Torso Book Club
A ‘Shadow of the Run’ virtual story
When: Starting May 1, 2020
Platform: Zoom
Price: $5/PWYC, 14+
Tags: #mystery, #thriller, #books, #ContentAdvisory(See Below)
When is a book club not a book club?
When it’s murder…
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The creators of Shadow of the Run present a benefit pop-up installation: abook club with a twist.
Press Release Follows
ZOOM, Ohio — May 2020 — After successfully introducing immersive theater in the Cleveland market last summer with Shadow of the Run — Chapter 1: Wanderlust, and more recently with Railroaded: A Shadow of the Run Story, Co-Founders Beth McGee, Adam Kern, Christine Woods and Ben Needham are announcing a ZOOM Benefit Production called TORSO BOOK CLUB — A SHADOW OF THE RUN VIRTUAL STORY. Their follow up Chapter 2: Calloused, that was set to premiere this summer, has been postponed until the uncertainty of Covid-19 has been reduced. TORSO BOOK CLUB will run May 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th.
TORSO BOOK CLUB will premiere an original story in a limited engagement May 1st-10th. This short- term installation, or “pop up” theater production with limited tickets, will be held online via ZOOM. All proceeds will go to specific local Cleveland Artists who have been affected by the economic devastation that Covid-19 has had on the Arts Community. Reservations are Pay What You Want, with a $5 minimum. There are only four audience positions per performance, with four performances per night. Reservations can be made at www.shadowoftherun.com.
The TORSO BOOK CLUB: True Crime is one of the highest watched genres in all entertainment, and Cleveland Local History has one of the country’s most notorious serial killers with The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, aka the Cleveland Torso Killer. Throw in famed Detective Eliot Ness, and this book club has a lot to discuss. After watching a production of WanderLust, Carter forms a book club to discuss the production and the graphic novel TORSO by Brian Michael Bendis. With Covid-19 social distancing mandates across the world, a book club is the perfect distraction — but the participants find they need more than murder in these tough times.
TORSO BOOK CLUB is written by Carol Dolan, Sara Bogomolny, Beth McGee, Dan Hendrock, and Cody Swanson, based on a story by Carol Dolan. Starring Sara Bogomolny, Beth McGee, Dan Hendrock and Cody Swanson. The Creative Team includes Direction by Adam Kern, with Production Design by Ben Needham, and creative support by Christine Woods. Production Coordinator, Jaime Weinfeld. Wardrobe Consultant, April Rock. Secret Pond LLC returns as the Executive Producers.
To maximize the audience experience within Zoom, ticketing is limited to four “attendees” per performance. We can accommodate up to two audience members per ticket while sharing a screen together, but ask that anyone doing this consider contributing a higher amount, as the proceeds will go to support local Cleveland artists affected by loss of work due to Covid-19.
Friday, Monday and Wednesday Performances are at 7:00, 7:40, 8:20, and 9:00 PM EST, Sunday Performances are at 1:00, 1:40, 2:20 and 3:00 PM EST.
Why Immersive Theater?
Audiences today are choosing personal experiences over the purchase of physical objects. Immersive theatre dives into this mindset — a guest can attend multiple performances and have a completely different experience based on the choices they make throughout the evening. Combining elements from theatre, night clubs, and personal exploration into one evening of fully engaging entertainment, audiences will want to gather afterwards to share their experience and make plans for their next trip.
Background Information
Shadow of the Run was conceived in 2015 by Beth McGee and Adam Kern. The project was awarded a $1,000 grant as an audience favorite from Notre Dame College’s SEAChange Program, prior to appearing in the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Accelerate Competition the same year. With initial support from Joe and Anthony Russo, the team continued development to find the right opportunity to bring immersive theater to the city of Cleveland when they met with Secret Pond LLC, who now act as Executive Producers for the company.
Chapter 1: WanderLust was the first part of a trio of full productions, which premiered in July 2019, produced by Secret Pond LLC. Investors and sponsors for Chapter 2 are currently in development and there will also be a pre-sale Kickstarter campaign leading up to the 2020 production, Chapter 2: Calloused.
Shadow of the Run LLC will present ongoing original immersive works, like New York’s Sleep No More which has been running continuously since 2009. After the Shadow Series, the company has three other projects they plan on premiering in Cleveland, in hopes of making the city the immersive theater capital of the Midwest.
Shadow of the Run LLC is run by Co-Founders Beth McGee, Adam Kern, Ben Needham and Christine Woods.
Shadow of the Run LLC was founded by artists living in Bedford, Cleveland Heights, Orange and North Canton. Beth McGee is a professor at Case Western Reserve University while Needham and Woods are both alumni of CWRU. Adam Kern is a graduate of Kent State University and Harvard’s American Repertory Theatre / Moscow Art Theatre Institute.
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Contact Level:
Content Advisories:
contains some mild adult language & content
Accessibility Advisory: