OTHER DESERT CITIES and ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE Join 2nd Story Theatre's 2015 Season

In King Lear, Shakespeare wrote, "The wheel is come full circle." The Bard's famous line holds true at 2nd Story where Artistic Director Ed Shea has returned the UpStage theater to its original in-the-round configuration. Shea, well known for shaking things up mid-season, said this about his decision to go back to 2nd Story's in-the-round roots: "I'd forgotten how intimate, immediate and profoundly simple theatre can be."

Change begets change. Along with a jolt of renewed energy and excitement, 2nd Story's rebuild also presented some challenges.

The last two plays of the UpStage Season were ideal for proscenium staging but not well-suited to the 'round, so some changes have been made:

WHAT'S OUT and WHAT'S IN:

The Ladies Man is OUT, replaced with Jon Robin Baitz' recent Broadway hit OTHER DESERT CITIES. Also out is Time of My Life. Taking its place will be the delightfully dark Joe Orton masterwork, ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE.

WHAT STAYS THE SAME:

The DownStage 2014-15 Season plays are unchanged.

AT A GLANCE:

UPSTAGE

OTHER DESERT CITIES by Jon Robin Baitz (replaces The Ladies Man)
Previews March 13, 14, 15; Performances March 19 - April 12
Press: Sunday, March 22 @ 7:30PM
An award-winning contemporary drama about a daughter who returns home after a long absence to announce she is publishing a memoir that dredges up a tragic event in the family's history - a wound her parents, brother and aunt don't want reopened.

ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE by Joe Orton (replaces Time of My Life)
Previews May 1, 2, 3; Performances May 7 - May 31
Press: Sunday, May 10 @ 7:30PM
A blowsy landlady and her sexually repressed brother rent Mr. Sloane a room and proceed to "entertain" him by seducing the seemingly hapless young man. But when their old Pa recognizes Sloane for what he is, a spineless murderer, Joe Orton's black comedy ratchets up into a territorial battle reminiscent of the works of Harold Pinter.

DOWNSTAGE

4000 MILES by Amy Herzog
Previews Feb. 27, 28 & March 1; Performances March 5 - March 29
Press: Saturday, March 7 @ 7:30PM & Sunday, March 8 @ 2:30PM
After suffering a major loss while on a cross-country bike trip, 21 year-old Leo seeks solace from his fiercely independent 91-year old grandmother in her West Village apartment. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately connect with one another. 4000 Miles looks at how two outsiders find their way in today's world.

AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE by Paul Zindel
Previews April 17, 18, 19; Performances April 23 - May 17
Press: Sunday, April 26 @ 7:30PM
Time has erased the bonds that bind the Reardon sisters: one married and cut herself off from family; another drinks more than she should; and the third, after a scandalous incident at the school where she teaches, is on the brink of madness. A biting blend of comedy and drama that probes the baggage-filled relationships of three sisters whose lives are on the brink of chaos.

All performances take place at 2nd Story Theatre 28 Market Street Warren, RI 02885. Tickets: Previews: $10; Regular $30; Age 21 & Under $21. For more information, call 401.247.4200, email boxoffice@2ndStoryTheatre.com or visit www.2ndStoryTheatre.com.

ABOUT 2nd STORY THEATRE - 2nd Story is a welcoming, vibrant theatre with the highest professional standards for excellence in the performance of great plays accessible to both traditional and new audiences. 2nd Story's facility at 28 Market Street, Warren, Rhode Island houses two performance venues: UpStage (the 150-seat main stage) and DownStage (an intimate 75-seat space). Founded in Newport, Rhode Island in 1978, 2nd Story established a permanent home in Rhode Island's historic East Bay in 2001 under the leadership of Artistic Director Ed Shea and Executive Director Lynne Collinson.