Firehouse Theatre to Stage THE ALIENS This Spring

Annie Baker's The Aliens begins its performance run at Firehouse Theatre on Thursday, April 16th as the final production in Firehouse's Season 21. The show runs through Saturday, May 16th. Baker won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for her play, The Flick.

Gary C. Hopper directs this humorous and theatrically poetic Obie award-winning play that features a pair of thirty-something dropouts who hang out behind the Green Sheep Coffee Shop and pass the time ruminating on music, philosophy, friendship, 'shrooms, and Charles Bukowski. When a teenage employee tells them to relocate, they decide to teach him everything they know.

Hopper most recently directed Mr. Dickens' Christmas Carol with Henley Street/ Richmond Shakespeare Theatre. Other notable directing projects include Assassins, The Boys Next Door, Spelling Bee with Theatre VCU, Of Mice and Men with Theatre IV, The God of Carnage with The Company of Fools, and Death and the Maiden with Henley Street/Richmond Shakespeare Theatre. Hopper was an Associate Professor of Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts, where he served as Assistant Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Now retired, Gary was a senior faculty member specializing in actor training.

The ensemble of The Aliens includes RVA performers, Ben Hill (Jasper), Maxwell Moore (KJ), and Denver Crawford (Evan). The production team includes Phil Hayes (scenic designer), Andrew Bonniwell (lighting designer), Liz Hopper (costume designer), Joey Luck (sound designer), Leilani Giles (music director), and Trey Tetreault (stage manager).

Box Office: (804) 355-2001 or online at www.firehousetheatre.org. Tickets: $15 - $35. Pay what you will Sundays. Evening performances at 8PM; Sunday matinee performances at 2PM. Free parking across the street at Lowe's

THE CAST:

Evan - Denver Crawford
Jasper - Ben Hill
KJ - Maxwell Moore

THE PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director - Gary C. Hopper

Costume Design - Liz Hopper

Light Design - Andrew Bonniwell

Scenic Design - Phil Hayes

Sound Design - Joey Luck

Music Director - Leilani Giles

Production Manager - Nata Moriconi

Stage Manager - Trey Tetreault

Master Carpenter - Greg Baum

Properties Master - Symora Thomas

Currently in its 21st Season and located in a former Station House No. 10, Firehouse produces contemporary plays in its intimate 110-seat space. Since 1993 Firehouse has premiered new plays, created and encouraged new work, hosted emerging and established artists from many disciplines, and has earned a reputation as a center for cutting-edge performance.

Artwork by Douglas Fuchs