PICT Classic Theatre Presents HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

A little infidelity goes a long way in PICT Classic Theatre's How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn, running from May 28 through June 13 upstairs in the Stephen Foster Memorial in Oakland. PICT moves from the '60s with a sold out Jacques Brel to a '70s period piece. As the first production in PICT's Mainstage Series, the play was selected because it has all the elements of a classic farce, and, similar to Ayckbourn's House and Garden which PICT performed in two simultaneous theatres in 2011, the set and production concept are bound to have audiences talking.

The premise of the play is simple. There are three couples- The Fosters, The Phillips and The Detweilers- and someone is having an affair. It is made more interesting, though, when Ayckbourn presents this situation all at once on stage, despite the fact that the action is taking place in two different spaces on two different nights.

PICT's 2015 Featured Artists, Actor/Director Martin Giles and Scenic Designer Johnmichael Bohach, are working together to convey this interesting concept. "Someone can be sitting on a sofa in the Fosters' on Thursday and someone else can be on a chair at the Phillips' on Friday, but both are occupying the same space," explains Director Martin Giles. "We can have a lot of fun staging it because we can have two people right next to each other, who aren't in the same room."

It sounds confusing, but Ayckbourn's unique concept has been delighting audiences since it premiered on Broadway in 1971, the same year that Giles has selected for the setting of the play. According to Giles, "When I saw that the play premiered in 1971, I realized that that was my freshman year of high school. I thought, 'I know what this looks like, I know what this feels like. It is going to be fun'."

Giles believes that anyone in the audience who is familiar with the '70s will appreciate his vision for the play. "The actors' hair will be slightly too long, and they will all have stupid mustaches. We are also picking music from 1971, which was an especially choice year for pop songs. It is going to feel like a period piece, one that people in the audience will recognize."

Opening only two weeks after the run of PICT's Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, which required an extended run due to popular demand, PICT believes that this production will be every bit as fun and entertaining as the smash-hit that just closed. In fact, How the Other Half Loves was selected specifically to kick off PICT's Mainstage Series because of its classic style and its mass appeal.

"It is a classic example of the theatrical form of farce. Everything about a farce follows a particular formula, and the structure demonstrates that it is our tendency as a species to laugh at the misfortunes of others," muses PICT's Artistic & Executive Director, Alan Stanford. "In fact, one might truly say that farce is a tragedy happening to someone else- whereas tragedy is a farce happening to you. We are happy to invite everyone to join us back in Oakland with something bright and amusing that is fit for all the family."

And according to Martin Giles, despite the fact that they entire play is based on a secret affair, this truly is a play for people of all ages. "You can expect a lot of people running all over the stage, dinner being thrown around, people leaving things on chairs and someone from another scene sitting on them, and a ridiculous number of misplaced shoe gags. Really, it is just a comedy of misunderstanding and miscommunication, and also a very strong comedy of characters that anyone will recognize."

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit picttheatre.org or call the office at 412-561-6000 to purchase.