PURE Theatre Presents World Premiere of LOWCOUNTRY BOIL by R.W. Smith

PURE Theatre is proud to announce the world premiere of Lowcountry Boil written and directed by Charleston's own R.W. Smith, and will feature Jennie Pringle, R.W. Smith, David Mandel, Kevin Curler, Robbie Thomas, Will Hodges, Katie Huard, Brian DeCosta, and Randy Risher.

Lowcountry Boil opens Friday, March 5 and runs through the 27th. Please join us opening night March 5 for a complimentary beer tasting with the Charleston Beer Exchange with Coast Brewing Company, Lowcountry Boil's sponsors.

Cath (Jennie Pringle) has two dead bodies in her car, $500,000 in cash, and a new lease on life. Now Cath must hightail it back to Chucktown to take revenge against the dead guy who betrayed her, and to confront the folks who want their money back. Developed in the PURE Lab, Lowcountry Boil is the action packed sequel to Horse Tranqs & Carriage People.

 

"While this play is the sequel to Horse Tranqs & Carriage People, Low Country Boil is a play that stands on it's own. I wrote it to be it's own piece. With every play there is a backstory,and most you don't ever see. The back story for this one just happens to be Horse Tranqs. Those who have not seen Horse Tranqs will be caught up to speed with the entire situation within the first five minutes. For those who did see Horse Tranqs, I've thrown in characters, lines and situational references that they will recognize from the first play. In writing these two plays, I wanted to write stand alone plays, very different from each other in style, following a strong female character through her development into a bad-ass." - R.W. Smith, playwright & director

"Low Country Boil begins two hours after the end of Horse Tranqs and Carriage People. I wanted to the main character to basically not have a break. She thinks she's gotten away with all this money and all she has to do is get rid of the bodies. But she immediately is thrown back into The Situation when she gets to her cousins lake house. Her day is far from over." - R.W. Smith
"One of my first goals with this play was to write a local play. There is a big movement to buy local, so as an artist, I wanted to write local. Make a play that was not only set in Charleston, but embraced it's community and archetypes. The people of Charleston are so wonderfully colorful. There is a reason people fall for Pat Conroy's books. It is the beauty that is Charleston combined with the fascinating people that make up the city.

"Another influence on the play was the effect of television on audiences today. HBO and Showtime have embraced the concept of making smart, sexy, funny, adult originals that make the audience laugh and flinch. I wanted to channel that use of comedy and violence. Comedic situations, violent twists, witty dialogue and a bad-ass female lead to bring it all home.

"The play is part Pulp Fiction, part Clerks and all Charleston." - R.W. Smith

"For the past seven season, PURE Theatre has been responsible for producing 9 world premiere productions. We are committed to providing opportunities for playwrights to see their work through to full production. As a company, PURE has developed a reputation for risk taking, thinking outside of the box, and executing our craft with passion; this is never more apparent than when viewed through our ongoing commitment to the production of original work." - Sharon Graci, Artistic Director & Co-Founder of PURE Theatre

About PURE Theatre

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 will continue popular special events such as their Bring Your Own Baby

performance on Sunday, March 14th at 2:00. BYOBaby is a unique opportunity for parents of young children to enjoy professional theatre without incurring the cost of child care. Child care is provided free of charge by PURE Theatre, and staffed by childcare professionals from The Circular Congregational Church in their downstairs facility.

Student Rush tickets are available for $15 with a valid student ID, for tickets remaining at curtain.

About Charleston Beer Exchange
The Charleston Beer Exchange is an award winning, craft beer specialty retailer in the heart of Historic Charleston. The shop offers over 700 unique bottled beers from around the country and around the world, as well as, a unique "growler" filling station that allows you to take a half gallon of fresh draft beer to go! The knowledgeable staff is always available to assist with product information, suggest food & beer pairings, and offer private party consultation. Located behind the Old Exchange Building near the corner of East Bay & Broad Streets.

Coast Brewing Company is a small, family owned craft brewery - Located across from Noisette Creek in the sustainable community of the Navy Yard. They believe in utilizing alternative means to brew unique beer. They also believe in choice organic and local ingredients. From their biodiesel fired kettle to their efficient process, they forge hand crafted batches in their 7 bbl brewhouse.

Mature Audiences Only

Lowcountry Boil Creatives
R.W. Smith (Playwright, Director, Linus) has written plays for PURE Theatre, Theatre 99 and Clemson University. His credits include Sam's Corner, Horse Tranqs & Carriage People and co-writer for The Complete History of Charleston For Morons. This is his fourth play he has directed at PURE. He has directed A Number by Caryl Churchill, which was subsequently remounted for Piccolo, Killer Joe and Horse Tranqs & Carriage People.

Jenny Pringle (Catherine) is happy to be returning to PURE Theatre for the sequel of Horse Tranqs and Carriage People. She also performed in the 2007 PURE Holiday production and played Izzy in the theatre's 2008 production of Rabbit Hole. Before returning to her hometown of Charleston, Jenny trained in New York City at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and The Groundlings Improv Theatre in L.A. Her roles in New York range from Mindy in Alan Ball's comedy Five Woman Wearing the Same Dress to Desdemona in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello. In Charleston, Jenny taught youth acting for The Actors Theatre of South Carolina and played Puck in the theatre's 2007 version of A Misummer's Night Dream. Jenny is proud to be a company member at Theatre 99 performing improv regularly. Jenny is also an active member of the Screen Actor's Guild and teaches English at Charleston Collegiate.

 
David Mandel (Nick) has acted with PURE in Killer Joe, The Last Five Years, Thom Pain (based on nothing), This Is How It Goes, A Number, American Buffalo, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Seafarer, True West, and Jesus Hopped the "A" Train, among others. He directed PURE's production of Grace, co-directed Speech & Debate, and has written short works for the PURE Lab. He worked three seasons with The New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth), a year in residence at George Street Playhouse, and nine years in Los Angeles at venues including The MET Theatre, HBO Workspace, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LATC, and the Egyptian Arena Theatre. Voted Best Actor in Charleston in 2006 by Charleston City Paper readers, he is PURE's associate artistic director.

Kevin Curler (BrenDan Lewis) delighted to be making his Pure Theatre debut, especially since R.W. found a way for him to participate in this production without having to come to the theater every night. When he's not impersonating newsmen down by the river, Kevin is a student at both MUSC and the Citadel pursuing ta Doctor of Pharmacy and an MBA. That pursuit has kept him off area stages since 2006, and he is very pleased to have been given the chance to get back to acting, if only for one afternoon.

 

Robbie Thomas (Mayor John Madson) attended the College of Charleston for theatre. He has become a regular on the stages of Charleston. He has recently been seen in The Sound of Music (Max), Comedy of Errors (Antipholus), Quills (Marquis de Sade), and La Cage Aux Folles (Georges). He was also the director of Frost/Nixon and The Altruists at the Footlight Players. This is his first production with PURE Theatre.

Will Hodges (Spencer) a Charleston native, has appeared in several local productions including Boys Next Door, The Mousetrap, Tribute, A Christmas Carol, Life With Father, Much Ado About Nothing, and Love Labour's Lost. This is his third show with PURE. Other PURE shows include Yankee Tavern and HOGS. He studied acting with Marcia Haufrecht at Common Basis Theatre in New York City and performed improvisational comedy at the New York Comedy Club and The Zipper Theatre. He was also on the television show Dawson's Creek. This is his second show with PURE Theatre and will be in PURE's upcoming production of Lowcountry Boil.

Katie Huard (Liz) is excited to be working with PURE Theatre for the second time. She recently performed as Janet in PURE's Yankee Tavern. She is a College of Charleston alumnus with an MFA in acting from the American Conservatory Theater. She has recently returned to Charleston to teach acting at the College of Charleston. Theater credits include: Mauritius at the Village Playhouse, Mother Courage at Berkely Repertory Theater, Christmas Carol at American Conservatory Theatre, Farmtrucks at the New York City Fringe Festival.

Brian DeCosta (Hank)

Randy Risher (Phillip) is happy to be doing his first show with PURE. Recent credits include Souvenir (McMoon) and The Little Dog Laughed (Mitchell) at Village Playhouse; Frost/Nixon (Zelnick) at Footlight Players; Reefer Madness (Jack/Jesus) with Midtown Productions; Picasso at The Lapin Agile (Einstein) and A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) with Charleston Stage.

WHEN: March 5, 6, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 with a Pay What You Can Preview on March 4, Complimentary Beer Tasting with the Charleston Beer Exchange on March 5 & a Sunday Matinee on March 14

WHERE: PURE Theatre, at Upper Lance Hall, 150 Meeting Street, Downtown Charleston, on the grounds of the Circular Congregational Church

TICKETS: Thursdays $20, Friday through Sundays $25

At the Door: Thursday $25, Friday through Sunday $30

Available at www.puretheatre.org or by phone at 866.811.4111. Tickets can also be purchased the night of the show at the PURE Theatre Box Office at on the grounds of The Circular Congregational Church, 150 Meeting Street. Seating is limited, and advance ticket purchases are strongly encouraged.

INFO: 843.723.4444