TheatreSquared Opens NOISES OFF, 8/30

TheatreSquared's Season 7 launches with the epic-scale comedy Noises Off, Michael Frayn's fast-moving backstage farce, next week in downtown Fayetteville.  Critically acclaimed as a modern comic masterpiece, Noises Off follows a troupe of actors scrambling to hold a show together amidst frayed nerves, romantic betrayals, and chaos on stage and off. Following a preview performance August 30, Noises Off opens Friday, August 31 and plays through Sunday, September 23 in the 175-seat Studio Theatre at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, with performances Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 2:00 and 7:30, and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00. Tickets start at $24 ($10/under 30) through the Walton Arts Center Box Office at (479) 443-5600 or at theatre2.org. 

“If ever a comedy earned the word ‘epic,’ this is it,” said T2 Artistic Director Robert Ford. “It’s a director’s worst nightmare: stuck halfway through the show at midnight before opening, with backstage romance creating on-stage tension and parts of the set literally falling off. When you’re not living it, it’s riotously funny.  We’ve wanted to do this one for years — it’s smart, requires a virtuosic cast, and reaches a comedic high that you can only experience through live theatre.” 

Noises Off stars a company of nine—six actors, two crew members and their long-suffering director—desperately trying to stage a farce called “Nothing On.” In the first act, the company struggles to complete a dress rehearsal as midnight passes. In the second, the audience is transported backstage as the set literally revolves, revealing a cast on the verge of disaster as trysts, betrayals and revenge plunge the production into chaos. The final act returns to the company at the final performance, revealing the fallout of backstage catastrophes as the beleaguered cast stumbles on.  Named by the Daily Telegraph  “the funniest comedy ever written,” Noises Off makes its Northwest Arkansas professional premiere. 

The cast for Noises Off includes: Chris Crawford (Boeing-Boeing), Justin Cunningham, Arianne Ellison, Kristopher M. Stoker (My Father’s War, The 39 Steps), Kathy Logelin (Mauritius, It’s A Wonderful Life), Sarah Jane Robinson, Mark LanDon Smith (Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol), Jordan Haynes (The Complete Works, Every Christmas Story Ever Told), and Erika Wilhite (Boeing-Boeing).  The creative team includes: Morgan Hicks (director) (The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Complete Works, Every Christmas Story Ever Told, The Poe Show, Boeing-Boeing), Anna Lucia Dede-Panken (stage manager), Josh Tillotson (production head), Courtney O’Neill (scenic designer) (Sundown Town), David Stoughton (lighting designer) (Tigers Be Still), Will Eubanks (sound designer) (Every Christmas Story Ever Told), William Henshaw (costume designer), Katharine Tulley (props designer) and Emily Bohannan (assistant stage manager).

Tickets for Noises Off are on sale now at the Walton Arts Center Box Office, and can be reserved by calling (479) 443-5600 or visiting theatre2.org. Tickets are $22-$34. Opening Night performance includes a champagne toast at intermission and a post-show reception with the cast and creative team catered by BHK on the Square. Through the “30 under 30” youth access program, 30 $10 tickets are reserved for patrons under the age of 30 at every performance. Group discounts of up to 15% are also available for groups of eight or more. Recommended for ages 13 and up due to brief adult language.

Subscriptions to TheatreSquared Season 7 are still available, and begin at $84 for the four-play season. Subscribers receive prime seats, discounted reserved parking, dining discounts at partner restaurants, and other privileges.  For more information, call (479) 443-5600 or visittheatre2.org/subscribe. 

TheatreSquared will offer a free audience forum with the director and cast of Noises Off after the 2:00pm performance on Sunday, September 2 at 4:00pm. Ozarks at Large host Kyle Kellams will moderate the conversation for broadcast on KUAF 91.3fm.  

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’s regional theatre, dedicated to creating exceptional theatrical works and innovative educational outreach. The theatre is the recipient of the 2011 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, recognizing the nation’s ten most promising emerging professional theatres. For further information, contact TheatreSquared at479.445.6333 or visit the Theatre's website at theatre2.org.