From: Arizona Theatre Company [mailto:jkozemczak@arizonatheatre.org]
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 2:16 PM
Subject: Press Release: SMASH HIT BROADWAY COMEDY GOD OF CARNAGE MAKES SOUTHWEST PREMIERE AT ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY
Smash Hit Broadway Comedy GOD OF CARNAGE Makes Southwest Premiere at Arizona Theatre Company
2009 Tony Award winner for Best Play rewards bad behavior in a good way
From political correctness to character assassination, bad behavior has never been so good (or hilarious) as in Arizona Theatre Company's God of Carnage, winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play. Written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton this production makes its Southwest premiere in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art and runs from October 22 - November 12, 2011. It continues its run in Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center from November 17 - December 4, 2011. God of Carnage is sponsored in part by Shirley Estes. Arizona Theatre Company's season sponsors are I. Michael and Beth Kasser.
"Sticks and stones can break my bones"... but when Benjamin hits Henry at a nearby park, it starts two sets of parents on a comically explosive downhill slide destined for debauchery. In this universally acclaimed new comedy by the author of Art, adults come together for a civilized evening of coffee, cake and conversation about their kids. But frayed nerves soon surface and the grownups begin to outdo their pugnacious children in bad behavior and moral corruption, disproving the notion that "words can never hurt me." God of Carnage is a hilariously harrowing look at the minefield of modern marriage. God of Carnage contains mature language.
"It's a special joy to work on a play that isn't afraid to have its characters behave horribly and savagely - but only in the most delicious and hilarious ways," said Director Rick Lombardo. "And I know in this company we have four fearless actors who are going to take us along on this very wild comic ride. As the audience watches these two 'highly civilized' couples devolve into practically Neanderthal behavior over a simple dispute, we are reminded how very close to the caveman we may all still be."
YASMINA REZA (Playwright) is a French playwright and novelist, based in Paris, whose works have all been multi-award-winning, critical and popular international successes, produced worldwide and translated into 35 languages. She has written seven plays including Art (produced by ATC in 2000), The Unexpected Man, Life X 3, A Spanish Play and How You Talk The Game. She has also written six novels including Hammerklavier, Une Desolation (Desolation) and Nulle part. Her films include Le Pique-Nique de Lulu Kreutz and Chicas, written and directed by the author.
CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON (Translator) is an author whose plays, musicals, and translations have garnered three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard Awards, and the New York Theatre Critics Circle Award. His plays include the English translation of Art, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Treats, Savages, The Philanthropist, Total Eclipse and When Did You Last See My Mother? He has written the screenplays for Atonement, Imagining Argentina, The Quiet American, The Secret Agent, Mary Reilly, Carrington, Total Eclipse, Dangerous Liaisons, Wolf at the Door, The Good Father, The Honorary Consul, Tales from the Vienna Woods and A Doll's House.
RICK LOMBARDO (Director) is in his fourth season as Artistic Director at San Jose Repertory Theatre, where he has directed Spring Awakening, Love in American Times, The Dresser, Black Pearl Sings!, The Weir and As You Like It. He was formerly the Artistic Director for 13 years at the New Repertory Theatre. He has also directed award-winning productions of The Clean House, Sweeney Todd, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ragtime, Waiting for Godot, and The Weir. Mr. Lombardo also directed at Opera Boston, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, and Actors Shakespeare Project, among others. He was previously Artistic Director of the Players Guild in Ohio, Co-Director of the theatre program at Fordham University's College at Lincoln Center, as well as Founding Artistic Director of the Stillwaters Theatre Company in New York City.
The cast for God of Carnage includes BOB SORENSON (Michael) who returns to ATC after having recently appeared in The Mystery of Irma Vep. Other ATC credits include The Pajama Game, I Am My Own Wife, Permanent Collection, Over the Moon, Fully Committed, Ghosts, Art, How I Learned to Drive, Scapin, Swinging on a Star, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Noises Off. His other Arizona credits include Actors Theatre of Phoenix, Southwest Shakespeare Company and Phoenix Theatre. AMY RESNICK (Veronica) returns to ATC after appearing in Pride and Prejudice and For Better or Worse. Recent credits include Collapse and Laramie: Ten Years Later, Why We Have a Body, House of Yes and Hidden In This Picture. Her television and film credits include Law & Order, Picket Fences, Midnight Caller, Back To the Streets of San Francisco, Paper Dolls, The Paper Chase, Haiku Tunnel, The Californians and Love & Taxes.
Making their ATC debut are BENJAMIN EVETT (Alan) who is the Founding Artistic Director of the Actors' Shakesepare Project in Boston. Mr. Evett was a member of the Resident Company at American Repertory Theatre where he performed in over 50 productions, including Waiting for Godot, Phaedra, The Bacchae, Six Characters in Search of an Author, among others. His regional credits include Huntington Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Hartford Stage, Missouri Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Play House, and many others. Internationally, he has performed at the Festivale Biennale in Venice, the Festival d'Automne in Paris, at the Taiwan National Theatre and The Moscow Art Theatre; and JOEY PARSONS (Annette) who appeared Off-Broadway in The Misanthrope, Wittenberg, A Little Journey and Secrets of a Soccer Mom. Regionally, she has performed in dozens of productions some of which include Fifty Words, Dear Sara Jane, Rabbit Hole, Dead Man's Cell Phone, The Shape of Things, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Tempest, Two Gentlemen of Verona, As You like It and Richard III.
The creative team includes KENT DORSEY (Scenic Designer) who returns to ATC where he was the Scenic Designer for Enchanted April, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, For Better or Worse, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Work Song, How the Other Half Loves, Glengarry Glen Ross, Arms and the Man, Steel Magnolias, The Tempest, My Fair Lady and The Rainmaker. Mr. Dorsey has designed scenery and/or lighting on over 95 productions for The Old Globe. He has also designed for most of the major resident theatre companies; KISH FINNEGAN (Costume Designer) has been with Arizona Theatre Company since 1989 and is the Costume Design Manager. Her ATC costume designs include Woody Guthrie's American Song, [title of show], The Kite Runner, Hair, Touch the Names, Molly's Delicious, Tuesdays with Morrie, Copenhagen, and 2 Pianos 4 Hands, among many others; DAVID LEE CUTHBERT (Lighting Designer) returns to Arizona Theatre Company where he designed Lost in Yonkers, The Kite Runner and Enchanted April. His Broadway credits include 700 Sundays. Regional credits include Spring Awakening, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Groundswell, Rabbit Hole, Hannah and Martin, Legacy of Light and The Dresser. His work has appeared at regional theatres including Arena Stage, American Repertory Theater, Asolo Rep, California Shakespeare, Opera San Jose, Magic Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, and Intiman Theatre, among many others; BRIAN JEROME PETERSON (Resident Sound Designer) celebrates his 26th season at ATC, where he has designed 69 productions, most recently, the world premieres of Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of The Suicide Club. His designs have been heard in many theatres including Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Cleveland Play House, Northlight Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville and San Jose Repertory Theatre; TIMOTHY TOOTHMAN is the Production Stage Manager.
God of Carnage is a co-production with San Jose Repertory Theatre, where it will play from March 22 - April 15, 2012.
The Tucson media sponsors for the 2011-2012 Season are KGUN9, MIXFM and Tucson Lifestyle.
Arizona Theatre Company offers accessibility services for patrons with disabilities for select performances. Audio Description provides patrons with vision loss a running audio description of the movement and activities onstage through an infrared broadcast system. An Audio-Described performance is offered on November 10 at 2:00 PM. Interested patrons with vision loss may request a tactile tour one hour prior to curtain. American Sign Language Interpretation is presented by professional, theatrically-trained ASL-interpreters for people who have deafness or hearing impairment. An ASL-interpreted performance is offered on November 10 at 7:30 PM. Open-captioning allows patrons to read the play's dialogue on an LED screen as the play progresses. An open-captioned performance is offered on November 10 at 2:00 PM. For open-captioned or ASL-interpreted performances, patrons should request seats best suited to ASL interpretation or captioning when purchasing tickets. Large print and Braille playbills and infrared listening amplification devices are also available at every ATC performance with reservation. TTY access for the box office is available in Tucson at (520) 884-9723 or via Arizona Relay at (800) 367-8939 (TTY/ASCII).
Adult tickets start at $31 depending on date and section choice and are available at www.arizonatheatre.org or by calling the box office at (520) 622-2823. Discounts are available for seniors and active military on specific performance days. $10 student ticket pricing is now available for all performances. Half-price rush tickets are available for balcony seating for all performances one hour prior to curtain at the ATC box office (subject to availability). Ten Dollar Tuesday for God of Carnage is October 25 at 7:30 PM. Balcony seats for this preview performance are available for a suggested $10 donation. (Tickets must be purchased at the ATC box office starting at 10 AM on October 25. Seating is first-come first served and is not guaranteed. Cash only, please. Two tickets per person maximum.) For discounts on groups of eight or more, call (520) 622-2823.
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