Permission To Speak EPK
Show Description
Four of the most brilliant minds in TV and movies come together to present the ground-breaking, hilarious and emotional live theater experience Permission to Speak.
Fresh off a critically acclaimed, sold-out run off-Broadway, Permission to Speak features hilarious and jaw-dropping stories from audience members co- starring alongside Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedian/actor/host Paul Mecurio, who works and is a recurring performer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Paul punctuates the evening with his own jokes and anecdotes and in the process brings people together through shared stories and organic connections. Through the use of his customized multimedia presentation, developed by a creative team with a combined 33 Emmys, 6 Peabodys and 1 Grammy award - Paul weaves a cohesive interaction with audience members in a way that’s never been done before. The real stars of the show, however, are the audience themselves. In Permission to Speak, audience members volunteer to join Paul on stage. With Paul at the center of the action, driving and guiding the fun, the evening takes on a life of its own. Paul fearlessly, but respectfully, uses humor and compassion to create dynamic exchanges that lead to meaningful and often surprisingly unexpected connections. Audience members are comfortably and confidently empowered to reveal personal stories that are fun, inspiring, compelling and relatable. One fan remarked, “You could see this show a dozen times and never see the same show twice.”
If Paul’s name sounds familiar, it's probably because you saw him on one of his countless appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS Sunday Morning, The Tonight Show, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, as recurring co-host of StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson or his own Comedy Central and HBO specials.
The show’s Director and Producer, Frank Oz, brings a touch of his movie and TV magic to the stage of Permission to Speak. Frank’s credits include the major motion pictures Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bowfinger, Stepford Wives, and Little Shop of Horrors. Oz’s close collaboration with Jim Henson creating and performing many well- loved Muppet characters led to his iconic work as the voice and puppeteer of Yoda in the Star Wars franchise.
The set of Permission to Speak is as much a star of the show as anyone on stage and it’s no wonder why. Behind the show’s ingenious environment are 23-time Emmy Award Winner for Production Design, Jim Fenhagen, who is best known for countless late night TV shows, the Olympic Games and five Super Bowls, and animator J.J. Sedelmaier, the artist behind ground-breaking animation on MTV's Beavis & Butt-Head, Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse cartoons
(including The Ambiguously Gay Duo,) ABC's relaunch of Schoolhouse Rock, and Cartoon Network's Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
For all of the high-octane credentials of its A-List star and creators, the real magic
of Permission to Speak is the sheer fun, humanity and candor of its participants and Paul. All participants willingly share their fascinating stories, bringing the entire audience along on a fun, emotional journey that connects them all.
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Permission To Speak Promotional Videos
Embeddable Videos
Directors Note From Frank Oz
““I’m working with Paul as director of PERMISSION TO SPEAK because I believe in his vision of what I feel is an important show.
What is PERMISSION TO SPEAK anyway?
It’s Paul bringing people up from the audience to talk with him on stage.
That’s it.
Seems like we’ve seen this before, right? Been there, done that.
But what Paul does is very different.
He creates a new reality for each audience; a reality in which the funny and profound mix. And a miraculous thing starts to happen. The audience begins to really care about a stranger on stage telling Paul their story.
With unexplainable alchemy, this empathy is the new reality that Paul creates.
Each time, just by being himself, he transforms an audience from the seemingly divisive herd we are often described as, into a group of humans who want to hear from and learn about the person with whom Paul is speaking.
With Paul as our link we recognize ourselves in the funny and real stories of others and we become aware that we’re not so different from each other after all.
That’s why I’m working with Paul on PERMISSION TO SPEAK.”
Animators Note From JJ Sedelmaier
“It’s been several years since I first joined the illustrious “Permission To Speak” crew. Paul, Jim Fenhagen and Frank Oz have been quite a team to play with, but it’s been as rewarding an experience as I could ever imagine.
I’d known Paul for several years before and we’d tossed some animation approaches back n’ forth regarding other ideas he had, so he and I had a nice comfort level once the PTS project surfaced.
The idea of animation folded into a live performance - especially a live performance that was different each time, immediately intrigued me, but it was only after years of talking it all out that it gelled into reality.
ALL of us wanted to make sure that this wasn’t going to be a gratuitous aspect of the show and would be something that acted as a creative conduit that would feel natural and entertain as well.
Ultimately, that animation feels like it was always a part of the plan, and it’s difficult for anyone to imagine the production without it ! SUCCESS !!!”
Permission to Speak Promotional Photos
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Four of the most brilliant minds in TV and film: Director - Frank Oz (Original Yoda, Director Bowfinger, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Co-Creator/Puppeteer The Muppets) Animator - J.J. Sedelmaier (Beavis & Butthead, SNL), Set Designer - Jim Fenhagen (The Late Show, GMA, Olympics) and Paul (who have a combined 33 Emmys) present this ground-breaking hilarious, emotional live theater experience. Permission to Speak features Paul’s outrageously funny, jaw-dropping award-winning comedy combined with surprising, funny, emotional and at times unbelievable stories from audience members who are guided by and co-star alongside Paul.
Blending comedy and compassion, Paul creates dynamic exchanges that lead to meaningful, human and often surprisingly unexpected interactions.
Be a part of this one of a kind, wildly entertaining show that connects people in fun, unexpected ways! [INSERT LINK TO TIX]
Reviews
“Unlike anything l’ve seen in my 30 years of going to the theater. A show that’s fun and celebrates the human condition. Hilarious, moving and Unforgettable!”
“Better than any fiction. Stories were genuine...yet unbelievable. I didn’t want the show to end so I’m going again and again.”
“I connected with people and their moving stories in a way that I never expected. A show BY the masses FOR the masses.”
“Displays how funny we all are and brings people together in a compassionate, entertaining way, which in the divisive world we live in is needed now.”
“Incredibly human, funny and original. It made me feel good because it confirmed we all have more in common than we think. I was thinking about the show and the jaw-dropping stories LONG after I left the theater.”
