David Sedaris' Hilarious Holiday Hit THE SANTALAND DIARIES Opens in the Ellyn Bye Studio

David Sedaris' hilarious tale of a disgruntled elf working in Macy's holiday wonderland will open at The Armory on December 2 and run through December 24, with preview performances beginning November 26. The Santaland Diaries is directed by Wendy Knox and stars Portland-favorite Darius Pierce as Crumpet, a role he has performed for sold-out houses in the Ellyn Bye Studio for the past four seasons.

Regular tickets start at $25. Tickets may be purchased at www.pcs.org, 503.445.3700, or in-person from the box office (128 NW Eleventh Avenue, Portland, OR). Rush tickets are $20. Students and patrons who are 30 or younger can purchase $30 tickets for all dates/times. Showtimes are Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (excluding December 24); and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. (excluding November 26 and 27, and December 3). Recommended for ages 14 and up; contains mature content and language, and the secret of Santa is exposed. Information at https://www.pcs.org/santaland-2016.

ABOUT THE PLAY

Based on the true chronicles of writer and commentator David Sedaris' experience working as a Christmas elf in a Macy's department store in New York City, The Santaland Diaries riffs on a few of Sedaris' truly odd encounters with his fellow man during the height of the holiday crunch. The tales helped launch the career of Sedaris back in 1992, when he performed excerpts from his essay Santaland Diaries for National Public Radio's Morning Edition a few days before Christmas. The essay was adapted into a one-man show by Joe Mantello and premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company in 1996. Since then, The Santaland Diaries has become one of the most-produced shows on American stages each holiday season.

Darius Pierce
Darius Pierce most recently performed the role of Dev in Stupid F**king Bird at The Armory, a role he originated for the world premiere at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Other credits include The Gaming Table and Comedy of Errors (Folger Theatre); Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Profile Theatre); As You Like It (Portland Shakespeare Project); My Fair Lady and LES MISERABLES (Broadway Rose Theatre Company); and Peter and the Starcatcher (Portland Playhouse). Pierce is a company member at Third Rail Repertory Theatre and a co-founder of the Anonymous Theatre Company. His screen credits include The Librarians, Leverage, Portlandia, Grimm,Mock Trials, Thomas & the Trainmaster and Cell Count. Photos of Darius Pierce inThe Santaland Diaries are available for download on flickr.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Director Wendy Knox (artistic director at Minneapolis' Frank Theatre) leads a creative team that includes Scenic and Costume Designer Jessica Ford (recent designs for The Long Wharf Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Baltimore Center Stage and others), Lighting Designer Don Crossley (most recently at The Armory for The People's Republic of Portland) and Sound Designer Sarah Pickett (sound design and music composition instructor at Carnegie Mellon University)