Capital Stage Presents Sacramento Premiere GUARDS AT THE TAJ by Rajiv Joseph

Guards at the Taj is the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award Winner for Outstanding Play, and the 2016 Obie Award Winner for Best New American Play. Capital Stage Co-Founder and Associate Artist, JoNathan Williams, returns to direct this critically acclaimed two person play for its Sacramento Premiere. Guards at the Taj will feature two actors new to the Sacramento theatre scene,

Rajesh Bose and Mohammad Shehata, and will In 1648 India, two Imperial Guards watch from their post as the sun rises for the first time on the newly completed Taj Mahal - an event that shakes their respective worlds. When they are ordered to perform an unthinkable task, the aftermath forces them to question the concepts of friendship, beauty, and duty, and changes them forever.

Rajiv Joseph was born June 16, 1974 in Cleveland, Ohio, and is an awarded American playwright. His works include Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama. Joseph's other productions include Gruesome Playground Injuries, Second Stage Theatre, 2011; Animals Out of Paper, Second Stage Theatre, 2008; The Leopard and the Fox (adaptation), Alter Ego, 2007; Huck & Holden, Cherry Lane Theatre, 2006; All This Intimacy, Second Stage Theatre, 2006.; The North Pool at Theatre Works in Palo Alto; The Lake Effect at Crossroads Theatre in New Jersey; and The Medusa Body at the Alley Theatre. He received his BA in Creative Writing from Miami University and his MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa.

Guards at the Taj will be directed by Capital Stage Co-Founder and Associate Artist JoNathan Williams (Blackberry Winter, Uncanny Valley, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Dying City, Master Class, Hunter Gatherers, Dirty Story, Boy Gets Girl, The Shape of Things) and will feature Rajesh Bose (Capital Stage debut), and Mohammad Shehata (Capital Stage debut). The production design team will include Stephen C. Jones (scenic design), Gail Russell (costume design), Timothy McNamara (lighting design), and Ed Lee (sound design).

Performances for Guards at the Taj will begin with two previews on Wednesday, March 15 & Thursday, March 16 at 7pm, and Friday, March 17 at 8pm. The production will open Saturday, March 18 at 8pm. Performances will continue through Sunday, April 16, 2017. Showtimes will be Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Regular ticket prices range from $28-45. Discount tickets are available as follows: Student Rush tickets are half priced with valid student ID within 1 hour of performance; Senior tickets are $5 off regular priced tickets; Military personnel tickets are $10 off regular priced tickets with valid ID; and Group Rate tickets are $5 off each 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 capstage.org.

Capital Stage presents Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by JoNathan Williams

Capital Stage, 2215 J Street, Sacramento CA 95816

March 15 - April 16 , 2017
Preview Nights: March 15 & 16 at 7pm, and 17 at 8pm, $22 tickets
Opening Night: Saturday, March 18 at 8pm, $40-45 tickets
Regular Performance Times:
Wednesdays at 7pm, $28-33 tickets
Thursdays at 7pm, $33-38 tickets
Fridays at 8pm, $33-38 tickets
Saturdays at 2pm, $30-35 tickets
Saturdays at 8pm, $35-40 tickets
Sundays at 2pm, $33-38 tickets

Phone: 916-995-5464
Online: capstage.org
Location: 2215 J Street

Playwright: Rajiv Joseph
Director: JoNathan Williams
Cast: Rajesh Bose* & Mohammad Shehata*
Scenic Design: Stephen C. Jones
Lighting Design: Timothy McNamara
Sound Design: Ed Lee
Costume Design: Gail Russell
Stage Managers: Katherine Cannon* & Melissa Jernigan*

*Member Actors' Equity Association