Chesapeake Shakespeare Co Presents OUR TOWN, Tix On Sale 9/1

This fall, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Maryland's leading professional classic theatre company, will present Thornton Wilder's 1938 Pulitzer Prize winning play, Our Town, at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park. This timeless classic will be performed as a moveable production weekends in October.

Directed by Founding Artistic Director, Ian Gallanar, Our Town is a radical shift from last year's bloody hit, Titus Andronicus, but echoes the chilling intensity that is the hallmark of the moveable production.

Thornton Wilder's Our Town, centers on the lives of George Gibbs, a doctor's son, and Emily Webb, daughter of a newspaper editor, as they grow up, fall in love, and confront the darker side of the realities of life. The Stage Manager, played by CSC resident actor Dave Gamble will guide the audience through the fictitious town of Grover's Corners utilizing various locations of the former girl's school. The audience will become part of the play as they peek through windows, peer over balconies, or step aside to catch the action of a crowd scene in the courtyard.

Loyal fans of CSC will recognize many faces in the cast of Our Town: Michael Sullivan (Dr. Gibbs), Jenny Leopold (Mrs. Gibbs), Lesley Malin (Mrs. Webb), Dave Gamble (Stage Manager), Jamie Jager (Howie Newsome) and Frank Mancino (Professor Willard). Newcomers include: Noah Bird (George Gibbs), Kelsey Painter (Emily Webb), and Joan Crooks (Mrs. Somes).
Our Town is also something of a ghost story, with the last act set in a graveyard whose inhabitants either pity or are indifferent to those left behind, and whose most recent arrival is allowed to relive a day from her past. Perhaps the scene will inspire a sighting of Annie Van Derlot, the ghost of a former PFI resident who died of pneumonia during a harsh winter. Such sightings are rumored each year, and patrons are encouraged to bring flashlights for their own comfort and security.

Tickets for Our Town can be purchased online starting September 1, 2011, at www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com, by calling 410-313-866, or immediately prior to the performance at the site box office. Please note that due to limited capacity, patrons are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance. Groups of 10 or more, please call 410-313-8661. For general information, call the CSC offices at 410-313-8874.

For more information about Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, the upcoming season and educational tours, visit www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com. Or call 410-313-8874.

Mission: The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company creates performances and education programs out of great classic theatre. Classic plays can be awfully good, but only if they speak to their audience and the community in a way that is dynamic, personal, and pleasurable. We do plays that people like, and we perform them in innovative and intimate ways that intensify the connection between audiences and artists. We do this because we want to know what makes Shakespeare so great-and we ask our audience and our community to explore that question alongside us.