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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Peter Bermudes “The future of theater here in Boston has its seeds sewn by Puddlejump
shows every year. Bravo!” The Puddlejump Players celebrate their 10th year with a production of “Palazzi Ragazzi” “Palazzi Ragazzi (The Palace Kids): Lost and Found in Venice” is not a story about princes and princesses in the city of canals and winged lions. Rather, the “palace” in question is an old abandoned movie theater, the Palazzo Splendido, now fallen on hard times and no longer splendid at all. This “Palazzo” is home to a gang of street kids and runaways, led by the mysterious and romantic “Pettirosso Cappucio,” an Italian Robin Hood of sorts, also known as “the Menace of Venice.” The Splendido movie theater, and our play, is set in modern-day Venice, where an orphaned brother and sister flee the unkind relatives bent on separating them after grudgingly taking them in. Though trailed by a persistent if sympathetic detective, the Menace and his ragazzi accept one last heist that brings them to a mysterious island in the Venetian lagoon. It is on this island that they encounter a secret that will forever change their lives. Full of action and an engaging cast of characters, “Palazzi Ragazzi” is magical theater for adults and children alike, complete with concessions highlighting Italian favorites—pizza, cannolis, and gelato. From its humble beginnings in the director’s backyard, the Puddlejump Players have now been entertaining greater Boston theater-goers for over a decade with their original and classic plays. With a cast ranging in age from 3-17 and a volunteer staff of parents, PJP is and has always been community theater in its fullest and finest sense. For some of the actors, Puddlejump has provided a first exposure to theater; others have appeared in many community theater and occasionally professional productions; and there are “alumni” who have continued to act on a wider stage after speaking their first lines with the PJP. Director Sheila Leavitt’s “Italian connection” goes back to her college days, when she toured the countryside by moped. Though a doctor by training, parenthood revealed other plans soon after graduation. Choosing to homeschool her four children (now ranging in age from 11 to 21), Leavitt became a full-time mother, assuming, among other challenging roles, that of PJP director in 1993. More recently, after learning Italian, she ventured back to the countryside of her youth, only to return Stateside a homeowner. Interested in parlaying her new-found insights on Italian real estate into gainful employment, Sheila became a licensed realtor and established ItalyScout, traveling to Italy where she investigates properties on behalf of clients. “Palazzi Ragazzi” now affords her the opportunity to simultaneously indulge two passions: Italy and her Puddlejump family. WHAT: Puddlejump Players present “Palazzi Ragazzi: Lost and Found
in Venice”
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