Gulfshore Playhouse Continues Seventh Season with THE WHIPPING MAN, Beginning 3/14

Gulfshore Playhouse continues their spectacular seventh season with the Civil War period drama The Whipping Man, playing March 15 through 30, with a $25 preview performance March 14.

Set in 1865 after the Civil War is over, throughout the south, slaves are being freed, soldiers are returning home and in Jewish homes, the annual celebration of Passover is being celebrated. Three men are at a crossroads - a Jewish Confederate soldier who has returned from battle and his two former slaves, who remain at his abandoned plantation. As the three men reunite to celebrate Passover, they wrestle with their shared past and the reality of the new world in which they find themselves. The Whipping Man is an intense play about redemption and forgiveness, about the lasting scars of slavery and the responsibility that comes with freedom.

The Whipping Man will be directed by guest director Matt Pfeiffer. He also directed this production at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia in October 2011. Matt is a Philly born actor and director who serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Exile. Other recent directing credits include; A Moon for the Misbegotten (Arden Theatre)The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Aliens, and The Edge of Our Bodies (Theatre Exile) Mistakes Were Made (1812 Productions) and HONK! (Two River Theatre).

"When I saw Matt Pfeiffer's original production of The Whipping Man, I knew I wanted to produce it and I'm so happy that Matt was willing to helm this production once again." says Founder and Producing Artistic Director Kristen Coury.

Gulfshore Playhouse Artistic Associate Cody Nickell and Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. both appeared in the Arden production as Caleb and Simon, respectively.

Gulfshore Playhouse audiences will remember Cody Nickell on stage in April 2011's Blithe Spirit and from this season's productions of 'Art' and The Importance of Being Earnest. Cody also directed God of Carnage. Other theatre credits include: Folger Theatre: The Taming of the Shrew (Helen Hayes Nomination), Arcadia (Helen Hayes Nomination), The School for Scandal, Macbeth; Woolly Mammoth: Clybourne Park (Helen Hayes Nomination), In The Next Room, or the vibrator play. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama, Cody is a three-time Helen Hayes Award nominee and the winner of The Connecticut Critics' Circle Award.

Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. is a tenured associate professor at the Ira Brind School of Theatre Arts at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The three-time Barrymore nominee has played key roles in many of Freedom Theatre's most critically acclaimed productions. Most notably: Black Nativity, Black Picture Show, Simply Heavenly with Melba Moore and Zooman and the Sign with Virginia Capers (Los Angeles Premier). Film credits include: The In-Crowd, Twelve Monkeys, Snipes, Up Close and Personal, The Wire, and Rocky Balboa.

Biko Eisen-Martin will play John. Biko most recently played the role of John in The Whipping Man at The Actors Theatre of Louisville. His other theatre credits include: Topdog/Underdog, (Marin Theatre Company) Brother Size, Love's Labours Lost, Three Sisters (Chautauqua Theatre Company); Ruined, The Liar, To Kill a Mockingbird, Christmas Carol, Taming of the Shrew (Denver Center Theatre Company); King Lear, Our Town, Taming of the Shrew (Colorado Shakespeare Festival).

On March 24th, our Synergy Series panel discussion will include panelists Rabbi Adam F. Miller of Temple Shalom in Naples and Harold Weeks, the President of the NAACP of Collier County. The panel will engage in lively discourse with our audiences about the play's themes and topics. Everyone is welcome to join us for an informative, interesting and interactive panel discussion following the 3:00 p.m. matinee (approximately 5:00 p.m.) Admission is free and you do not need a ticket to the matinee to attend the discussion.

Gulfshore Playhouse has announced its 2013-2014 season with five diverse productions, including a world premiere! Early bird subscriptions are available until February 28. The season includes: Something Intangible, the new spin on a classic holiday tale Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, the world premiere drama The God Game, from the author of The Fox on the Fairway, Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot and the Arthur Miller classic All My Sons. Subscriptions and single tickets are available now.

Take advantage of our exclusive dinner deal with The Chapel Grill. This seasonal menu features three courses plus a glass of wine or champagne for just $29.95! Reservations can be made between 5:00 - 6:15 p.m. To take advantage of this special dinner deal, Gulfshore Playhouse patrons must call The Chapel Grill for reservations at (239) 206-4310 and provide their Gulfshore Playhouse e-mail ticket confirmation when they visit the restaurant. This deal is valid only on the date a patron is attending a Gulfshore Playhouse production.

Gulfshore Playhouse is Naples' first and finest professional theatre company offering a variety of stimulating, thought-provoking and entertaining productions from important classics to Broadway hits and innovative new works. Our shows are conceived and created in-house using a team of professional designers and technicians as well as Equity actors with credits ranging from Broadway shows to film and television.

The Gulfshore Playhouse Theatre Education Project serves Southwest Florida through a wide variety of unique educational opportunities. Our programming provides people from our diverse community accessibility to the art of theatre. Program offerings range from ART SMART, our in-school residencies which teach content curriculum through the lively art of theatre during the school day, to the STAR (Student Theatre Artist in Residence) after-school theatre classes and Theatre Summer Camps. We offer a variety of educational opportunities for adults, from rigorous internship programs to Professional Training Series workshops taught by professional actors and members of the Gulfshore Playhouse creative team, and our newly unveiled Synergy Series, a series of panel discussions and talk-backs relating to our Mainstage productions.

Gulfshore Playhouse's production of The Whipping Man will play March 15 through 30, with a $25 preview performance on March 14. Single tickets start at $33. Half-price tickets are available for all matinee performances one-half hour before the show. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 1-866-811-4111 or visiting our website at www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org.