Purple Rose Theatre Company to Stage World Premiere GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD

GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD, a world premiere by Matt Letscher, is the next play slated to appear at The Purple Rose Theatre Company as part of its 25th anniversary season.

When Jane brings home the much older, soon-to-be father of her unborn child, Mom thinks that she's kidding. What starts as a practical joke turns into a thoughtful exploration of what it is that we pass down through the generations. Is it more than just DNA? Please note the play contains adult language.

GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD will run from Thursday, April 14 through Saturday, May 28, 2016. Previews, with reduced-price tickets, begin Thursday, April 14; opening night is Friday, April 22.

A veteran playwright, Matt Letscher's first world premiere at the PRTC was "Sea of Fools" in 2007. Letscher and the Purple Rose now prepare to mount his latest work after winning the 2015 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Beginning in 2007, the Edgerton Foundation provides financial support to theatres across the U.S. with an established reputation for producing new plays. These grants, which fund extended rehearsal time for the creative team behind plays still in development, have enabled plays to schedule many subsequent productions, 15 of which have landed on Broadway. The award's most notable recipients include two-time 2014 Tony Award Winner "All the Way" and 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winner "Next to Normal".

The cast of GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD features PRTC Literary Manager and long-time resident artist Michelle Mountain (Grass Lake) along with Mark Colson (Lansing) and Aja Brandmeier (West Bloomfield).

Set design is by Vince Mountain, properties by Luciana Piazza, costumes by Christianne Myers, lighting and projections by Noelle Stollmack, and sound by Tom Whalen. Thomas Macias is the stage manager.

Underwriting support for the season comes from the Ford Motor Company Fund, The Hamp Family Fund, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, the Sage Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and the Matilda R. Wilson Fund. GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD production sponsors are the Edgerton Foundation and Chelsea Comfort Inn & Village Conference Center. Media sponsors include Michigan Radio, ChelseaMich.com, Detroit Performs, and Applied Storytelling.

All performances will be held at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park Street, Chelsea, Michigan 48118. Tickets are available for purchase beginning Monday, March 7 at 10am. Prices range from $19 to $43 each with special discounts for students, seniors, teachers, members of the military, and groups. For more information or to make reservations call The Purple Rose Theatre Company box office at (734) 433-7673 or go online at www.purplerosetheatre.org.

Founded in 1991 by actor, playwright, musician and Chelsea native Jeff Daniels, the Purple Rose Theatre Company is a creative home for original American plays. In the 168-seat theatre, patrons experience an intimate encounter with live theatre.

The PRTC also provides an apprenticeship program, performance classes, readings, lectures and tours. It commissions new work from established and early-career playwrights. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional theatre, the PRTC operates under a Small Professional Theatre agreement with the Actors' Equity Association.

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