Harbor Stage Company Presents ARTIST DESCENDING A STAIRCASE Tonight

Beginning tonight, July 17th, the Harbor Stage Company will present the second show of their 2014 season, Tom Stoppard's mindbending Artist Descending a Staircase.

Critically acclaimed as a "genuinely moving investigation of the nature of perception", Stoppard's metaphysical whodunit chronicles the lifelong comradery and competition of a trio of modern artists, and how their tangled history colors a sudden and suspicious death. A murder mystery with an avant garde edge, the piece has rarely been produced since its debut in 1972, and will be staged at the Harbor in its originally intended radio play form, complete with live foley effects.

The cast will include company co-founders Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers, as well as guest artists Jason Lambert (last summer's gripping Shimmer) and Cape favorite Robin Bloodworth (The Vibrator Play, Boeing Boeing). Rounding out the creative team are sound designer Stowe Nelson (Atlantic Theater Company, Rattlestick, The Mad Ones) and resident Harbor lighting designer John Malinowski (The Huntington, the Lyric).

Opening weekend performances of Artist... will run today, July 17th through Saturday, July 19th at 7:30pm, with a bonus matinee Saturday the 19th at 3pm. The final three weeks of the production will run Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm, through August 9th.

In keeping with the company's mission to present great plays at fair prices for the right reason, single tickets to Artist are set at $20, and the group will once again host a pay-what-you-can night on the First Friday of the production's run (July 18th at 7:30pm). Following Artist..., the Harbor Stage Company will present the World Premiere of John Kolvenbach's Sister Play and welcome back Harbor legend Jimmy Tingle for a 3-night engagement of his brilliant review "Making Comic Sense" (Sunday August 24th, Monday August 25th, and Tuesday August 26th). More information on tickets to all events, donations, and individual ensemble members can be found at www.harborstage.org.