Chance Theater's TYA Series Proudly Presents California Premiere of THE BOY AT THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING

Anaheim's official resident theater company, Chance Theater is pleased to present the exciting and wondrous The Boy at The Edge of Everything. Written by Finegan Kruckemeyer, and directed by Darryl B. Hovis, The Boy at The Edge of Everything will begin October 13 and continue through October 23, on the Fyda-Mar Stage at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center.

Meet Simon. He's a stressed out 12-year-old who just wishes that he could find a place to stop and think. Meet the Boy at The Edge of Everything. He is lonely and bored, which makes sense since he lives at the farthest point of the universe. This quirky and charming play explores what happens once these two boys meet after an unlikely series of events involving "lots and lots of fireworks," and the epic adventure that will leave them both changed forever.

The Boy at The Edge of Everything is an exciting tale of friendship, humor, and discovery. Since its inception, the play has received high praise and support from San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Children's Theatre, and Trusty Sidekick Theater Company. The play was also a featured work at the Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices workshop and was the inaugural recipient of a PlayLab residency at the New Victory Theater in New York.

Everyone struggles to balance their busy lives, whether it's work, school, extracurricular activities, family, friends, etc. The charm of The Boy at The Edge of Everything lies in the familiarity the audience feels with the main character, Simon. Sometimes, all we want to do is stop and think to ourselves and take stock of our lives and the many intricacies surrounding it all. As Kruckemeyer explains, "the notion of a child's life feeling particularly full felt relevant, as the modern-day juggle of innumerable activities and obligations has become all too common, this sitting alongside the existing calendar-filling of school, family, and friends. Simon has many lovely people in his life, but so much to do that he can dream only of a break, a moment's silence. As the counterpoint to this, the interplanetary Boy represents not necessarily a different predicament, but rather a different section of the same overloaded brain. He has a world of things to do also, but the silence is absolute - what he craves is communality, and friendships to complement the activities."

Meet the Team

Finegan Kruckemeyer (Playwright) has had 76 commissioned plays performed on five continents and translated into six languages, and was an inaugural recipient of the Sidney Myer Fellowship. This year, 14 of his works were presented worldwide. To date, Finegan's plays have had seasons in over 70 Australian and international festivals; five IPAY North American invited showcases; all Australian states/territories; five UK national tours; five US national tours; and at the Sydney Opera House (six works), Ireland's Dublin Theatre Festival (two works, one at the Abbey Theatre), Scotland's Imaginate Festival (two works), Shanghai's Malan Flower Theatre, New York's New Victory Theater (three works) and New York University, and DC's Kennedy Center for the Arts (at the prestigious New Visions New Voices). As well as the Sidney Myer Fellowship, Finegan and his work have received at least one award annually for the past 13 years, including four Australian Writers Guild Awards, the David Williamson Prize for Australian Playwrighting, the Rodney Seaborn Award, Jill Blewett Award, and Colin Thiele Scholarship. This year, Finegan was a speaker at conferences at the Lincoln Center for the Arts (USA) and Ubud Writer's Festival (Indonesia). Previously, he has presented papers or sat on panels at conferences in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Denmark, England, Scotland, Sweden and the US, with works published. He was one of 21 selected worldwide for the ASSITEJ Next Generation (young leaders in children's theatre), and sits on a number of industry boards and panels, including the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board.

Darryl B. Hovis (Director) is an actor, director, and designer, and is the Producing Associate of the Theater for Young Audiences Series at Chance Theater. He earned his MA in Theatre Production at Central Washington University and studied acting at the Professional Conservatory at UCSD under Anna Shapiro (Steppenwolf) as well as South Coast Repertory under Karen Hensel. He is the co-founder and former artistic director of the Culver City Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, where he developed an intensive arts program for high school students in theatre, film, music, and art, and has gone on to develop theatre programs at other Southern California high schools, as well as Theatre International at Leysin American School in Leysin, Switzerland. He has directed a multitude of productions, some of his favorites being Therese Raquin, History of the American Film (Chance Theater), Rent and The Threepenny Opera (Samohi Theatre), Machinal and Resurrecting Antigone (UniTheatre), and The Miracle Worker and Treehouses (AVPA).

"Relaxed Performance" on Saturday, October 22 at 11am

Continuing the initiative that started with the inaugural Theater for Young Audiences Series, the Chance will be presenting a special "relaxed performance" on October 22. This special performance is specifically designed to welcome people that will benefit from a more relaxed environment, including children under 4 years of age, people with an Autism Spectrum Condition, sensory and communication disorders, or a learning disability. There will be minor alterations made to some technical elements, and the house lights will be left on at a dim level to create a conducive environment for all audiences to enjoy the story. There is also a designated "relaxing and activities area" setup in the lobby for any audience members who may need to take a break during the performance.

In addition to director Darryl Hovis, the creative team includes scenic designer Alexandra Giron (Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales), lighting designer Jon Hyrkas (Fancy Nancy, The Musical), costume designer Rachael Lorenzetti (The Big Meal), Sound Designer Ryan Brodkin (A Chorus Line, Dogfight) and stage manager Lindsay Marsh (Fancy Nancy, The Musical).

The cast for The Boy at The Edge of Everything includes returning Chance artists Ben Green (A Chorus Line) and Ashley Arlene Nelson (A Chorus Line), as well as Pierce Livingston, Andrae Goodnight and Allen Montes, who make their Chance debut with this production.

ABOUT CHANCE THEATER

Proud to be one of the leading ensemble-driven theatre companies in Southern California, CHANCE THEATER has won five Ovation Awards (including two for Best Production of a Musical--Intimate Theater for Triassic Parq -- The Musical and Jerry Springer: The Opera). The Chance also received an LADCC Award for its reimagined revival of West Side Story. The Anaheim City Council recently named Chance Theater "the official resident theater company of Anaheim." Twice named "Outstanding Arts Organization" by Arts Orange County, Chance Theater is also a recipient of the LADCC's Polly Warfield Award for Excellence. Founded in 1999, Chance Theater is focused on its goal of being Orange County's premiere mid-size contemporary theater by contributing to a more compassionate, connected, and creative community. As a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Network of Ensemble Theaters, and the LA Stage Alliance, Chance Theater continues to bring national attention to the Southern California and Orange County theater scenes.