Photo Flash: First Look at Debra Jo Rupp, Kim Stauffer and More in Chester Theatre's MADAGASCAR

Chester Theatre Company will open its 25th Anniversary Season with J.T. Rogers' haunting mystery MADAGASCAR. The production, which runs now through July 6th at the Chester Town Hall in Chester, MA, will feature CTC favorites Debra Jo Rupp (A Body of Water) and Kim Stauffer (Crime and Punishment). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

MADAGASCAR tells the story of three Americans who find themselves alone, in the same hotel room overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome at three different periods in time: June (played by Stauffer), a young woman who works as a tour guide of the city's ancient ruins; Lilian (played by Rupp), her wealthy and elegant jet-setting mother; and Nathan, a rumpled university economist and the best friend of Lilian's famous, deceased husband. As they each tell their individual tale, their relationships to each other, the meaning of this room and why they have been called to it is revealed. Their stories weave back and forth in time - each contradicting, clarifying, deepening what the others say - as they attempt to discover the truth: why did the young man disappear? What responsibility do they bear for his vanishing?

MADAGASCAR will be directed by former CTC Associate Artistic Director James Warwick (The Retreat From Moscow, Duet for One, Skylight). Warwick returns to Western Massachusetts after heading the Los Angeles Campus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In addition to their work at CTC, area audiences will recognize Debra Jo Rupp and Kim Stauffer from their recent hit shows - Rupp in Dr. Ruth, All the Way at BSC and Stauffer in Emilie: La Marquise Du Cha?telet Defends Her Life Tonight at WAM Theatre.

Set Design by Travis A. George, Lighting Design by Lara Dubin, Costume Design by Arthur Oliver, and Sound Design by Tom Shread.

Tickets are available on CTC's website: www.chestertheatre.org, or by phone at 1-800-595-4TIX. To receive a brochure, contact the CTC office at 413-354-7770. CTC performances take place at Chester's Historic Town Hall, 15 Middlefield Road, Chester, MA. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, with matinees Thursdays and Sundays at 2:00pm. There will be no performance on July 4th. Tickets are $30 for weekday performances (Wed-Fri), $35 for weekend (Sat & Sun). Student, Chester Resident, and Saturday Night Rush tickets available; group rates for 10 or more are also available.

Photo Credit: Rick Teller