Theatre Pro Rata presents UP THE MAN IN THE FLYING CHAIR

On Friday, May 26, Theatre Pro Rata will open Up: The Man in the Flying Chair by Bridget Carpenter at Park Square Theatre on the Andy Boss Thrust Stage in St. Paul.

The play is based on the real-life escapade of truck driver Larry Walters who, in July of 1982, attached 45 helium-filled weather balloons to a lawn chair, and went aloft from his backyard in San Pedro, California. He rose to a height of 16,000 feet, was seen by commercial airliners, and drifted into controlled air space near Long Beach airport. The script's protagonist, Walter Griffin, is a fictionalized version of Walters years after his moment of triumph. He spends his days trying to regain his former glory and avoid an ordinary life, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife, Helen. Meanwhile, Larry's son Mikey attempts to forge his own way in life as his parents urge him along two rapidly diverging roads.

Director Carin Bratlie Wethern said of the script, "Up has a wonderful tension between hope and despair, and I love how we get to see inside Walter's mind as he's chasing a dream of who he was."

Twin Cities theater veterans John Middleton and Shanan Custer star as Larry and Helen, both having performed with Theatre Pro Rata in the past. The play also features Mark Benzel, Lillie Horton, Keegan Robinson, and Noë Tallen.

Among several characters that Benzel plays in the production is Phillipe Petit, the famous French wire walker who appears in Walter's fantasies to give him advice. Bratlie Wethern said, "I am so excited about Phillipe Petit being a character (in Walter's imagination writ large on the stage) and that with Phillipe we get wire walking. Actual wire walking!" Benzel began wire training with professionals from the Twin Cities circus community several months before rehearsals began to prepare for the role.

Since 2001 Pro Rata, Latin for "in proportion," has produced smart, vivid, varied, and gutsy theater in the Twin Cities. Focusing on the text of the play, the company offers performers and audiences the chance to engage the characters, themes, and language more completely. Ranging from classic dramas to modern black comedies, Theatre Pro Rata produces scripts that bring visceral theatrical experiences to the stage.

Theatre Pro Rata utilizes a unique sliding scale for ticketing, allowing patrons to name their own price. At Park Square Theatre productions, the prices range from $40-$60.

Years after piloting a balloon-lofted lawn chair into the air, Walter Griffin can't quite seem to make a soft-landing back into reality in Up: The Man in the Flying Chair.

For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, please visit our website, http://www.theatreprorata.org.