Bluebarn Theatre Opens Season With DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE 10/17

BLUEBARN Theatre will begin their 21st season with the thriller, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which opens October 1st and runs through October 17th. BLUEBARN's Artistic Director, Susan Clement-Toberer directs Jeffrey Hatcher's compelling new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which showcases costumes by Jenny Pool, scenic design by Martin Scott Marchitto, and lighting design by Carol Wisner. Shows run Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, October 4th and 11th at 6 p.m. Ticket prices are $25 for adults; and $20 for students, TAG members, seniors 65+, and groups of 10 or more.

About Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Jeffrey Hatcher has seen the Victorians, and they are us. The timely nature of Hatcher's inventive 2008 retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde cannot be ignored. Hatcher's new play honors Robert Louis Stevenson's original 1886 novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, while adding a brisk pace and complex interpretation of the murky relationship between good and evil. The two sides battle each other in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse to determine who shall be the master and who his slave with multiple Hydes portrayed by members of the cast. Even the Mystery Writers of America agree that Hatcher's examination of this controversial "gray area" is worthy of recognition and nominated Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for an Edgar Award as its 2008 "Best Play."

About the stars of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde showcases the talents of several award-winning actors. Thomas Becker (12 Angry Men, Omaha Playhouse) plays Dr. Jekyll and Laura Leininger (Blithe Spirit, Omaha Playhouse) plays Elizabeth, the object of Jekyll and Hyde's affection. Ben Birkholtz (The Pillowman, A Piece of My Heart, BLUEBARN Theatre), Randy Vest (Compleat Female Stage Beauty, SNAP Productions), Teri Fender (Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, BLUEBARN Theatre), and Lee Osorio, making his Omaha stage debut, play all the other characters from Stevenson's novella, as well as each playing variations of the sinister Mr. Hyde.

About BLUEBARN Theatre
The BLUEBARN Theatre was established in the late 1980s with graduates from the Professional Theatre Training Conservatory at the State University of New York at Purchase. Seeking to continue the deeply shared artistic aesthetic and practIce That they had developed from their conservatory training, and also create theatre outside the constraints of New York City's commercial market, founding members Mary Theresa Green, Nils Haaland, Kevin Lawler, and Hughston Walkinshaw joined forces with Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts to produce their first play.

In 1998, the 10th anniversary season, the BLUEBARN moved into its current home, a beautiful ninety-seat proscenium arch theatre in Omaha's Old Market. The BLUEBARN also opened the Abbott/Pinkoff Gallery, providing local visual artists a place to display their work.

Now in its 21st season, the BLUEBARN has established itself as Omaha's premier contemporary theatre company. After producing over 80 plays since 1989, the BLUEBARN's reputation for high quality entertainment and pursuit of stories that challenge both the theatre artists and patrons is solid.

Theatre without boundaries...
The Downtown Space
614 South 11th Street n Omaha, NE 68102 n
tel (402) 345-1576
www.bluebarn.org