PURE Theatre Presents Waffle Haus Christmas

PURE brings back its wildly successful romp with some current jabs at the local scene in this imaginative and hilarious look at a timeless classic. Waffle Haus Christmas was written by PURE’s in-house playwright Rodney Lee Rogers and directed by artistic director Sharon Graci, co-founder Rodney Lee Rogers, and associate artistic director David Mandel. The show runs December 9 through the 23, and will feature Sharon Graci, Rodney Lee Rogers, Tripp Hamilton, and Sullivan Graci Hamilton.

Stuck working on Christmas eve, a diner waitress burnout, her ex-husband line cook, and their “special” teenage daughter are visited by the ghosts of Waffle Haus Christmas Past, Present, and Future in this irreverent comedy that lampoons our most precious holiday traditions.

Waffle Haus Christmas debuted in 2007 as a one-act for PURE’s Holiday Shorts. It returned to the stage as a full-length production in 2010 to rave reviews and packed houses.

“PURE isn't trafficking in stereotypes. It's upending them, toying with caricatures and offering an irreverent take on hallowed holiday traditions.” —Post & Courier

“Waffle Haus is a piece that's near and dear to my heart. It seems so often as an artist it’s the pieces that you feel are a little less formed and a little less elevated that find there way towards mass appeal. Like a precocious child that bursts their way into the world, you feel a little less responsible and a whole lot less in control of the path they carve. It’s a joy to revisit this motley cast of characters and see what more they can teach us about the futility of our sometimes lofty ambitions. They will always be welcome, especially during the holidays when forced proximity brings out all the flaws and wonder of family,” says writer & co-director Rodney Lee Rogers.

“Stereotypes are an interesting deal. They allow us to distill people and events down to a simple, non-complex idea, with which the tiny portions of our brain can process, understand and alas, pass judgment,“ Rogers continues. “The hope is to poke fun at, revel in, and transcend the labels and greeting-card holiday expectations we saddle ourselves with at this time of year. After all, is that what Christmas is: one big stereotype in need of some mistletoe?”

PURE Theatre has garnered a reputation for artistic excellence, risk taking, and thinking outside of the box. The company’s intrepid approach to the art and craft of theatre has garnered them numerous critics and audience awards, as well as a loyal following of patrons. PURE has been the recipient of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Play, Best One-Person Play, Most Diverse Theatre Company critic and audience awards, and Winners of the 2010 South Carolina Arts Commission's Fellowships in the Playwriting & Acting.

Waffle Haus Christmas

Creatives

Sharon Graci (Co-Director & Sally Anne) is the artistic director and co-founder of PURE Theatre. Directing credits include Next Fall, Circle Mirror Transformation, Superior Donuts, Race, Yankee Tavern, Up, Speech & Debate, Sheep's Clothing, The Last Five Years, The Seafarer, Underneath the Lintel, and Eurydice. She is an alumnus of the 2007 Lincoln Center Director’s Lab. Recent acting credits include Stage: Sarah in Time Stands Still, Mara Stockman Kelly in Hogs, Elizabeth in Faith, Hope & Charity, Becca in Rabbit Hole, Celestina in Cloud Tectonics at PURE. Television: Army Wives (Lifetime), One Tree Hill (WB), Surface (NBC). She studied acting at Point Park University and the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Theatre and received a BA in theatre from Augusta State University. She has performed with numerous regional theatre companies throughout the Southeast and was voted Best Local Actress by Charleston City Paper readers in 2007, 2008, and 2009. She also received a Best Actor Award for her work in Montague, winner Best Film, Stopwatch Cinema.

Rodney Lee Rogers (Playwright/Co-Director & Jimmy) is an actor, writer, and co-founder of PURE Theatre. His plays and one-acts include The Trial of the Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet, The Tragedian, Killing Chickens, Fairgrounds, What Comes Around, Tell, Cowboys, and A Waf?e Haus Christmas. His plays have been produced in New York City, Seattle, Charlotte, and Charleston. His feature ?lm Steaming Milk won runner-up Best Actor and Best Director awards at the 1997 Seattle International Film Festival and was chosen as a “Best of the Fest” of both The Seattle Times and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Directing credits include Tell, Jesus Hopped the “A” Train, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Acting credits for the stage include Superior Donuts, The Trial of the Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet, It’s a Wonderful Life, Up, The Pillowman, The Lonesome West, Cloud Tectonics, Underneath the Lintel, Eurydice, and The Tragedian. Television: One Tree Hill, Medicine Ball, and Army Wives.

Tripp Hamilton (Roberts, Ghafir, and the Three Santas of X-mas Past, Present, and Future) joins the long and illustrious family career of acting. According to Tripp's parents, “Many children happily follow in the footsteps of their parents; we just wish ours wouldn’t. Though we guess he is pretty good, and who are we to talk.” Tripp's acting credits include Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet. Tripp has studied acting in Bulgaria at the Rhodophi International Theatre Institute, and the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles. Tripp was previously seen at PURE in Superior Donuts and in the 2010 production of Waffle Haus Christmas.

Sullivan Graci Hamilton (Bella): Previous productions at PURE have included Circle Mirror Transformation, Ginger: A Hansel & Gretel Tale, Waffle Haus Christmas (2010), HOGS, and Speech & Debate. She has also been seen in More Fun Than Bowling at South of Broadway.

David Mandel (Co-Director & Waffle Dramaturg) is PURE’s associate artistic director. Directing credits include Grace for PURE, Romeo & Juliet (Dock Street Theatre), 183 Questions (MET Theatre, Los Angeles), Harold Pinter’s The Dwarfs (Glaxa, Los Angeles), and two years directing and producing a weekly sketch comedy show in Los Angeles. Waffles: Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles (Los Angeles), Waffle House (by the round Holiday Inn), and various diners in New Jersey. He watched Waffle Haus Christmas last year and thought it was hilarious and could only be slightly improved by the actors having someone outside of their own family in the room during a few rehearsals.

Waffle Haus Christmas

by Rodney Lee Rogers

WHO: Written by Rodney Lee Rogers

Directed by Sharon Graci, Rodney Lee Rogers & David Mandel

Featuring Sharon Graci, Rodney Lee Rogers, Tripp Hamilton, Sullivan Graci Hamilton

WHAT: Waffle Haus Christmas
WHERE: PURE Theatre

477 King Street, Charleston, SC 29403
WHEN: December 9– 23

Pay What You Can Preview Thursday, December 8

Opening Night Friday, December 9

Additional performances December 10, 11*, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 21, 22, 23

7:30 pm performances

*2:00 pm matinees

TICKETS:

Phone: PURE Box Office: 866.811.4111
Online: www.puretheatre.org
In Person: PURE Theatre Box Office, 477 King Street, Charleston, SC 29403

Opens 30 minutes before showtime. Seating is limited!