Chance Theater Presents UP, Previews 9/23

Chance Theater is pleased to present the Southern California premiere of Bridget Carpenter's quirky and thought-provoking play Up. The production will run September 23 - October 23 at Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills. The play is directed by Trevor Biship.

On July 2, 1982, a man named Larry Walters- armed with a pellet gun, sandwiches, beer and a camera - flew to an altitude of 15,000 feet over the city of Long Beach by attaching 45 helium-filled weather balloons to his patio chair.

Up uses this infamous incident as the basis for a fictional tale about Walter Griffins and his life after landing back on earth. Since the day he took flight, Walter has been attempting to recapture that authentic feeling of complete freedom. In doing so, he's become blind to the dreams of his wife and son, who want their family to stay earthbound. The conflict between dreams and reality launches the family into a tumultuous confrontation. Up is a quirky, bittersweet tale about an American family trying to escape the boundaries of the everyday by harnessing the power of the imagination.

First produced in 2003 by Alaska's Perseverance Theater and staged by, among others, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in 2009, Up had not received a local staging despite its Southern California setting-until now.

"The play is loosely based upon the autobiographical story of San Pedro's infamous Larry Walters, whose shocking 1982 flight of a lawn chair strapped to weather balloons inspired America in numerous ways. However, Carpenter boldly reimagines Walters' life after his greatest triumph, and the result is a dizzying and fantastical journey about the consequences of dreams," says director Trevor Biship. "Carpenter's unique voice channels upon the greatest family dramas of the modern era, including Death of a Salesman and Long Day's Journey Into Night. However, this brave play's humor and insight allows audiences to see the heart of the American Dream: the deep-seeded need to stay connected with the ones you love at all costs."

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