, Karen has created a name for herself as a captivating singer, instrumentalist and songwriter.

 

James Valcq is probably best known in this neck of the woods as the composer for the Off-Broadway musical The Spitfire Grill, which won the Richard Rodgers Production Award and received Best Musical nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League. The show, written with AFT founder and collaborator Fred Alley, has been produced over 350 times, most recently at Door Community Auditorium as part of AFT's fall season. James began his professional career as a singer and, as an actor, has added his memorable brand of humor to such roles as Ernie the Moocher in Guys on Ice at AFT & The Milwaukee Rep and numerous comedic roles with Door Shakespeare.

 

Though their talents have taken them around the globe, the three performers have been like family for years and are pleased to reunite on the Home for the Holidays stage. James Valcq, with Fred Alley, wrote a role for Karen Mal in AFT's 1994 production of The Passage. James and Karen also toured together in a production of Maurice Sendak's Really Rosie, and even performed Christmas music together in shopping malls in the greater New York City area. Karen and Katie have worked together on mandolin lessons in the early days and, in recent days, at the Door County Bluegrass Camp and many Door Shakespeare productions. Katie and James are currently collaborating on a book musical for AFT's 2012 Summer Season called, Victory Farm, which they are writing with Emilie Coulson.

 

Evening performances of Home for the Holidays are scheduled for 7pm on December 29th, 30th and 31st. Matinee performances will be at 4pm on December 28th, and 31st. Tickets for Home for the Holidays are $20 for adults and $12 for children.  Advance tickets are available by calling (920) 854-6117, online at www.FolkloreTheatre.com, or by stopping in the AFT office, which is located at the Green Gables Shops in North Ephraim.  All seats are General Admission.  Any remaining tickets will be sold at Gibraltar Town Hall beginning 45 minutes before each performance. As a special holiday treat, each show will also feature a drawing for gift certificates from local businesses.

 

American Folklore Theatre is a non-profit professional theatre organization that produces original musical shows in repertory from June through August.  AFT continues its performances into the fall with shows at the Door Community Auditorium September through October and over the Christmas holidays.  American Folklore Theatre is a member of Theatre Wisconsin and the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), organizations that promote non-profit theatre groups.
 
Pictures available in other formats upon request

Katie Dahl 
Katie Dahl

Karen Mal Web  James Valcq
Karen Mal                                                                                 James Valcq

Holidays Logo Large