Luminous New Play ORANGE Marks Aditi Brennan Kapil's Seventh World Premiere at Mixed Blood

On the eve of a family wedding Leela, a young woman on the autism spectrum, sneaks off with her cousin on a joyride though Orange County. ORANGE chronicles Leela's adventures over the course of one ill planned night full of detours, thrilling heights, mythic encounters, a nine-year-old villain, and the search for a perfect orange. A soulful and hilarious exploration of youth, fearlessness, family, and difference, ORANGE navigates the cusp between childhood and adulthood.

Mixed Blood Artistic Director Jack Reuler directs this inventive coming-of-age tale. Presented on a corridor stage and flanked by projected illustrations, the Swiss army knife of a set fluidly transforms from an OC beach to the top of a billboard, taking the audience on a journey inside the mind of a singular young woman.

Playwright Aditi Brennan Kapil: The characters in ORANGE snuck up on me. I intended to write a play about driving through Orange County, a play about that night when you separate from the safety of parental supervision, make poor choices, live through something a little dangerous with your friends, and in the morning everything is different. But the character who started speaking on page one was not the typical teen I thought she would be. She took over the play I thought I was writing and demanded an adventure of her own, one I resisted, one I didn't think she was ready for. All parents have fears as their children near adulthood, but I suspect the reason ORANGE took this particular form has to do with how much more pronounced that fear can be when your child is atypical.

Director Jack Reuler:

Aditi Brennan Kapil writes poetic plays, writes comic characters in serious situations, combines history with the contemporary, puts marginalized voices in the center of honest circumstances, tells her own personal tales of being an immigrant and woman in epic yet intimate fashion, and she lets us do them at Mixed Blood. ORANGE marks Mixed Blood's seventh world premiere of a play by playwright-in-residence Aditi Brennan Kapil. ORANGE amasses her ambitions and vision in one enormous showcase of her acumen, craft, and talent. Its lens - that of autism - is intimate and personal. ORANGE is filled with love. Its simplicity is complex. Its beauty is gorgeous.

ORANGE features Annelyse Ahmad in the central role of Leela, with Owais Ahmed and Lipica Shah, who Mixed Blood audiences will remember from the Displaced Hindu Gods trilogy (2013) and Passing Strange (2014), rounding out the cast playing multiple roles. The creative team includes Joseph Stanley (Sets), Victor Zupanc (Composer/Sound), Wu Chen Khoo (Lights), Megan Reilly (Projections), Janet O'Neill (Costumes), and Abbee Warmboe (Props).

ORANGE marks the seventh Mixed Blood world premiere by Playwright in Residence Aditi Brennan Kapil. ORANGE was commissioned by SouthCoast Repertory Theatre, where the play will receive its West Coast premiere in March 2017. In a busy season, she will also premiere her new play Imogen Says Nothing in Yale Repertory Theatre's 50th anniversary season in January 2017. Imogen Says Nothing was commissioned by Yale Rep, and Kapil continues work on commissions for La Jolla Playhouse and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, in addition to creating new work for Mixed Blood.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE ON NEXT PAGE

ORANGE- PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Runs November 11 through December 4, 2016

Thursday November 10 - 7:30PM Preview

Friday November 11 - 7:30PM Opening

Saturday November 12 - 8:00PM*

Sunday November 13 - 2:00PM

Wednesday November 16 - 7:30PM

Thursday November 17 - 7:30PM

Friday November 18 - 7:30PM

Saturday November 19 - 8:00PM

Sunday November 20 - 2:00PM

Wednesday November 23 - 7:30PM

Friday November 25 - 7:30PM

Saturday November 26 - 8:00PM

Sunday November 27 - 2:00PM

Wednesday November 30 - 7:30PM

Thursday December 1 - 7:30PM

Friday December 2 - 7:30PM

Saturday December 3 - 8:00PM

Sunday December 4 - 2PM

*Audio Described and ASL Interpreted, tactile tour starting at 7:00PM

Admission Options:

1) Through Radical Hospitality, admission is FREE on a first come/first served basis starting two hours before every show!

2) Advanced reservations are available online or by phone for $25.

Memberships & Guaranteed Admissions available at www.mixedblood.com or 612-338-6131

Memberships: $35 for members under 35; $50 for first time members; and year-long memberships from $70 to $140.

All Performances in Mixed Blood Theatre's Alan Page Auditorium

1501 S. 4th St., Minneapolis, MN 55454

Box Office: (612) 338-6131 or www.mixedblood.com

Mixed Blood aspires to be the destination for people with disabilities. Patrons with disabilities are eligible for free advanced reservations and free transportation to and from the theatre. All performances are captioned in English with projected supertitles for patrons with hearing loss. Lobby, auditorium, and restrooms are fully accessible.