Orfeo Group Sings LOVE SONG, 8/4-27

From August 4 through August 27, 2011, as part of the Charlestown Working Theater's Resident Artists Program, Orfeo Group will present the Boston premiere of John Kolvenbach's 2007 Olivier Award-winning play Love Song.

Orfeo Group is thrilled to be back on the boards this summer at a new (and, ahem, air- conditioned!) venue. Despite the change of locale, one thing remains the same: the Group's commitment to high quality theatre at low-or-no cost to audiences. Tickets for Friday-Sunday performances are $20. Thanks to the generosity of local donors, Thursday nights mark the return of the "OR-FREE-O" show and are completely free of charge.

Beane is alone, an exile from life. His sister Joan and brother-in-law Harry try to reach him but keep coming up short. Following a burglary at Beane's apartment, Joan is baffled to find her brother blissfully happy and tries to unravel the mystery behind his new love, Molly. An ode to the possibilities of love, John Kolvenbach's comedy celebrates the (re)emergence of love in (un)likely places and (un)expected ways.

Orfeo Group Artistic Director Risher Reddick directs Love Song, which features a quartet of Orfeo Group founders and favorites: Daniel Berger-Jones (Harry), Liz Hayes (Joan), Gabriel Kuttner (Beane) and Georgia Lyman (Molly). All four actors are members of Actors' Equity Association and Love Song marks Orfeo Group's first full AEA production. Orfeo Group is the recipient of two Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Fringe Production: Look Back in Anger (2009 -- starring Berger-Jones, Hayes, Lyman & Reddick and directed by Kuttner) and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (WOWSA) (2010 -- starring Berger-Jones, Kuttner & Reddick and produced by Lyman and founding company member Caleb Jon Magoon).

Playwright John Kolvenbach is the author of on an average day, Gizmo Love, The Gravity of Means and Fabuloso. His plays have received productions at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, MCC Theater in New York, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater and Merrimack Repertory Theatre.

The design team includes previous Orfeo Group collaborators Cristina Todesco (scenic), Katherine O'Neill (costumes) and Peter Bayne (sound) with Orfeo newcomer Jennifer Rock (lighting). Ryan Anderson is the Production Stage Manager and Victoria S. Coady is Producer.

Orfeo Group is also proud to announce extension programming surrounding their production of Love Song, as they did with the Community Bard-B-Q and nightly Preludes by local companies and artists during the 2010 production of WOWSA. In addition to a cash bar available before and after every performance, Friday night is "Date Night" with love-themed treats, and Saturday night is "Saturday Surprise" with special goodies for the audience. Sunday matinees will feature a post-show picnic, and featured performances will be followed by "Upstairs at the Firehouse," showcases of work other companies and friends of Orfeo Group. Hopelandic Theatre Company brings their new dance theatre piece Into the Fog to the upstairs space on August 18, 19 & 21 at 10 p.m.

Love Song will play for four weeks, August 4 through August 27, at the Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill Street in Charlestown, MA. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. An Industry Night Performance will take place on Monday, August 22 at 8 p.m. The theatre is accessible via the MBTA Orange Line and parking is available along Medford Street, Main Street and Bunker Hill Street. http://www.charlestownworkingtheater.org/directions.cfm

Ticket prices are $20. For tickets or more information, please visit www.orfeogroup.org or call OvationTix at 866-811-4111.

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Orfeo Group is a proud, Boston-based, artist-driven 501(c)3 non-profit theater company. The mission of Orfeo Group is to reduce the distance between people through shared experiences of audacious art. In short, we seek to thrill.

The Charlestown Working Theater was founded on the idea that a theater and a community can engage in a dialogue that results in creative, artistic expression, an exciting exchange of ideas, and a deeper understanding of the people who make up the community. CWT has maintained this philosophy throughout its history and has remained dedicated to serving the cultural needs of Charlestown and greater Boston. In remaining dedicated to offering a variety of theatrical and cultural events, forming creative partnerships, and maintaining an open exchange with its community, CWT has developed a unique synthesis of artistic exploration.

CWT's Resident Artists Program was established in 1997 to create the opportunity and environment for area theatre artists to develop, rehearse, and perform creative theatre productions, teach workshops, and engage with our community. Today, the Resident Artists Program is a curated performance series featuring the dynamic work of local, national, and international theatre companies and artists. CWT has presented the work
of Mabou Mines (NY, NY); Double Edge Theatre (Ashfield, MA); Teatr ZAR (Poland); Theatre Kranevit (Berlin, Germany); Grupo Jicara Teatro (Buenos Aires, Argentina); Beau Jest Moving Theatre (Boston, MA); Great Small Works (NY, NY); Armenia's National Centre for Aesthetics; Versiliadanza (Florence, Italy) and Blair Thomas and Company (Chicago, IL) among others.

The CWT will focus on partnerships with Boston?based companies that share its
commitment to excellence in performance and educational programs during its 2011?12 season. Companies include a performance and educational residency by Orfeo Group, performances by Theatre on Fire, a CWT/Whistler in the Dark performance repertory, an educational residency by the Actors'Shakespeare Project, and a season finale production by Beau Jest Moving Theater.

Visit www.charlestownworkingtheater.org for information.