Passage Theatre Company Presents BLESSED ARE, Now thru 11/4

Passage Theatre Company will produce its first main stage play of the 2012-2013 season at the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton tonight, October 18 – November 4.

Blessed Are, by Jessica Bedford, is the story of a man released from prison after 17 years, and his struggle to return to normal life in his hometown of Jim Thorpe, PA. There he encounters the generosity and support of two women: his mother's best friend and a mysterious young woman who shows up on his doorstep.

A tale of guilt, forgiveness, love and loss, the production will be directed by Passage's resident director Adam Immerwahr and features Philadelphia based actors Ian Bedford, Kim Carson and Jo Twiss. Passage's Executive Artistic Director, June Ballinger, describes this play as "a unique love story revealing surprising and rare insights into our human nature and ability to transcend blame." Ballinger adds "When Adam brought me the script a year ago for reaction; I was deeply moved by its depth and richness. I said 'yes!' immediately."

Playwright Jessica Bedford is the author of the one woman show Pretty (Open Stage in PA), and also well known as an actor in the Philadelphia region. Blessed Are is her first full length production.

Ian Bedford is known to television audiences through his role as Officer Bamford in several Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes. As a stage actor he has appeared in numerous Shakespeare festivals across the nation including the nearby Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.

Kim Carson's credits include 59 E. 59 Street Theatre in NYC, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arden Theatre, Bristol Riverside, PA Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Exile, Mauckingbird Theatre, InterAct Theatre, John W. Engeman Theatre, and Azuka Theatre, where she earned a Barrymore Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Jo Twiss has appeared in Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, and Law and Order Criminal Intent. She was in the 2008 film Revolutionary Road starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio and on Broadway as the nursemaid in the 2003 production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
The cast is led by Passage's Resident Director Adam Immerwahr whose past productions at Passage include Blood: A Comedy, Trenton Lights, Love and Communication, Slippery as Sin; Off-Broadway: The Chimes (SPF-The Public Theater) and Missing Celia Rose (SPF-Theater Row). Other world premieres include: Hannah (Premiere Stages); The Thing About Air Travel (Hangar Theatre); Spirit Sex (Ensemble Studio Theatre). Adam serves on the artistic staff of McCarter Theatre as the Associate Producer. He is also the Artistic Director of CWW On Stage, an ensemble of senior citizens who collect and perform the stories of their community. Adam is an alumnus of Luna Stage Directors' Lab, and the recipient of a 2005 Weston Award for Directing, a 2008 Drama League Directing Fellowship, and a 2010 NJ Theatre Alliance "Applause.

Tickets to Blessed Are are $28-$33 for adults and $12 for students. There are also senior discounts. Tickets are available by calling (609) 392-0766 or purchasing on-line at www.passagetheatre.org.

Dates and times: Tonight, October 18-November 4. Thursday, Friday and Saturday @ 8pm; Sundays at 3pm. PRESS OPENING: Saturday October 20th @ 8pm.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Passage Theatre Office: 219 East Hanover Street in Trenton, Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 am -5:30 pm or at the box office, or 1 hour before each performance at the performance site.

Directions & Parking: Passage Theatre performs at the Mill Hill Playhouse, owned and operated by the City of Trenton. The Mill Hill Playhouse is located at 205 East Front Street (at the corner of Montgomery St) Trenton, NJ. Security guarded on street parking is available on S. Montgomery St, Front Street along the park, and in the Art Works parking lot. Detailed directions can be obtained from the website www.passagetheatre.org or by calling 609-392-0766.

For over 25 years, Passage Theatre has developed and showcased new work by emerging and established playwrights. As a key participant in the revitalization of urban Trenton, Passage presents outstanding plays that celebrate our common ground, transcending culture and race. www.passagetheatre.org

Passage Theatre's mainstage season is made possible in part by the N.J. State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the NEA; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; The Times of Trenton; Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard; The City of Trenton; WIMG 1300; The Curtis McGraw Foundation; The James Kerney Foundation; PNC Bank; The Garfield Foundation; Princeton Area Community Foundation; NJ Council for the Humanities; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; and Mary G. Roebling Foundation and the NJ Division of Tourism Dept of State and Destination Trenton.