Strand Theater Company Opens 2011-12 Season With Lisa D’Amour’s Anna Bella Eema

Artistic Director, Jayme Kilburn, has announced the lineup for the Station North Arts & Entertainment District-based Strand Theater's upcoming fourth season. The scrappy company was recently named one of Charm City's "Top 5 Theaters" by Baltimore magazine. The Baltimore premiere of Lisa D'Amour's lyrical fairytale play with music, Anna Bella Eema, kicks things off with a three-week run under Kilburn's direction, October 7-22, 2011.

Ten-year-old Anna Bella and her hermetic mother Irene live in a ratty trailer on The Edge of lackluster town. When a new interstate threatens their mobile home park, Anna Bella animates a new playmate out of dirt, sweat, and spit to cope. As Anna Bella and Irene struggle to protect their home, the very-much-alive mud girl leads them on an unforgettable voyage full of wildlife, wonder, and benevolent monsters. Three virtuosic actresses bring this vibrant story to life through language and song.

For director Kilburn, Anna Bella Eema provides an unusual challenge, "to create a fully realized world while, as the playwright envisions, the actors undertake minimal movement. This piece really emphasizes the act-and art-of storytelling: the power of the spoken word and the laser-like focus of the teller. This is also my first time working on a piece where song is so integral to the performance, with the entire cast vocalizing. It's been exhilarating to lead the company in wrestling with this beautiful text."

Lisa D'Amour is an Obie Award-winning playwright and interdisciplinary artist. Her work has been produced by such theaters as New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, The Women's Project, and HERE Arts Center (New York); Salvage Vanguard, Physical Plant, and Refraction Arts (Austin); Infernal Bridegroom Productions (Houston); Crowded Fire Theater (San Francisco); and Ten Thousand Things, Red Eye Collaboration, and Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis). She has received commissions from Playwrights Horizons, Children's Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, The Talking Band, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Steppenwolf's world premiere production of her most recent play, Detroit, will transfer to Broadway later this year.

This production marks Jayme Kilburn's seventh as director at the Strand. The cast of Anna Bella Eema includes Christen Cromwell, Alix Fenhagen, and Arielle Goodman, all making their Strand debuts. Chris Sidorfsky has composed the original music, while scenery and properties are designed by local artist and frequent Strand collaborator Alix Tobey Southwick.

Anna Bella Eema runs for ten performances over three weeks, October 7-22. The Pay-What-You-Can Preview is Thursday, October 6th. Opening Night-featuring a complimentary pre-show reception and post-show Q&A with the company-is Friday, October 7th, and tickets are $25. A special "School Night" performance-featuring a deeply discounted admission of just $3 for students and educators (with appropriate ID)-is Thursday, October 20th. Tickets for all other performances are $20, with discounted pricing for seniors ($15) and students ($10).

Still to Come in the 2011-12 Season

For the first time, the Strand will present a five-play "mainstage season." The lineup for the rest of the season includes two world premieres, a regional premiere, and a Baltimore premiere. All five productions are written and directed by women artists. Full-season subscriptions for all five shows are available for $80 online at strand-theater.org. Seniors and students can purchase discounted subscriptions for $60 and $40, respectively. For folks who'd like to get the fullest Strand experience and subscribe to Opening Nights can for just $100.

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