[act-ma] Over The Line

[Brian O'Connell]

Over The Line 
A high concept, low budget, multimedia psychological
 rock opera about ideology, indoctrination, unwritten rules and inner 
transformation. 



Written & Directed by 

Brian O'Connell

Performed by 
An expanded 10-piece lineup of The Grass Gypsys w/ members of Brief Awakening and others. 


Date

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Time

5:00pm & 8:00pm


Location

Spontaneous Celebrations

45 Danforth Street
Jamaica Plain, MA
(617) 524-8635
		

Price
$10

Directions
By public transportation take the Orange Line train to the Stoney Brook stop, go right out the door, cross Lamartine St., take first right on Danforth St. Spontaneous Celebrations is the big building on the left, it's only about a 50 second walk! By car go to Lamartine St, turn onto Boylston St, first immediate right on Danforth. Best parking is along Lamartine St or park at the lot at Forrest Hills and take the train up to Stoney Brook station. 

More Info:
Over The Line is a high concept, low budget, multimedia psychological rock opera about ideology, indoctrination, unwritten rules and inner transformation. Written and directed by Brian O'Connell, known for his kinetic bass playing with Uncle Sammy, Gordon Stone, Gary Backstrom, The Grass Gypsys, and many others.

Over The Line is a rock song cycle set in a theatrical setting complete with over sized puppet actors, spoken word, and a 10-piece band with 8 singers (4 female and 4 male) featuring The Grass Gypsys and members of Brief Awakening.

"This is the culmination of years of conceptualizing, writing, and work. I'm super psyched to be putting this dream show together with such amazing instrumentalists and singers. This show is sure to appeal to anyone who's into prog-pop, musicals, radical social viewpoints, great singing, and great playing. There will also be opportunities to think, sit, and dance."

Profits to benefit the cultural programming and operations of Spontaneous Celebrations. 

Synopsis

In the hip, diverse, and gentrifying Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain lives a young man named Sleepy Doormat. He's independent, artistic, well educated, and liberal. He understands that the status quo is wrong, unjust, and that it only favors those in power. But he has never really questioned it on a deep level. He believes that things are just the way they are and one person cannot really change anything. While Sleepy may be "free" he is still tied by the ideological constrictions that have been imposed on him since youth. He has been indoctrinated by the institutions of school, church, and community opinion.

After the band plays the intro music the Narrator appears and addresses the audience. He makes an impassioned statement that we are living in a crisis. He invites the audience to take a look at the world today through the lens of Sleepy Doormat, who is then shown sitting and playing video games. The Narrator takes the audience back in time to observe Sleepy's schooling, religious education, and the attitudes of his family/community.

Fast forward to adulthood. One day on his way home from work Sleepy is confronted by a radical activist selling a paper on the street. The activist tries his best to tell Sleepy about the great crisis that is happening. While Sleepy identifies with much of what this radical person tells him, he ultimately rejects it as out of hand, crazy, and cultish.

Sleepy goes home and engages in his favorite activity - mass consumption of lies through an orgy of media consumption. He falls asleep and enters the dream world. In his dream a group of archetypal female characters appear to him. They guide him through a series of meditations on core issues such as good & evil, subject & object, and the unconscious world. He wakes up with a fresh perspective and vows to sort out his inner emotional world and his relation to the world around him.

By vicariously experiencing the childhood indoctrination of Sleepy, observing his place in the present day world, and by traveling with him into the dream world, the audience will hopefully be exposed to some of their own emotional/intellectual positions regarding how free we really are in our thinking, speech, and day to day activities.

The Band:

Brian O'Connell - guitar, bass, vocals 
Justin Kleya - guitar, vocals 
Kevin Silvia - bass, guitar, vocals 
Joel Ockenheim - keys
Sam Ward - drums
Dave Scandurra - percussion, vocals 
Kat Arrants Pettrucci - vocals
Kara-Lynn Pettrucci - vocals
Jenna O'Connell - vocals
Colleen Kleya - vocals, percussion

Hear what they're saying about Over The Line: 

"If you love the theatrical rock inclinations of Gabriel era Genesis, Zappa, Phish, Todd Rundgren, and Pink Floyd then this show is for you!" - Margaret Thatcher

"The best part of the show was that they had big puppets. I loved the puppets!" - Kenny McCormick

"Viva Over The Line!" - Subcomandante Marcos

"The archetypes that this particular piece of so called 'music theatre' presents are dangerous and should not be messed with by unqualified dilettantes such as Mr. O'Connell." - C.G. Jung

"I was both terrified and excited by Over The Line. Nice job." - Mayor Tom Menino

"I hated it. Prog-rock sucks." - Dave Mathews

"Brian O'Connell? Do you mean the football player? " - Bill Bruford

"Too bad this guy didn't take my songwriting course." - Dave Grohl

Links



www.brianvincentoconnell.com



www.spontaneouscelebrations.org



www.thegrassgypsys.com



www.myspace.com/briefawakening


Contact: 

Brian O'Connell
617-94-8983
vinniechops at hotmail.com



 		 	   		   		 	   		  
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