Freddie Ashley to Take the Stage in THE WHALE at Actor's Express, 5/16-6/14

Actor's Express closes its 2014-15 season with recently minted MacArthur 'Genius Grant' recipient Samuel D. Hunter's powerful drama The Whale playing May 16 - June 14, 2015.

The production will mark Actor's Express Artistic Director Freddie Ashley's return to the stage after a four-year absence in the role of Charlie, a 600-pound gay man trying to salvage a relationship with his estranged daughter.

"The Whale is about a man who is large of body and large of spirit," says Ashley. "I am excited by the challenge of telling a story that ennobles the human condition in its unflinching depiction of lost people trying desperately to connect."

CAST:

Freddie Ashley - Charlie
Kyle Brumley - Elder Thomas
Stephanie Friedman - Ellie
Agnes L. Harty - Mary
Tiffany Porter - Liz

CREATIVE TEAM:

Heidi Cline McKerley - Director
Phillip Male - Scenic Designer
Deyah Brenner - Costume Designer
Andrew Allen - Lighting Designer
Dan Bauman - Sound Designer
Kristen Hunsicker - Properties Master
Kat Tierney - Stage Manager

At six hundred pounds, Charlie has hidden himself away in his small apartment. Isolated and hungering for redemption, he desperately tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter before it's too late. As he eats his way into oblivion, his life intersects with a lonely nurse and a mysterious young Mormon missionary, who all seek grace and human connection - and discover that beauty and kindness come in unexpected forms.

Tickets - $26-$45*. Performances: Director's Rough Cut - Wednesday, May 13 at 8 PM, Pay What You Can (at the door only); Previews - Thursday, May 14 and Friday, May 15 at 8 PM, $20; Opening Night - Saturday, May 16 at 8 PM, $40 (includes reception with director and cast after the show). Purchase tickets online at actors-express.com or by calling 404.607.7469. Group pricing is available. For info, email tickets@actorsexpress.com. *Ticket prices are subject to availability. Order early for best pricing. 8% sales tax will be added to all orders.

Since its founding in 1988, Actor's Express has sought to nurture the next generation of playwrights through workshops, readings, and full productions of new plays; to develop and nurture Atlanta's artistic community through theatre training; to catalyze the dialogue essential to the vitality of its neighborhood and its city; and to enhance Atlanta's reputation nationally as a thriving center for live performance.

Actor's Express is located on the west side of Atlanta in the King Plow Arts Center at 887 W. Marietta Street, Suite J-107, Atlanta, Georgia 30318.