ABE Presents the Nashville Premiere of Wickedly Funny HAND TO GOD

Actors Bridge Ensemble's 21st season continues with the Nashville premiere of smash hit Broadway comedy, HAND TO GOD by Robert Askins, directed by Mitch Massaro, December 9-18 at the Actors Bridge Studio at Darkhorse Chapel, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, 37209. The entrance to the Chapel is on 47th Avenue.

The God-fearing children of Cypress, Texas spend their after-school hours practicing Christian Puppet Ministry at the local church. When one devout young boy discovers that his hand puppet has a life of its own, all hell breaks loose. Literally. In this sidesplitting and lightning-paced comedy, a satanic sock puppet named Tyrone shows the children, minister, and school bully who's really in charge. Declared "flat-out hilarious" by The New York Times and described as "Sesame Street meets The Exorcist" by The New Yorker;

HAND TO GOD stars Blake Holliday, Kim Bretton, Chuck Long, Britt Byrd and Jordan Ravellette.

Following the success of THE PATRON SAINT OF LOSING SLEEP, and FAILURE: A LOVE STORY earlier this season, Actors Bridge offers yet another Nashville premiere of a nationally acclaimed new play with this highly irreverent dark comedy sure to be the cure for audiences looking for something different this holiday season. Actors Bridge is one of the first regional theatre companies to secure the rights for production followings its tremendous Broadway success and audiences are already abuzz with anticipation for this wickedly funny new American play.

"The play has cult-like following," says Jessika Malone, Associate Artistic Director of Actors Bridge and a co-producer on the project. "I know folks that have seen it multiple times during its New York runs both off and on Broadway, and they can't wait to see our take on the show. Our powerhouse creative team paired with this insanely original script is a perfect match. It's going to be electric."

Production director, Mitch Massaro agrees. "There's some kind of special magic to the piece that makes it as compelling as it is hilarious, that draws audiences to it again and again. I'm excited for Nashville to have the opportunity to see the story told for the first time locally by this incredible cast of performers who have really made it their own."

Actors Bridge favorites, Kim Bretton (Margery), Chuck Long (Pastor Greg), and Britt Byrd (Jessica) return to the stage accompanied by newcomers Jordan Ravellette as Tim and Blake Holliday as Jason. The production also features a plethora of puppets provided by Sailors and Maidens under the puppetry direction of frequent ABE collaborator, Cassie Hamilton.

"For many of us raised in the South, puppet ministry was a huge part of our childhood," says ABE Producing Artistic Director Vali Forrister. "While I never encountered a demonic puppet at my church, I discovered early that puppets could get away with saying things which humans could not. Tyrone takes this notion to its most provocative and profane conclusion." She adds, "I'm compelled by stories of the lengths people will go to come to voice and be heard. What happens when you question your faith and your family and no one wants to hear it? In HAND TO GOD, we find out."

CONTENT ADVISORY: While HAND TO GOD features puppetry, it is intended for adult audiences only as it contains mature themes and situations, explicit language, and stage violence.

The ABE 21st season will continue with the Nashville premiere of DETROIT '67 by Dominique Morisseau, directed by Alicia Haymer which runs Feb. 24-26 & March 2-4, 2017 at Darkhorse Theater.

Performance Schedule:
Friday, Dec. 9 @ 7pm
Saturday, Dec. 10 @ 7pm
Sunday, Dec. 11 @ 7pm
Thursday, Dec. 15 @ 7pm
Friday, Dec. 16 @ 7pm
Saturday, Dec. 17 @ 7pm
Sunday, Dec. 18 @ 7 pm

Venue Information:
Actors Bridge Studio at Darkhorse Chapel
4610 Charlotte Avenue (entrance on 47th)
Nashville, TN 37209

Ticket Prices:
General Admission - $25 in advance; $30 at the door
Purchase: www.tinyurl.com/abehandtogod

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Mitch Massaro is the Technical Director for the Actors Bridge Ensemble and holds an MFA in Technical Direction from the Yale School of Drama. He has previously directed the regional premiere of BOOM by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb for ABE'S Sideshow Ensemble. More information about Mitch is available at https://actorsbridge.org/mitch-massaro/

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: Robert Askins (Playwright) was born in Cypress, Texas. His hit dark comedy Hand to God opened on Broadway in April 2015, following two critically-acclaimed runs at Ensemble Studio Theatre and MCC Theater, where it was named a NYTimes Critics' Pick and called "the most entertaining show of 2014." His newest play Permission made its world premiere off-Broadway in spring 2015 at MCC Theater. His play Fish Display was part of the 2012 Ojai Playwrights Conference and Permission was part of the 2014 conference. Rob has received two EST/Sloan grants, the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award, and an Arch and Bruce Davis Award for Playwriting. Rob is an I-73 and Youngblood alum and a graduate of Baylor University. He's currently at work on two feature film projects.

About Actors Bridge Ensemble:
For the last 21 years, Actors Bridge has been a force on Nashville's cultural landscape. As an actor training program, we have worked with over 4000 students who have gone on to perform on local, regional and national stages as well as film and television. There are few local productions that do not include a performer in some way influenced by Actors Bridge training. As a professional theatre company, our mission is to tell the stories that impact our community by producing provocative and socially relevant theatre, creating new theatrical works, showcasing emotionally authentic ensemble acting and fostering a nurturing environment for theatre artists at any stage in their professional development to take creative risks. We have produced over 80 plays, including 14 world premieres and 45 Nashville premieres. Some notable Nashville premieres include THE LARAMIE PROJECT, THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, NEVER THE SINNER, NEXT FALL, BLACKBIRD, THE NETHER and THE FAIRYTALE LIVES OF RUSSIAN GIRLS. The company is led by co-founder Vali Forrister. For more information: actorsbridge.org