4000 MILES Plays Capital Stage, Now thru 4/13

Capital Stage continues its ninth season, THE HOMEFRONT: A Season of Soul-Stirring Plays, with the 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist 4000 MILES by Amy Herzog. This humorous yet honest play grapples themes of family and grief with wit and spontaneity. Capital Stage's production will be directed by Carolyn Howarth, will feature Dee Maaske a twenty-one year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and will run from today, March 12, 2014 through April 13, 2014, with a press opening on March 15.

THE PLAY After suffering a major loss while he was on a cross-country bike trip, 21 year-old Leo seeks solace from his feisty 91 year-old grandmother Vera in her West Village apartment. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other. 4000 MILES is a wonderfully funny, touching and ultimately surprising play about growing up and finding home.

THE PRODUCTION: Carolyn Howarth (MISTAKES WERE MADE) directs the ensemble featuring Elizabeth Holzman (POWER PLAY OR: SMART BOMBS AND OTHER SEXY TOYS), Sylvia Kwan, Dee Maaske, and Teddy Spencer. The design team includes Jonathan Williams (scenic), Paulette Gilbert (costumes), and Les Solomon (lighting).

A word about Dee Maaske: Native Marylander Dee Maaske's professional career spans theaters in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Her credits include 21 seasons with Oregon Shakespeare Festival as well as stages in Seattle, Denver, Tucson, Atlanta and the Kennedy Center, Wash. DC. In 2004 she was asked by Horton Foote to play Carrie Watts for his 50th anniversary production of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL at the Hartford Stage Co. and the Alley Theatre, Houston, TX. In her long career Dee has partnered with established playwrights spanning multiple generations as well as helping young, contemporary writers to create new roles that excite audiences of all ages.

Performances for 4000 MILES will begin with three previews on Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm and Thursday & Friday March 13 and 14 at 8pm. The production will open on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 8pm. Performances continue through April 13, 2014. Showtimes will be Wednesdays at 7pm, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. General tickets range from $26-$38. Discount tickets are available as follows: Preview Tickets are $20; Student Rush Tickets are half-priced; Senior Tickets are $2 off regular priced tickets (excluding Saturday evenings); and Group Rates are available for parties of 12 or more. Tickets are currently available at the Capital Stage Box Office, by phone at 916-995-5464 or online at www.capstage.org.

Capital Stage Company's mission is to be a dynamic leader in the evolution of the contemporary live theatre landscape in the Capital region and to passionately engage audiences in the art of live storytelling with bold, innovative plays performed by professional artists, in an intimate, up close setting. With a strong commitment to expanding the base of working artists in the greater Sacramento region, we shall develop a company of actors, directors, writers, designers, and technical staff who are dedicated to bringing bold, lively productions of contemporary and classic plays to our community.

While part of the mission of any theater company is to entertain its audience, we at Capital Stage feel strongly that the productions we mount address issues that are vital to understanding the society we live in and ourselves as human beings in that society. We address themes of power and manipulation in relationships between men and women, children and parents, and organizations and individuals. We invite audiences to question the ethics and meaning of art, the definitions of sanity and intelligence, and the line between exploitation and legitimate relationship. We believe that in a large and growing urban environment, where individuals and groups are constantly bombarded with information and demands for decisions, the need for thoughtful examination of our interactions in society has never been greater.