Gulfshore Playhouse to Stage World Premiere of THE BUTCHER, 2/28-3/22

Gulfshore Playhouse will produce their second World Premiere in as many years with The Butcher by Gwydion Suilebhan, playing February 28th through March 22nd with $30 preview performances on February 25th, 26th and 27th. Playwright talkbacks will take place following each preview performance and following the 3pm matinee performance on Sunday, March 1st. The Butcherwas featured as a finalist in Gulfshore Playhouse's 1st Annual New Works Festival in August 2013.

The Butcher tells the tale of two strangers: Jane, an Evangelical Christian struggling with her faith and Massoud, and Iranian Halal Butcher steeped in tradition, who together witness a peculiar and shocking event. As they and their families try to make sense of these bewildering circumstances, they question their faith, their firmly-held beliefs, and the choices that their cultures have forced them to make.

"I am thrilled to be producing the premiere of this moving, thought-provoking, and timely play by Gwyidion Suilebhan," stated Kristen Coury, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Gulfshore Playhouse and the director of this production. "The Butcher is a play that allows the audience to lean in and look at themselves and the world through a new light, and I am proud that Gulfshore Playhouse has had such an integral role in its development process," she says.

Gwydion Suilebhan's work has been commissioned, produced, developed, and read by Centerstage, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the National New Play Network, Forum Theatre, Theater J, Theater Alliance, Active Cultures, and the Source Theater Festival, among others. He is a founding member of The Welders, A DC-based playwrights' collective and currently serves as DC's representative to the Dramatists Guild. In addition to his work as a playwright, Gwydion lectures and writes widely on the intersection between theater, the arts, and technology.

The role of Sholeh Esfahani will be played by Ananda Bena-Weber. Ananda has been seen in regional productions of As You Like It, The Seagull, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Damn Yankees, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and Medea. Her solo theater work 'Fancifool' has toured throughout the US and abroad. Also a dancer, Ananda has performed with such companies as: The Jazz Tap Ensemble, The Sierra Nevada Ballet, The Reno Ballet, and Peninsula Ballet Theatre.

Mark Harapiak is playing Wes Horvath. Mark's theatre credits include the National Tours of Mary Poppins and Camelot, five seasons with The Stratford Festival of Canada, two seasons with The Shaw Festival, Legally Blonde, Cabaret, Full Monty, Footloose, Guys and Dolls, Billy Bishop Goes to War, Evita, and The 39 Steps.

Jane Horvath will be played by Chiara Motley. Chiara was last seen at Centerstage playing Mary Hatch in It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Chiara's other regional credits include The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Seattle Shakespeare Company, The Denver Center, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Public Theatre, and Book-It. Chiara's voice can be heard on the Her Interactive Nancy Drew video games.

J Paul Nicholas will be playing Massoud Esfahani. Paul has performed Off-Broadway at the Lincoln Center and 59E59 Theaters, and regionally at numerous theaters in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Montgomery, Rochester, Seattle, Atlanta, and Washington, DC. Paul can also currently be seen as Attorney Linden Delroy on TV's LAW & ORDER: SVU.

Deborah Niefeld will be played by Danielle Skraastad. Danielle performed on Broadway in All My Sons and has been seen at Signature Theatre Company, Playwright's Horizons, The McCarter, StageWorks/Hudson Two River Theater Company, Capital Repertory Theatre, The Wilma, The Lantern, Portland Stage Company, ACT/Seattle, The Old Globe, Hartford Stage, Actor's Theater of Louisville Humana Festival, Berkeley Rep, and The Kirk. In film and television, Danielle has been seen in 27 Dresses, Michael Clayton, The Business Story, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Unforgettable, Mercy, Fringe, As the World Turns and All My Children.

Gulfshore Playhouse's 2014-2015 Season will conclude with The Liar by David Ives, based on the play by Pierre Corneille.

Gulfshore Playhouse is passionately devoted to creating high-quality professional theatre at affordable prices and diverse educational opportunities for our region. Producing a full season of plays ranging from venerated classics and Broadway hits to contemporary plays and world premieres, Gulfshore Playhouse is committed to surpassing the standards of every valued patron while continuing to contribute to the vibrant arts and culture scene in Southwest Florida.

Gulfshore Playhouse's production of The Butcher will play February 28th through March 22nd, with $30 preview performances on February 25th, 26th, and 27th. Single tickets range between $40-$69. Half-price tickets are available for all matinee performances one-half hour before the show. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 1-866-811-4111 or visiting www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org. All shows are presented at The Norris Center, 755 8th Avenue South, Naples.