And Then Came
Tango
By Gary Wien
The Growing Stage isn’t one to
shy away from a little controversy.
Based in Netcong, the theatre
performs productions for young
audiences with a twist — they treat
young audiences as adults. That
mission was upheld when Emily
Freeman’s And Then Came Tango
was chosen as the winner of their
2014 New Play Reading Festival.
The play, which deals with the subject of two gay penguins, faced
pressure by conservative groups
a few years back when an early
version was being produced in
Austin, Texas. The Growing Stage
doesn’t expect any such problems
in New Jersey, but is committed to
February 2015
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presenting the work regardless of
what comes up.
The play was inspired by the true
story of Roy and Silo, two male
penguins at the Central Park Zoo
who formed a pair bond, built a
nest, and were so determined to
be parents that they incubated a
rock. When given an orphaned
egg, the pair successfully raised
a baby fledgling. The production
runs March 6 through March 29.
“I consider it a journey tale that
a young girl goes on when she
begins to become aware that the
world is a much bigger place than
she originally thought,” said Stephen L. Fredericks, Founder and
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