WIT BRINGS PULITZER-PRIZE WINNING DRAMA TO TRIAD STAGE’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center presents Margaret Edson’s play in Winston-Salem Sept. 30 – Oct. 17, 2015

"This is not just a cancer play. Triad Stage realizes the deep heart and humor of Margaret Edson’s 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play on stage. Wit explores the human soul and celebrates what joins us together as one community. Dr. Vivian Bearing, an English professor and renowned John Donne scholar, has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is admitted to an experimental chemotherapy program at a teaching hospital. As she journeys through the medical system she begins to reassess her life and reinterpret her work. From doctors and nurses to friends and family, Vivian is transformed by those who help her navigate the challenges she must face. Wit runs September 30 – October 17, 2015. Opening Night is Saturday, October 3. Wit is presented by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

“This is drama, and a self-aware one at that, and the play will not allow Vivian, nor us, any distance,” says director Dani Keil. “At first we are one of witty intellectuals, detached scientists and bold researchers, but later our spirits are involved [in Vivian’s story].”

The creative team includes: director Dani Keil, scenic designer Fred Kinney, costume designer Sofia Gonzalez, lighting designer Norman Coates, and sound designer Taylor Dankovich. The dramaturg is Tamera Izler, Christine Morris is the resident vocal coach, Denise Gabrielis the resident movement coach, Jim Wren is the resident fight choreographer, Cindi Rush is the casting director, and the stage manager isLara Tenenbaum.

THE CAST

The cast includes Triad Stage alum Kate Goehring from The Glass Menagerie; The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead; and The Little Foxes as “Dr. Vivian Bearing.” Mark Coffin, seen earlier this year the New York Musical Theater Festival as “Hugh” in Wearing Black,for which he received an Outstanding Individual Performance award, makes his Triad Stage debut as “Dr. Harvey Kelekian.” Mari Vial-Golden, seen at Triad as “Amira Halabi” in last season’s Common Enemy, joins the cast as Vivian’s nurse “Susie Monahan,” and Jackson Moran makes his Triad Stage debut as medical resident “Dr. Jason Posner.” Alex Bodine, Brittany Polk, Chesley Polk, and Alysa Rambomake their Triad Stage debuts as the ensemble. Lesley Hunt, seen in Triad Stage’s Bell, Book and Candle and Tobacco Road, rounds out the cast.

Biographies of the cast and creative team, and more information on the production can be found online at www.triadstage.org.

PERFORMANCE AND SPECIAL EVENT INFORMATION

All performances are at Triad Stage at Hanesbrands Theatre, located at 209 Spruce St N in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (at the corner of Spruce St. and Second St.).

Show times for Wit are 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. Additional matinee performances will be on Wednesday, October 14 and Saturday, October 17. Performances for the following dates are sold out: October 7, October 8, October 15 and October 16.

Opening Night, sponsored by BB&T, is Saturday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can performances are Wednesday, September 30,and Wednesday, October 7, at 7:30 p.m. Wine Tasting Friday, sponsored by Bernard Robinson and Company, is Friday, October 2, prior to the evening’s 8:00 p.m. performance. Sunday, October 11, at 2:00 p.m. is the Audio Described and Sign Language Interpreted Performance, with Arts Access providing services for the visually impaired. Sign Interpreted services are provided by the Greensboro Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Technically Talking, a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the design team is Thursday, October 1, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. preview performance.

The InSight Series, the free humanities program sponsored by Pennybyrn at Maryfield, with a noted expert who will be discussing the world of the play will be held on Sunday, October 4, immediately following the 2:00 p.m. matinee performance. The Insight speaker will be Dr. Mary DeShazer, Professor Emerita of English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wake Forest University

PostScript, a lively, open discussion with the cast, will be held on Thursday, October 8, in The UpStage Cabaret immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance. The PostScript series is sponsored by Clifford Clendenin & O’Hale, LLP.

ABOUT TRIAD STAGE

Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in the Triad using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Blue Zoom, the North Carolina Arts Council, Arts Greensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.Wit is presented with support from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Triad Stage’s 15^th Anniversary Season continues in October with Deathtrap by Ira Levin, (October 18 – November 8, 2015); Vrooommm! a NASComedy by Janet Allard (January 27 – February 14, 2016 at the Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston-Salem); Radiunt Abundunt, a world premiere by Preston Lane with original music by Laurelyn Dossett (February 21 – March 13, 2016); an American classic Fences, by August Wilson (April 10 – May 1, 2016); and closing the season is a sexy comedy by Moliére, Don Juan (June 5 – 26, 2016).

For the holidays, Triad Stage presents the return of the family favorite Beautiful Star: An Appalachian Nativity (November 27 – December 24, 2015 in Greensboro) and the holiday classic A Christmas Carol (November 27 – December 24, 2015 in Winston-Salem).

Season Passes and single tickets are on sale now.

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journaland by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards^®, which named Triad Stage one of the top ten most promising theatres in the country as a recipient of the 2010 National Theatre Company Grant. Triad Stage has also earned accolades including “Best North Carolina Production of 2010” for The Glass Menagerie by Triangle Arts & Entertainment magazine; “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater” (nine years running), Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year” (2003, 2011), North Carolina Theatre Conference. 

To purchase tickets or for performance information on Wit, call the Triad Stage Box Office at 336.272.0160 or toll-free at 866.579.TIXX (8499), or visit www.triadstage.org."

- A Press Release

TRIAD STAGE BRINGS A TREASURED CLASSIC TO DOWNTOWN GREENSBORO

Carson McCullers’ The Member of the Wedding runs

 October 19 – November 9, 2014

(Greensboro, NC) — Triad Stage follows its smash hit The 39 Steps with a treasured American classic, The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers, directed by Preston Lane. Frankie is a 12-year old tomboy tired of her small Georgia town and longing for a world of adventure and romance. Despite forming a fragile bond with Bernice, a maid, and John Henry, her seven-year old cousin, Frankie dreams of running away with her brother and his new bride. From one of the South’s most daring writers comes this acclaimed portrait of a girl desperate for a place to belong. The Member of the Wedding runs October 19 – November 9, 2014. Opening Night is Friday, October 24.

about the production

In keeping with Triad Stage’s core value of fostering a unique Southern voice, Triad Stage Artistic Director and director of The Member of the Wedding, Preston Lane, believes that Carson McCullers is one of the finest of all Southern writers. “But I also believe her one of the finest of all 20th century writers,” he says. “She peeled back human skin both black and white to expose the longings and failings of particular people in particular places. Her words were too powerful to be limited to just one particular region. Like all great literature, The Member of the Wedding is more than a story, it is a key to understanding our human hearts.”

The creative team includes: director Preston Lane, scenic designer Howard C. Jones (Brother Wolf, Snow Queen, My Fair Lady), costume designer Bill Brewer (Snow Queen, Wait Until Dark, Trouble in Mind), lighting designer Masha Tsimring (Triad Stage debut) and sound designer Gabriel Clausen (The 39 Steps). The dramaturg is Bryan Conger, Robin Carr is the voice and dialect coach, Jeremy A. McCamish is the automation designer, Denise Gabriel is the movement director, Jim Wren is the fight director, Cindi Rush is the casting director, and the stage manager is Emily J. Mails.

The Cast

The cast includes a mix of local and New York actors, UNCG students and more than a few local children. Cassandra Lowe Williams, best known to Triad Stage audiences from her one-woman performance of Ethel Waters: His Eye is on the Sparrow in 2010, portrays Bernice, a maid. Recent Syracuse University graduate, Erin Schmidt, makes her Triad Stage debut, as Frankie Addams, the 12-year old tomboy. Tim Rush, last seen in The Little Foxes at Triad Stage, is her father. DeSean Stokes, a New York actor raised in Fayetteville, returns home to North Carolina to play Honey Camden Brown. Local actors Junious Leak (A Christmas Carol, 2010-2012) and Sallie Hayes-Williams (Triad Stage debut) round out the adult cast as T.T. Williams and Sis Laura respectively. UNCG students Tyler Barnhardt (All’s Well that Ends Well) and Brooke Bradley (Triad Stage debut) are Frankie’s older brother Jarvis and his soon-to-be-wife, Janice. Julie Robles, also from UNCG, is John Henry’s mother. Nine-year old Aidan Armstrong makes his Triad Stage debut as John Henry West.  Mary Brown, Ethan McKinney, Kayla Rafkin and Kimmie Yokley, all making their Triad Stage debuts, round out the ensemble of children.

Biographies of the cast and creative team, and more information on the production can be found online at www.triadstage.org.

Performance and special event information

Tickets for Preview performances of The Member of the Wedding on October 19, 21, 22, and 23, are all $26 each. From Opening Night, October 24, through the run of the production, single ticket prices range from $10 to $48. Prices vary depending on the day of the week and seat location desired.

All performances are at Triad Stage at The Pyrle Theater, located at 232 South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina (between Market and Washington Streets).

Show times for The Member of the Wedding are 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. There are no matinee performances during previews.

Pay-What-You-Can performances are Tuesday, October 28, and Wednesday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m. Wine Tasting Friday is Friday, October 31, prior to the evening’s 8:00 p.m. performance. Tuesday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m. is Accessibility Night, with services provided by the Greensboro Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Arts Access providing services for the visually impaired.

Technically Talking, a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the design team is Tuesday, October 21, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. preview performance.

The InSight Series, the free humanities program with a noted expert who will be discussing the world of the play will be held on Sunday, October 26, immediately following the 2:00 p.m. matinee performance. For The Member of the Wedding, Courtney George, Director of the Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians, a small arts center housed in southern writer McCullers’ childhood home in Columbus, Georgia, will be speaking.

PostScript, a lively, open discussion with the cast, will be held on Thursday, October 30, in The UpStage Cabaret immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance. The PostScript series is sponsored by Locke T. Clifford and Andrew C. Clifford.

About Triad Stage

Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in Greensboro using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Blue Zoom, the North Carolina Arts Council, Arts Greensboro and The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. The Member of the Wedding is made possible with support from Bernard Robinson and Company, LLP.

Triad Stage’s 2014-2015 Season at The Pyrle in Greensboro continues with the return of  Snow Queen, an original production by Preston Lane with original music by Laurelyn Dossett, (November 28 – December 21, 2014); Dirty Blonde by Claudia Shear with original score by Bob Stillman (January 25 – February 15, 2015); the Southern comedy Crimes of the Heart, by Beth Henley (April 5 – 26, 2015); and closing the season is a world premiere drama by Preston Lane, Common Enemy (June 7 – 28, 2015).

Triad Stage’s 2014-2015 Season at the Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston-Salem continues with Preston Lane’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol (December 3 – 21, 2014); a contemporary comic drama by Jon Robin Baitz Other Desert Cities (February 11 – March 1, 2015); and Abundance, a wild western by Beth Henley (May 6 – 24, 2015)

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journal and by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards^®, which named Triad Stage one of the top ten most promising theatres in the country as a recipient of the 2010 National Theatre Company Grant. Triad Stage has also earned accolades including “Best North Carolina Production of 2010” for The Glass Menagerie by Triangle Arts & Entertainment magazine; “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater” (nine years running), Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year” (2003, 2011), North Carolina Theatre Conference. 

To purchase tickets or for performance information on The Member of the Wedding, call the Triad Stage Box Office at 336.272.0160 or toll-free at 866.579.TIXX (8499), or visit www.triadstage.org.

###

CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:

Triad Stage presents

The Member of the Wedding

by Carson McCullers

directed by Preston Lane

October 19 – November 9, 2014

Performed at The Pyrle Theater
232 South Elm Street
Greensboro, NC 27401

Frankie is a 12-year old tomboy tired of her small Georgia town and longing for a world of adventure and romance. Despite forming a fragile bond with Bernice, a maid, and John Henry, her seven-year old cousin, Frankie dreams of running away with her brother and his new bride. From one of the South’s most daring writers comes this acclaimed portrait of a girl desperate for a place to belong.

For tickets:

Phone: (336) 272-0160

Toll-free: (866) 579-TIXX (8499)

Box Office hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Online: www.triadstage.org
Ticket prices: $10 – $48, depending on performance date and seat location

Group tickets:

Call (336) 274-0067 ext. 221

Email: groupsales@triadstage.org

Ticket discounts: Groups of 10 – 49, 25% off; Groups of 50+, 35% off

Educators’ 20% discount tickets:

Current school teachers and professors receive a 20% discount off regular price tickets to all performances. A valid school employee ID or proof of employment must be presented to Box Office when picking up tickets. Subject to availability. Some restrictions apply.

Call: (336) 272-0160 or toll-free (866) 579-TIXX

            Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Ticket prices: $10 – $41.60, depending on performance date and seat location

$10 Student Rush tickets:

Current students with valid school ID may purchase tickets for $10. Student Rush tickets are only available at the Triad Stage Box Office one hour before each performance. Subject to availability. Some restrictions apply.

$10 Gallery Seats:

A limited number of $10 general admission gallery seats are available for each performance.

Call: (336) 272-0160 or toll-free (866) 579-TIXX

            Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Also available at the Box Office for walk-up sales.

The Member of the Wedding performance dates:

Sunday, October 19 7:30 p.m. 1^st Preview

Tuesday, October 21 7:30 p.m. Preview/ “Technically Talking” post-show discussion

Wednesday, October 22 7:30 p.m. Preview

Thursday, October 23 7:30 p.m. Preview

Friday, October 24 8:00 p.m. Opening Night with post-show lobby party

Saturday, October 25 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 26 2:00 p.m. “InSight Series” post-show discussion

Sunday, October 26 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 28 7:30 p.m. “Pay-What-You-Can” performance

Wednesday, October 29 7:30 p.m. “Pay-What-You-Can” performance

Thursday, October 30 7:30 p.m. “PostScript” post-show discussion

Friday, October 31 8:00 p.m. Pre-Show Wine Tasting event

Saturday, November 1 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 2 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 2 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 4 7:30 p.m. Sign Interpreted and Audio Described performance

Wednesday, November 5 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 6 7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 7 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 8 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 9 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 9 7:30 p.m. Closing performance

All’s Well that Ends Well runs June 8-29; Opening Night June 13

Pictured: Anthony Michael Martinez, Kim Wong and

John Herrera. Photo by VanderVeen Photographers.

By Megan Mabry

Triad Stage

Triad Stage’s Lucky 13^th Season closes with Shakespeare re-invented.  Directed by Triad Stage artistic director, Preston Lane, All’s Well that Ends Well brings the magic, romance, betrayal and war of Europe in the 1920s to Triad Stage. She loves him. He doesn’t even notice she’s alive. And so begins one of theater’s greatest romances. It’s a wild journey of risks, magic, war, traps, betrayal and true love. A sick king is cured of his deadly disease. A brave young woman is given the husband of her choice. An unhappy groom flees for the foreign wars. A woman refuses to take no for an answer. Filled with comedy, love, bold plans, dirty tricks and brilliantly drawn characters, All’s Well that Ends Well is Shakespeare done Triad Stage style—a classic re-invented. All’s Well that Ends Well runs June 8 through June 29, 2014. Opening Night is Friday, June 13. The production is sponsored by The Fresh Market. with additional support from CityView at Southside, Compass Financial Partners, LLC, Volvo Financial Services and WellSpring.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

All’s Well that Ends Well marks Triad Stage’s first production of the works of William Shakespeare. “Redemption, loss, death, love, sin and deception weave together to create a comedy of forgiveness,” states Triad Stage artistic director and director of All’s Well, Preston Lane. Seen as one of Shakespeare’s “Problem Plays,” the play has been embraces by modern scholars as one of Shakespeare’s most modern and complex tales. “Shakespeare’s play is set in a time of incredible change. An old order is passing away as a new order struggles to take its place. We have found a parallel to this world in an imagined Europe of the 1920s. A world of great change, civil wars and enormous future,” explains Lane.

Lane has assembled a cast of returning Triad Stage favorites and entirely new faces. John Herrera, Anthon Michael Martinez, David Ryan Smith and Kim Wong all make their Triad Stage debut. Beth Ritson (A Christmas Carol, Steel Magnolias, The Night of the Iguana), Cinny Strickland (Snow Queen, Steel Magnolias, Beautiful Star) and Jeffery West (dir. RED, The Woman in Black) all return to Triad Stage. University of North Carolina Greensboro, BFA acting candidates Tyler Barnhardt, Alex Cioffi, DeAndre’ Hicks, Chloe Clark Oliver, Madelynn Poulson, Sibél Turkdamar, Brady Wease and Lee Wilson all make their Triad Stage debut as part of the annual THTR 232 Festival co-produced by Triad Stage and UNCG Theatre.

The creative team includes: scenic designer Robin Vest (Black Pearl Sings, The Diary of Anne Frank, Brother Wolf (2006)), costume designer Bill Brewer (Snow Queen, Wait Until Dark, Kingdom of Earth), lighting designer Robert Perry (Julie’s Dance, Steel Magnolias) and sound designer David E. Smith (Brother Wolf (2014), Snow Queen, Tennessee Playboy). The voice and text coach is Christine Morris, the dramaturg is Bryan Conger and Jim Wren is the resident fight director. Cindi Rush is the casting director and the stage manager is Emily J. Mails.

Biographies of the cast and creative team, and more information on the production can be found online at www.triadstage.org.