The Theater Project Presents Three School-Centered Plays, Beginning Tonight

The Theater Project may be on a mission to find out whether there's a limit to the number of roles one actor can play in a single production. Each of the next three plays presented by The Theater Project will challenge a cast member's metamorphosis quotient.

The first show, RUSH LIMBAUGH IN NIGHT SCHOOL (today, October 2 - 5) is a fantasia about a famous conservative talk show host's foray into liberal land and Greenwich Village. In this one man epic, local favorite Harry Patrick Christian plays "the great man from the right" and transforms into 25 of the "lefties" he encounters on his journey.

MRS. MANNERLY (October 9 -- 12) is playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's semi - autobiographical retelling of the etiquette classes he endured as a boy in Ohio, taught by a lady with a very mysterious past. Jason Gillis plays Jeffrey and each of his little classmates, and Noreen Farley is the mysterious lady.

PS 69 - A TEACHER GROWS IN BROOKLN (October 16 - 19) will feature its author, Susan Jeremy, portraying the teachers, administrators, parents and students she encountered on her way to becoming an educator. Ms. Jeremy takes the audience through the bureaucratic mazes and chaotic corridors of the New York City school system, illustrating the ironies and absurdities teachers encounter daily. Ms. Jeremy has performed this acclaimed one-woman show throughout the United States and Europe. "New Jersey seemed like the next logical step, " she commented. The New York Times said: "Ms. Jeremy slips seamlessly in and out of 24 roles."

Artistic Director Mark Spina explained, " A single actor creating multiple characters, using only their voice and body, is an enormous challenge, and a celebration of talent and theatricality -- a real joy to watch, and we are proud to be able to share this with our patrons."

Two other characteristics common to all of the productions in the three week series is that each is set in a school of one kind or another, and each one is a humorous salute to educators. Teachers can receive discounted tickets by contacting info@TheTheaterProject.org. Actors will greet the audiences for talkbacks after each performance.

All three shows will take place at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Rd, Maplewood, NJ. Tickets are available at www.thetheaterproject.org and additional information at 908-809-8865. At the door admission is $30 adults, $15 students. Special discounts are available when buying tickets prior to October 1: purchase tickets to see three plays for $45, two plays for $40, or one play for $25.

The Theater Project, an award-winning company that has just celebrated its 20th anniversary, presents its main stage season at the Burgdorff Center in Maplewood. It offers subsidiary programs, including classes for kids in theater, juggling and music, in Essex and Union Counties, all on display at their web site: TheTheaterProject.org.

Pictured: Jason Gillis and Noreen Farley in Mrs. Mannerly