RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN Opens in August at Little Fish Theatre

Little Fish Theatre is excited to present 2013 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for drama, Rapture, Blister, Burn, as its seventh production of 2016. Authored by playwright and television writer Gina Gionfriddo, this intensely smart comedy tackles two sides of the feminist puzzle - Career vs. Marriage - while weaving in heady, controversial ideas about gender politics, internet porn, reality TV, and choices made in an ever-changing world.

Two women covet each other's lives, commencing a game of musical chairs - the prize being someone's husband. With searing insight and trademark wit, Gionfriddo's play "draws its thematic impact from the complicated choices faced by modern women, and its stylistic cues from a tradition of smart, witty, heady comedy about political and social issues that traces back to the great George Bernard Shaw." San Diego Union Tribune

The cast of Rapture, Blister, Burn is composed of Little Fish Theatre Company Members. LFT Associate Artistic and Development Director Suzanne Dean* plays Catherine, a successful author who has started to regret her life's decisions. Catherine has returned home to take care of her mother, Alice, played by Mary-Margaret Lewis*. Patrick Rafferty plays Don, Catherine's ex-boyfriend, whom she abandoned to academia when she left town to pursue her career. Don is now married to Catherine's best friend, Gwen, played by Christina Morrell*, and they seem at first blush to have perfected suburban life. All is upended, however, when their babysitter, Avery, played by Kimmy Shields, joins Catherine's summer class along with Gwen and Alice, and three generations of women find themselves debating feminist philosophies over martinis as they work their way toward fulfillment.

Rapture, Blister, Burn is directed by Mark Piatelli, who most recently directed for LFT in 2014's StageSceneLA Award-winning production of Bus Stop. "I love that this play captures in equal measure both our hearts and our minds," states Piatelli. "It sparks our empathy through beautifully drawn characters expressing the emotional veracity of human existence while continually poking our notions of truth with questions that can never be fully answered. What a ride, and what an exceptional cast we've gathered to bring this exceptional play to life - at full throttle."

Rapture, Blister, Burn will run August 5 through September 3 on Fridays and Saturdays, with one Sunday matinee on August 28. The August 28 performance features a special Talkback session where the creative team will be available for a post-show discussion with the audience.

Founded in 2002, Little Fish Theatre presents classic and contemporary plays in an intimate setting on Centre Street in downtown San Pedro. Producing eleven plays each year in a one-room, 65-seat venue, Little Fish delivers the quintessential close-up theatrical experience, where audience and performers share space and sight lines, making for eruptive laughter, highly-charged action, and palpable emotion.

Themes and Dialogue may be controversial to some viewers.

*This production is presented under the auspices of the Actors' Equity Los Angeles Membership Company Rule.