BWW Preview: Desert Theatreworks Will Present the Madcap Dark Comedy DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE

Desert Theatreworks (DTW) has just officially become a 501(c)(3) organization. It is celebrating its status with an ambitious production: Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl's dark, but madcap, romantic comedy, DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE. The play will run from September 18th through the 26th, 2015, at the Arthur Newman Theatre, in the Joslyn Center in Palm Desert.

When a cell phone rings incessantly at the next table in a café and the owner ignores it, a single woman named Jean discovers that the owner has died. She answers the phone, and soon finds herself dating the dead man's brother, sharing drinks with his widow, and meeting his mistress. Winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play, DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE was first presented in 2007 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington D.C. before opening at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.

"DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE is a dark comedy that has an underscoring of magical realism, but the humor is so honest that we all easily go on the strange journey," says DTW's Artistic Director Lance Phillips-Martinez, who directs the show. He recommends the play for teenagers on up.

The cast consists of Daniela Ryan (Jean), Luke Rainey (Gordon), Stephen Blackwell (Dwight), June August (Mrs. Gottlieb), Jennifer Asbenson (Hermia), Liza Nekrasova (Other Woman/Stranger), Tanner Lieser (Ensemble) and Jenny Ferguson (Ensemble). The production crew includes: Ron Phillips-Martinez (Executive Director/Sets/Costumes, DeLane Marianowits (Stage Manager), Kathy Taylor-Smith (Crew) and Angus Feath (Crew).

Performance dates and times are:

Friday, September 18th - 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 19th - 2 p.m. (followed by a talkback with actors and the director).
Saturday, September 19th - 7 p.m.
Friday, September 25th - 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 26th - 2 p.m. (followed by a talkback with actors and the director).
Saturday, September 26th - 7 p.m.

Ticket prices are $26 for general admission; $24 for seniors; and $16 for students (with i.d.).

Tickets can be purchased online at www.dtworks.org; by phone at 760-980-1455; and in person at the Joslyn Center, 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert CA, 92260 (where the Arthur Newman Theatre is located). For pricing for groups of eight or more, call the box office, at 760-980-1455. Call the box office for season tickets.

Desert Theatreworks' 2015-16 season continues with:
Steel Magnolias, October 30-November 8, 2015
A Christmas Carol (nonmusical), December 11-20, 2015
Laughter on the 23rd Floor, January 29-February 7, 2016
Clue the Musical, March 11-20, 2016 (Over 200 possible endings)
Other Desert Cities, April 8-17, 2016