Two River Theater Presents Ethan Lipton's NO PLACE TO GO, 10/6-11/4

Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, continues its 2012-2013 Season with Ethan Lipton's No Place to Go, a musical composed by Ethan Lipton, Eben Levy, Ian M. Riggs, and Vito Dieterle and performed by Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra. The production is directed by Two River Associate Artist Leigh Silverman. Performances will begin on Saturday, October 6 and continue through Sunday, November 4 in Two River's Marion Huber Theater, which has been transformed into a cabaret space for this production, with food and beverages from et al fine food available for purchase at each performance. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or www.trtc.org.

The corporation where he's worked for the past 10 years is moving to another planet, and Ethan Lipton doesn't want to go. The work of a truly original American theater artist, No Place to Go is a deeply compassionate musical ode to America's work force, steeped in musical traditions including jazz, blues, folk, country, and lounge. Capturing the vagaries of everyday life with wry humor and universal appeal, No Place to Go is a love letter to friends, family, and country.

No Place to Go is performed by Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra, which includes Eben Levy (guitar), Ian M. Riggs (upright bass), and Vito Dieterle (sax), a trio that has been playing with him for seven years. The band has released five albums, including a studio recording of No Place to Go. Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra received an Obie Award for the show, which was commissioned and originally produced by Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.

Working with director Leigh Silverman and her design team, including scenic designer Rachael Hauck, and lighting designer Ben Stanton, Two River Theater has transformed its flexible Marion Huber performance space into an intimate music club with cabaret-style seating for this production. Local restaurant et al fine food & events, a catering and event-planning company founded by executive chef Kimberly Ramin, will create a special menu, with food and beverages available for purchase beginning one hour before show time at every performance. For more information about et al, visit etalfinefood.com.

"Ethan Lipton combines the qualities of an 'old-timey' musician and a great contemporary downtown jazz artist," says Artistic Director John Dias. "He brings a truly unique sensibility to his work both as a playwright and with his Orchestra, a trio of fantastic musicians. One of the things I love about No Place is that it gets to the heart of what it means to be a 'working artist.' To produce this unconventional musical, we invited Leigh Silverman and our designers to open up the possibilities of the Marion Huber Theater in an exciting way, both for the theater and our audiences."

Ethan Lipton's new play Red-Handed Otter is running at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York through October 6, produced by Playwrights Realm. His play Luther was produced as part of the 2012 Clubbed Thumb Summerworks Festival. His plays have been seen and heard in New York, Los Angeles, Edinburgh (Scotland), and Berne (Austria), and at The Public, Lark Play Development Center, 3LD, HERE Arts Center, and other theaters. He is a winner of a Drama-Logue Award for playwriting, and he has been a Kesselring Prize nominee and a member of The Public Theater's inaugural Emerging Writers Group. As a performer, Ethan has collaborated with Laurie Anderson, Matt Berninger of the National, Elevator Repair Service, and dance company El Gato Teatro.

Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra is comprised of Ethan Lipton (vox), Eben Levy (guitar), Ian M. Riggs (bass), and Vito Dieterle (sax). Lipton writes the words and melodies, and together the quartet turns them into music. A band since 2005, Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra has released five albums (including the soundtrack to No Place to Go) and played throughout New York and beyond (Joe's Pub, Bryant Park, Celebrate Brooklyn, MASS MoCA, Camden Opera House). The band was dubbed the city's "Best Lounge Act" by New York Magazine and has been featured on radio shows such as NPR's "Weekend Edition," PRI's "The World," and WNYC's "Soundcheck."

Obie Award-winner Leigh Silverman directed the Broadway productions of David Henry Hwang's Chinglish and Lisa Kron's Well. Her other world-premiere productions include Kron's In the Wake (Center Theatre Group/Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Public Theater) and David Greenspan's Go Back to Where You Are (Playwrights Horizons), as well as No Place to Go at Joe's Pub. She is currently directing Hwang's Golden Child for Signature Theatre.

The creative team for No Place to Go includes scenic designer Rachel Hauck; lighting designer Ben Stanton; and sound designer ACME Sound Partners. The stage manager is Laura Wilson.

New this season, Two River has introduced a limited number of $20 tickets for every performance, with no restrictions on when or by whom the tickets can be purchased. Other tickets range from $45 to $70, with discounts available for groups, seniors, students, and patrons aged 30 and under. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or www.trtc.org. 

To reserve wheelchair-accessible seating or tickets for an accessible performance, patrons should call 732.345.1400.

Calendar

Saturday, October 6 at 8pm
Sunday, October 7 at 3pm
Wednesday, October 10 at 7pm
Thursday, October 11 at 8pm
Friday, October 12 at 8pm
Saturday, October 13 at 3pm and 8pm
Sunday, October 14 at 3pm
Tuesday, October 16 at 8pm
Wednesday, October 17 at 1pm and 7pm
Thursday, October 18 at 8pm
Friday, October 19 at 8pm
Saturday, October 20 at 3pm and 8pm
Sunday, October 21 at 3pm
Wednesday, October 24 at 1pm and 7pm
Thursday, October 25 at 8pm
Friday, October 26 at 8pm
Saturday, October 27 at 3pm and 8pm
Sunday, October 28 at 3pm
Wednesday, October 31 at 1pm and 7pm
Thursday, November 1 at 8pm
Friday, November 2 at 8pm
Saturday, November 3 at 3pm and 8pm
Sunday, November 4 at 3pm

TWO RIVER THEATER COMPANY, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, is dedicated to producing great classics from the American and world stage, creating new plays and musicals for the American theater, and serving its diverse and multigenerational community through unique partnerships and education programs. Founded in 1994 by Joan and Dr. Robert M. Rechnitz, the theater supports the most exceptional and adventurous artists in the American theater and provides opportunities for its audiences to be part of the creative process. Two River Theater is a member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, and ArtPride New Jersey, and has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.