Main Street Theater Presents THIS, Previews 4/2

This is a tart, witty un-romantic comedy. This is the deepest of human feeling, honesty, grief. This is the raw and human tale of 5 friends trying to find their way through mid-life and face reality.

With previews April 2, 3, and 6, This opens April 7 and runs through April 24 at Main Street Theater - Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. Performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets range from $26 - $40 (Previews are $10, and $5 Friday is April 8), depending on date and section, and are on sale in person at the Main Street Theater Box Office, 2540 Times Blvd., via phone at 713.524.6706, or online at MainStreetTheater.com.

About This
Jane is not okay. She's a promising poet without a muse, a single mother without lessons to pass along. Her dating life's a shambles, and her helpful friends are only helping make things more complicated. This bright, witty, un-romantic comedy captures the uncertain steps of a circle of friends backing their way into middle age.
This had its world premiere production in New York at Playwrights Horizons in 2009. New York Times theatre critic Charles Isherwood wrote that with This, Gibson "graduates into the theatrical big leagues with this beautifully conceived, confidently executed and wholly accessible work."
This was a 2009-10 finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

About Playwright Melissa James Gibson
Canadian-born, Melissa James Gibson currently resides in New York. She graduated from Columbia University and then the Yale School of Drama with an M.F.A. in playwrighting. She has received fellowships from the Jerome Foundation and the MacDowell Colony. In 2002, she won the Obie for playwrighting and the Whiting Writers' Award. Her work has been commissioned by Steppenwolf, La Jolla Playhouse, and the Adirondack Theatre Festival, among others. Other works include Six Fugues, God's Paws, Nuda Veritas, and Current Nobody.

About the Production
Houston favorite (onstage and off) Steve Garfinkel returns to MST to direct after directing last season's runaway hit The Last Night of Ballyhoo. The cast includes Carolyn Johnson (Driftwood, Mr. Pim Passes By, Translations) as Jane,
Daria James as Marrell, Mark Roberts (Machinal, The Weir, Chekhov in Yalta) as Tom, Seán Patrick Judge (The Doctor's Dilemma, The House of the Spirits) as Alan, and Justin Doran (The Heidi Chronicles, Breakfast at Eight, Arcadia) as Jean-Pierre.
The design team includes Jeffrey S. Lane (set design), Eric Marsh (lighting design), Shawn W. St. John (sound design), Ruth Dentel (costume design), and Pamela Miltenberger (Properties Design/Set Dressing). Rob Babbitt is the production stage manager.