Sharr White's ANNAPURNA Opens and BETC Announces its New Season of Shows, 01/31

Emma and Ulysses haven't laid eyes on each other in twenty years. Now she's back, lugging her matching suitcases into his squalid Colorado motor home for a final reckoning that neither of them saw coming. Desperate for answers about what drove them apart, these ex-spouses investigate love and loss in a gripping duet. Sharr White's Annapurna is a powerful new play that is simultaneously shocking, comical, and heart-rending.

Annapurna is directed by BETC's ensemble and staff member, Rebecca Remaly. "I'm thrilled to be returning to directing after a two-year break following the birth of my son." Remaly said. "To be working on a play that has such strong Colorado roots, from the playwright to the setting to our fantastic local talent, makes my return that much sweeter."

Sharr White is a Boulder native, the author of last season's BETC and Broadway hit The Other Place, and one of the rising stars of American theatre. In October 2013 his play Snow Geese played at the Manhattan Theatre Club starring Mary- Louise Parker (HBO's Angels in America, Showtime's Weeds). Annapurna premiered at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco and will be opening off-Broadway in April with a production starring Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and his wife, Megan Mullally. BETC is proud to present the regional premiere of this exceptional play.

BETC Producing Ensemble Director, Stephen Weitz, says, "I think Sharr is one of the strongest new voices in American theatre right now. His writing has a beautiful fluidity and his characters are simultaneously completely down-to-earth and utterly poetic."

Annapurna stars BETC veteran Chris Kendall (Bach at Leipzig, How the World Began) and newcomer Kate Gleason (Denver Center Theatre Company, The New York Film Academy). These local favorites will bring this lauded new play to life in magnificent fashion.

For more information visit BETC at http://www.betc.org/annapurna.

Annapurna was written by Sharr Whitea and directed by Rebecca Remaly. The production will run from January 31st through February 16th with a January 30th preview ($15 tickets for Preview and select performances). Performances are on Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 pm and on Sundays at 4:00 pm. An Opening Night Celebration will occur on Friday, January 31st at The Dairy Center for the Arts, 26th and Walnut Street, Boulder.

For tickets information please call (303) 444-7328 or visit www.TheDairy.org.

Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company has also annouced there newest season of shows.

SEMINAR a regional premiere by Theresa Rebeck, directed by Stephen Weitz September 27- October 20, 2013 (Preview September 26) There's no such thing as an "easy A" in this class. Fiction writing turns into a contact sport in this fast, funny, and provocative dramedy. Four aspiring young novelists find themselves over their heads when they sign up for private writing classes with Leonard, a force of nature and international literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, the wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious. Idealism collides with reality in this biting Broadway hit from Pulitzer Prize nominee Theresa Rebeck (author of Mauritius).

THE SANTALAND DIARIES by David Sedaris, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello directed by Stephen Weitz November 30 - December 24, 2013 (Preview November 29 and 30) At The Garner Galleria Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex BETC and Denver Center Attractions are partnering to bring BETC's production of The SantaLand Diaries to Denver this holiday season! Local favorite Matt Zambrano dons the candy-cane tights once again, bringing to life David Sedaris' hilarious real-life story of working as an "elf" in Macy's SantaLand. Filled with holiday hijacks and biting insights into the absurdities of the holiday season,The SantaLand Diaires has become one of the region's best holiday traditions!

ANNAPURNA a regional premiere by Sharr White directed by Rebecca Remaly January 31 - February 16, 2014 (Preview January 30) Emma and Ulysses haven't laid eyes on each other in 20 years. Now she's back, lugging her matching suitcases into his squalid Colorado motor home for a final reckoning that neither of them saw coming. Desperate for answers about what drove them apart, these ex-spouses investigate love and loss in a gripping duet that is simultaneously shocking, comical, and heart-rending. Sharr White is a Boulder native and one of the true rising stars of the American theatre.

AND THE SUN STOOD STILL a world premiere by Dava Sobel directed by Stephen Weitz March 27 - April 20, 2014 (Preview March 26) "I am not so enamoured of my own opinions that I disregard what others may think of them." -Nicolas Copernicus. The publication of Copernicus' masterpiece, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, transformed the history of science and man's understanding of our place in the universe. This is the story of how it almost never happened. And the Sun Stood Still reveals Nicolas Copernicus as a man struggling to reconcile the disparate desires of his loved ones and the constraints of his faith as he contemplates challenging the most fundamental beliefs of his time. BETC is proud and honored to present the world premiere production of this new play from Pulitzer Finalist and award-winning novelist Dava Sobel.

THIS a regional premiere by Melissa James Gibson directed by Christy Montour-Larson May 2 - 18, 2014 (Preview May 1) Jane is not okay. She's a promising poet without a muse, a single mother without lessons to pass along. Her life's a shambles, and her helpful friends are only helping make things more complicated. This bright, witty, un-romantic comedy is a superbly crafted portrait of a group of friends navigating parenthood, death, desire and the choppy waters of impending middle age. An Off-Broadway hit by Obie-winning playwright Melissa James Gibson, This explores with wit and grace the treacherous contours of being a grown-up.

Photo Credit: BETC Press Photos