For Immediate Release: October 24, 2005
Media Contact: Tyler Melchior, 1812 Productions, 215.592.9560

This December 1812 Productions lays down its cards for the sixth annual 1812 Productions Holiday Show. Double Down: A Good Bet on a Comic Pair for the Holidays will show at The Adrienne Theatre, December 2nd thru January 8th. Tickets range from $10 to $32 and are available by contacting 1812 Production’s administrative office at (215) 592-9560 or at www.1812productions.org.

Double Down brings us the world of classic comedy teams. It will star Philadelphia favorites Scott Greer and Tony Braithwaite, actors who have shared the stage on many an occasion and who are more than qualified for the task of taking on 100 years of duos, both of the comedic and dynamic varieties. Using a schoolroom as their setting, Braithwaite & Greer will dissect the double act and give us a lesson in comic chemistry.

Celebrating comedy duos from every genre of the past century, Double Down exalts vaudeville’s Zeb & Zarrow and Smith & Dale; the “partners for life” Weber & Fields, Bob & Ray, and the Smothers Brothers; the “once-in-a-lifetime teams” Martin & Lewis and Hope & Crosby; and even the great TV doubles Aykroyd & Belushi and Gleason & Carney. And, because no evening of theatre would be complete without tights and black masks, Braithwaite & Greer will give a special nod to the caped crusader and his boy wonder! These are but a few of the spirits waiting to be conjured, come December.

Double Down will be the sixth annual Holiday production mounted by 1812 Productions as an homage to our comedic ancestors. 1812 Production’s previous Holiday hits include The Big Time, Like Crazy Like Wow, and Always a Lady—each of which broke attendance records, sold almost every seat in the run, and reaffirmed 1812 Productions as the place to be each holiday season. Not only will Double Down be the sixth annual Holiday Show but it will also be Braithwaite & Greer’s fifth voyage together into historical hilarity. Jennifer Childs, the show’s creator and director and 1812 Production’s Artistic Director, feels that Scott Greer and Tony Braithwaite are the perfect choice for Double Down. “Their friendship naturally has a sort of ‘Odd Couple’ quality to it,” says Childs. “Scott is a broad, loud tornado of energy with a big appetite for life, while Tony is whip-smart, sharp and divides his fridge into the four basic food groups. While putting this show together, there really was no other pair I could imagine fitting so well into this world of classic comedy duos.”

Braithwaite & Greer are equally enthusiastic about the prospect of working on Double Down together. “I love working with Scott and Jen,” Tony says of the experience. “Any rehearsals with them are typically peppered with constant humor, great affection, raucous laughter and running gags. For me, Double Down is a chance to work on some great material with some great friends." Scott concurs, “Tony has the fastest wit I have ever seen. When we met nine years ago, we instantly connected, because we both love the craft of making comedy. Through our collaboration with Jen Childs on the 1812 Holiday Shows, we have earned our chops in a variety of comic styles. He pushes me and raises the bar. But most importantly, he makes me laugh.”

“1812’s Holiday Shows really are our hallmark and, much to our delight, one of the most anticipated theatrical events of the season,” says Pete Pryor, 1812 Productions’ Producing Artistic Director. “Each year Jennifer outdoes herself and each year the show succeeds, not only in honoring our comic forefathers (or mothers, as the case may be), but also in reconnecting our audiences to these wonderful eras of theatre history.”

Cast & Crew

Jennifer Childs (Director): Jennifer is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of 1812 for whom she has conceived and directed The Big Time, Another Big Time, Like Crazy Like Wow, Something Wonderful Right Away, Always A Lady and the upcoming Double Down. She is a ten time Barrymore nominee, winning the 1996 Best Supporting Actress in a Play award for the Wilma's Escape From Happiness and the 1999 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theater Artist. She is an instructor at the University of the Arts and the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation.

Scott Greer (Performer): Scott is thrilled to be back working with Tony Braithwaite and Jen Childs on 1812’s holiday show. Scott’s regional credits include work for Walnut Street Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, People’s Light and Theatre Company, Interact Theatre Company, 1812 Productions, BoarsHead Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse, Cape May Stage, and Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Frank Wildhorn’s new musical Waiting for the Moon. Scott has been awarded the Barrymore Award for Best Actor in a Play for his work in Interact Theatre Company’s It’s all True, the Barrymore Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his work in Arden Theatre Company’s Baby Case, and the 2002 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theatre Artist. Scott was most recently seen in Twelfth Night at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville.

Tony Braithwaite (Performer): Tony returns for his fifth Holiday show with 1812, having been in both Big Time's, Like Crazy Like Wow, and Something Wonderful Right Away. Tony was most recently seen in Good Evening at Act II Playhouse. Last year at Act II, Tony played Boyd in The Big Bang for which he received a Barrymore nomination. His upcoming projects include David in After Ashley for Philadelphia Theater Company (February) and Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for Arden Theatre Company (May). For the past 11 years, Tony has taught at his beloved alma mater, St. Joseph’s Prep, where he currently serves as Fine Arts Chairman and has directed his 21st production, Inherit the Wind.

1812 History
Artistic Director Jennifer Childs and Producing Artistic Director Pete Pryor founded 1812 Productions in the spring of 1998 with a goal to entertain and educate audiences through comedy, and to support and hire local artists. Philadelphia Weekly named 1812 Productions the “Theatre Company of the Year 2002-2003”. At the close of the 2002-2003 season, 1812 Productions was the recipient of eight nominations and two wins at the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. Most recently, 1812 Productions received eight Barrymore Award nominations for its 2004-2005 season. Their education program, 1812 Outreach, has received four consecutive nominations and been awarded once the Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. 1812 Productions, while continually on the search for a permanent home, continues to perform at various locations around Philadelphia.

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