Curio Theatre Company Continues Season with WAITING FOR GODOT

Curio Theatre Company continues its 12th Season with a production of Samuel Beckett's modern classic, Waiting for Godot. This play runs February 8-March 4. Opening Night is Friday, February 10 at 8 p.m. All shows are at Curio Theatre Company's Mainstage at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, 4740 Baltimore Ave. Shows are performed Thursday-Saturday night at 8 p.m. Industry night is Monday, February 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15-$25 and are available online at www.curiotheatre.org or by phone at 215-525-1350.

Dan Hodge, company member and director of Curio's 2016 Barrymore recommended production of Death of a Salesman, returns to direct the absurdist classic, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Audiences meet Vladimir and Estragon on a country road as they await the coming of Godot. How long they wait, who else they meet, and if Godot shall ever arrive, is the matter of much banter, antics and reverie. Considered one of the most significant plays of the 20th century, Beckett's tragicomic masterpiece is funny, poignant, soulful and hilarious.

The cast is led by Curio Artistic Director Paul Kuhn as Estragon and Curio Company member Brian McCann as Vladimir. Robert Daponte, who starred in Death of a Salesman with Kuhn and McCann, is playing Pozzo. Curio Company Member Harry Slack is playing Lucky. The Boy is being played by a rotating cast of members of Curio's Teen Acting Company CuriosiTeens.

"I've been looking forward to directing this because it is a play that has always appealed to me. It's very funny, but also manages to speak directly to the anxieties and frustrations that everyone faces. We picked this last season as a vehicle for Brian and Paul - two very skilled actors who have a deep affection for each other grown out of a long friendship. The comedic and sympathetic chemistry that they share can only come from years of knowing one another, and I think it will give tremendous depth to their onstage relationship," said Director Dan Hodge.

Kuhn is also designing the set. Tim Martin is the Lighting Designer. Aetna Gallagher is the Costume Designer and Kyle Yackoski is the Sound Designer.

Added Hodge, "Audiences can expect to laugh. We are engaging with the comedy of this play head on, in the hopes that the laughter will open our hearts to these characters. Once we are firmly in their corner, we can share their joys, triumphs, and ultimate heartbreak. It hopes to be a very human and full production. The absurdity will come from the situation rather than the absurd behavior of the characters in hopes that the play can be funny, moving and thought provoking in equal measure."

About Curio Theatre Company
Curio Theatre Company's mission is to serve audiences in West Philadelphia and beyond with high quality, affordable theatre performances; to develop artistic talent through ensemble, company-based training and rehearsal processes; and to further academic, social, and personal development through arts education. The artistic and the educational arms of the theatre company are intertwined as we make our home in the diverse community of West Philadelphia.

Curio Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 non-profit company based in West Philadelphia. We are currently approaching our 11th season of plays, and 11t year of theatre school operation. The Company was founded by professional artists and administrators who met at the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA, over the past 15 years and incorporated as a non-profit organization in October 2004. After touring locally and internationally for several years, the Company began a search for a permanent home. In January 2005, Curio Theatre Company joined in partnership with the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia. This partnership provides Curio with a performance venue and classrooms within the Calvary Center as well as office space and company housing in the adjacent parish house. In return Curio is assisting the Calvary Center in creating a professional Performing Arts Venue in the heart of West Philadelphia.