Boston Marathon Documentary Play FINISH LINE Opens This Week

Presented by the Boch Center in association with Boston Theater Company, the world premiere of Finish Line: A Documentary Play About the 2013 Boston Marathon opens this week at the Shubert Theatre. The play runs from March 15 - 26, 2017.

Directed by Joey Frangieh, Finish Line brings a local story of recovery, resilience, and determination center stage. Through a transcript created verbatim from dozens of interviews, Finish Line uses powerful firsthand accounts to show how a community came together to heal and grow stronger after a tragic act of violence. Co-created by Frangieh and Lisa Rafferty, the documentary style production features interviews from Liz Norden, mother of two sons injured in the bombings, WCVB news anchor Maria Stephanos, Massachusetts General Hospital trauma surgeon Dr. David R. King, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, 1976 Marathon winner Jack Fultz, and Boston Globe photographer John Tlumacki, among many others.

"Finish Line is unlike any other production we've ever presented - this is documentary theater, using the real words of the heroes who arose from the tragic events of April 15, 2013," said Josiah A. Spaulding, President & CEO of the Boch Center. "Together with Boston Theater Company, we're telling the story of Boston Strong and Boston Kind. We are truly humbled and grateful for widespread support we've received for this project-from foundations, businesses, media partners, and individuals."

Finish Line has been generously supported by Highland Street Foundation, Cummings Foundation, The Boston Foundation, the Boch Family, Polar Beverages, the Walter Suskind Memorial Fund, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, WBTS-TV, NECN, WCVB Channel 5, the Boston Globe, KISS 108, Mix 104.1, WBZ NewsRadio 1030, Overdrive, and CMT Media. $3.00 of every ticket sold will be donated to support the Martin Richard Foundation and Martin's Park.

"Finish Line is a project created for and by our community," said Director Joey Frangieh. "We have all been united by the desire to honor and remember those we lost, to celebrate the real-life heroes that arose, and to reinforce that even in the most dire of circumstances, we will always choose love. More than 500 Bostonians have come together to create this one piece of art."

The cast of 12 features 10 local actors, including Karen MacDonald (Liz Norden, Paula McLaughlin) and Paula Plum (Maria Stephanos, Carol Downing). The cast also includes Danny Bolton (John Tlumacki), Ed Hoopman (Richard Webster, Justin Stratton), Tonasia Jones (Lee Ann Yani), Amie Lytle (Erika Brannock), Greg Maraio (Harry McEnerny), Omar Robinson (Officer Franklin), Katy Sullivan (Dr. Jane Montgomery), Sam Tanabe (Brad Jensen), Lewis D. Wheeler (Dr. David R. King), and RISE singers Rachel Belleman/Gigi Watson. Each will bring to life the real words of individuals who were interviewed for the play, including survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, runners, doctors, police officers, journalists, clergy, students, and many others.

The creative team for Finish Line includes Jeff Adelberg (scenic and lighting designer), Doug Hammer (music director), Tyler Kinney (costume designer), Alycia Marucci (stage manager), Bridget Kathleen O'Leary (production dramaturg), David Remedios (sound designer), and Jo Williams (associate producer).

Tickets are on sale now at the Boch Center Box Office, Bochcenter.org or by calling (866) 348-9738. For more about the production, visit bochcenter.org/finishline2017.

The Boch Center is one of the nation's leading nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic Wang and Shubert Theatres. As New England's largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway musicals, family entertainment, and more.

Located in Boston's historic Theater District, the Boch Center also offers a diverse mix of educational and community outreach initiatives, including the City Spotlights Leadership Program and ArtWeek Boston; collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater Boston's arts and cultural community. Learn more at bochcenter.org.

Boston Theater Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to celebrating and exploring language in theater, creating modern innovative productions and educational outreach for our city. Operating outside of a traditional season model, we take the time to craft each year individually with our project-based programming, striving for higher production values over quantity of projects and grounding ourselves in a firm belief in the importance of the story we're telling. In all of our projects, we hope to honor and explore the beauty of language and the necessity of theatre as a tool for telling and preserving stories. Comprised of young Boston-based artists who are passionate about collaboration, hard work, and taking risks, we work to use our resources and skills to create new art and produce classical work in fresh ways, while developing future artists with our expansive education program. As we continue to find our voice and evolve as a company, we invite you to view us, educate with us, and join us in bringing important stories to the stage. For more information, visit www.BostonTheater.org.

Photo Credit: Paul Marotta