Toxic Audio: A Cappella with a Twist

A guest blog by Marketing & PR Intern Kelly Dolan

Last week, while on a Royal Caribbean Cruise, I had the opportunity to see many shows. I was beginning to get bored of night after night of subpar shows, when finally I saw Toxic Audio perform. I could hardly believe that they were using nothing but their own voices as the background music to some highly intricate instrumental songs. This five- person a cappella group not only sang popular songs such as Vicki Sue Robinson’s “Turn the Beat Around” and Mika’s “Grace Kelly” but they also use their own voices to supply all of the background music. When I shut my eyes for a second I felt as though there was a real trumpet, guitar, and piano being used during performance.

The singing was not the only thing that kept me entertained. The performance of each song had some type of twist to it. For example, when they sang “Paperback Writer” by the Beatles they walked around the audience and had members point to random words from a book. By the end cast member Jeremy James, known as the “Rap Master”, was able to create a rap song on the spot using all the words collected from the audience. Toxic Audio puts on a show that keeps audiences in awe throughout the entire performance. After seeing them perform, you may just be tempted to try and move your own nose at just the right angle in order to sound like a trumpet.

For more information on Toxic Audio, visit: http://www.toxicaudio.com/.

The State Theatre is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. For information or to purchase tickets call 732-246-SHOW(7469) or visit http://www.statetheatrenj.org/. Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace.

Rutgers and the State Theatre, Perfect Together

Part of my job as University Liaison consists of engaging the Rutgers community in all things State Theatre. We present world-renowned artists in almost every discipline and many times these artists are available for workshops, master classes, Q&A's etc. We want Rutgers students, faculty, and staff to take advantage of all we have to offer. But they need to know about these special opportunities in order to participate. Last year around this time, I organized a presentation to Rutgers faculty and staff to promote last season's events. On Wednesday, July 1st, we will do it again for our 2009-2010 performances. There are several performances we hope will generate excitement, among them The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath, MacHomer, Scrap Arts Music, and The Amish Project. We want the Rutgers community, especially students, to see the State Theatre as their neighborhood entertainment and performing arts venue. There is so much more happening here than most people think. Hopefully on Wednesday we will begin to plan for some great collaborations with Rutgers.

–Katie Pyott, Education Associate & University Liaison

The State Theatre is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. For information or to purchase tickets call 732-246-SHOW(7469) or visit http://www.statetheatrenj.org/. Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace.

Never a Dull Moment...

On the morning of January 20, while Barack Obama was getting ready to be sworn into office, Bob the Builder LIVE! was getting ready to perform at the State Theatre for students and teachers from all over New Jersey. But before the buses arrived, we had some excitement on Livingston Avenue, as right in front of the theater two car accidents blocked the street (Yes, two!). Luckily, there were police officers there to help with the accidents and to help safely guide the buses. It was a little chaotic and it took a while for the accidents to clear out and for us to get the buses where they needed to be, but we did it.

Adding to the confusion was the fact that it had snowed the day before, the streets were a little icy, and as a result, some of the school groups we were expecting were delayed BEFORE they arrived to the mess of Livingston Avenue. So, the show started 15 minutes late, not bad, all things considered.

The show started and you could hear the kids’ excitement from the lobby. During intermission, some little kids were lined up with chaperones to use the bathroom and others were sitting in the lobby having a mid-morning snack. Hearing the students talking about how great the show was is one of my favorite parts of education matinees, especially when the students are very little. They went back into the theater and responded when Bob asked them questions (“Can we fix it?” “Yes we can!”). As the show came to a close, the kids waited to be led out to their buses, getting zipped up, and putting a hand on the rope that a lot of teachers bring to help herd their students. Jumping up and down as they left, it was pretty clear that they had fun watching Bob, and I had fun watching them, and that all of this was well worth it.

—Jennifer Cunha, Education

The State Theatre is located at 15 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. For information or to purchase tickets call 732-246-SHOW(7469) or visit http://www.statetheatrenj.org/.

Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace.