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PASSING STRANGE
With a score that has some of the most tuneful, soulful rock songs, and witty, thought-provoking lyrics in recent memory, PASSING STRANGE is the moving and hilarious tale of a young, black bohemian (YOUTH) on a journey of escape and exploration in search for “The Real.” He leaves the confines of his middle-class, church-reared life in South-Central L.A . and finds the further he travels the more he discovers the journey within is the one that counts.
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DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE
Dead Man's Cell Phone humorously explores technology and the disconnect people are experiencing in the digital age. While at a café, a man dies. But his cell phone will not stop ringing. The woman at the next table picks up the cell phone and ends up stuck in the middle of all his troubles. 
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THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
A musical showcase of Velveteen's journey from an ordinary toy rabbit stuffed with sawdust to a real rabbit filled with love. Rag Doll, Clockwork Mouse and Skin Horse are on hand to welcome Velveteen Rabbit to the nursery fold. But, can The Boy love Velveteen enough to make him real or will Nana and the Doctor burn the tiny toy before Dewdrop Fairy can grant Velveteen's wish to be real? 
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STAR WARS, THE MUSICAL
Star Wars hits the stage!! This show has it all - original songs, light sabers and tap dancing Stormtroopers. All ages will enjoy Bootless' take on the classic Episode IV. 
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Passing Strange
Stew, the creator/subject of Passing Strange, and collaborator Heidi Rodewald chose just five theater groups in the US to perform the stage version of the show this year; Wilmington’s Bootless Artworks was one of them. Still essentially homeless (they are taking up in The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew & Matthew in downtown Wilmington for this show), Bootless continues to show that they’re a major force in Delaware theater.
My last Bootless show was The Pillowman, an incredible, and incredibly dark, comic piece put on in an empty outlet store on the Riverfront. Passing Strange is positively light in comparison, but the journey is deep and real.
Directed by Malika Oyetimein and James W. Fuerst, the musical is narrated by Stew (Jerry Rudasill), who introduces his teenage self (Cory Hindorff) and his mother (Cherie Jazman), a comfortably middle class black family in Los Angeles. She drags him to church, where he finds after-hours inspiration from the secretly free-spirited choir director (B.K. Elam) who never left home. His punk band flounders, and, terrified of never moving past his neighborhood, he leaves his mother for Europe — and the promise of creative freedom, sex and drugs. The farther he gets from home, the farther he gets from himself, until his life is a performance of “passing,” gaining acceptance from a group of German radicals by using his non-existent ghetto street cred. Humorous, yes, and also quite poignant. The Narrator was shaped by the choices made by his naive young self, but it wasn’t without loss.
Hindorff is a star. And by that I don’t just mean the star of this production, which he is, but a star, period. It’s what I thought when I saw him in Cats at NCT in January, and my feeling has only been reinforced with Passing Strange. The ensemble includes four actors who take on triple roles as characters in LA, Amsterdam and Berlin — Candace Thomas, Kori Beaman, Keith Wallace and B.K. Elam — all of whom transformed dramatically and convincingly throughout.
The show features a live band, which was one of the main concepts of the original version, Travelogue. Show runs through October 15.
About Us
BOOTLESS MISSION STATEMENT
Bootless Artworks is a non-profit arts organization of dedicated professional artists and theater enthusiasts joined together to enhance, enliven and educate as to the art of theater and performance. Bootless Artworks produces and presents an extensive collection of works that are both artistically challenging and innovative while remaining accessible to audiences. In fulfilling this mission, Bootless Artworks provides rewarding and highly-entertaining experiences to all in its community.
Consider becoming a Bootless volunteers. Email us at bootlessinfo@gmail.com
ORG
This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
DONATIONS START HERE
MAKE YOUR DONATION HERE. Starting a new theater isn’t easy. Bootless needs all the support possible to bring great live theater and other performance events to you. Your tax deductible donation is an easy and simple first step towards supporting the arts in Delaware. Every contribution, regardless of size, is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. See you at the show!!
