Actors' Playhouse's FIRST DATE Opens Next Week

Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre is thrilled to be among the first regional theatre companies nationwide to present First Date, the hysterical and hopeful new Broadway musical about the chances we all take to find love from March 18 - April 12, 2015.

When tightly wound Aaron is set up with serial-dater Casey, a quick drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious, high-stakes dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this date as Casey and Aaron's inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons and the wait staff get into the act. Dinner is served with sides of Google background checks, fake emergency phone calls, supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents, who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines. Can this couple turn what could be a dating disaster into something special before the check arrives?

"A little over a year ago I was inundated with emails, texts and calls from actors, patrons and board members who had just seen a new musical on Broadway," said Actors' Playhouse Artistic Director David Arisco. "They all felt compelled to advise me that First Date would be a perfect show for Actors' Playhouse. After doing some research and seeing the show for myself, I had to agree. First Date is funny, witty and engaging. Its music and humor is charming, and its honest and conflicted characters represent what it is like for single adults in today's world. Between online dating sites, speed dating services and so many other new alternatives for people to find love in today's hectic society, how to find a 'first date' may have evolved, but sitting through one has not."

Directed by David Arisco, First Date stars Clay Cartland (Aaron) and Erica Lustig (Casey) along with a supporting cast that includes Nick Duckart, Laura Hodos, Conor Walton, Jessica Booth and Roland Rusinek. First Date features a book by Austin Winsberg, with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner.

The creative team for First Date includes: Manny Schvartzman (musical director), Tim Bennett (scenic design), Ellis Tillman (costume design), Eric Nelson (lighting design) and Shaun Mitchell (sound design).

First Date is intended for mature audiences.

Preview performances of First Date will be held Wednesday and Thursday, March 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. The show will open on Friday, March 20 at 8 p.m. and play through April 12, 2015. Evening performances will be held Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with afternoon matinees on Sunday at 3 p.m. A special weekday matinee is scheduled on Wednesday, March 25 at 2 p.m.

Preview night tickets on the first Wednesday and Thursday are $37. Tickets for weeknights and matinees are $52, and on Friday and Saturday evenings $59. The theatre offers a 10 percent senior discount rate the day of performance and $15 student rush tickets 15 minutes prior to curtain with identification. Discounts are based on availability and exclude Saturday and Sunday.

Group discounted rates are offered for 15 or more through our group sales department. Single tickets may be purchased through the box office at 305-444-9293 or online at www.actorsplayhouse.org.

This event is made possible with the support of Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, and the Miami Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners for Major Cultural Institutions, and is sponsored in part by the State of Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts & Culture, with support of the City of Coral Gables, and by the following sponsors: The Allen Morris Company, Bacardi U.S.A., NBC 6 South Florida, Quality Inn South at the Falls and The Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald.

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