Mad Horse Theatre Company Heats Up January with ONE FLEA SPARE

Mad Horse Theatre Company ushers in 2018 with the provocative Obie award-winning play Naomi Wallace's ONE FLEA SPARE . By turns funny and moving, the play explores wealth, class, fear and survival in 17th century London and seems eerily relevant today.

A wealthy couple is preparing to flee their home when a mysterious sailor and a young girl appear sneaking into their boarded up house. Now, quarantined together for 28 days, the only thing these strangers fear more than the Plague is each other. Definitions of morality are up for grabs and survival takes many forms in this dark, fiercely intense & humorous play.

Director Reba Short has loved this play ever since she first read it in college. It is a play about power dynamics, the characters are constantly shifting and claiming power over each other but also searching for love and comfort in a stark and desperate world. "It's inspiring to see a young actor take the reins and play an complex and pivotal character."

The cast includes company members, Mark Rubin and Nick Schroeder and guest artists, Gracie Brassard, Deb Paley and Payne Ratner. Gracie is the youngest member of the cast at 11 years old. Working on the play has been exciting for the actors as they create the atmosphere of being confined in a 1665 London house for 28 days. The cast is reading plague diaries and everything they can to understand the politics and social norms of 17th century London but the relevancy to today's headlines are impossible to ignore.

The artistic team features Meg Anderson as set and props designer, Zoe Levine Sporer as technical director and dramaturg, and Meredythe Dehne Lindsay as stage manager. Company members Christine Louise Marshall (costumes), Jake Cote (sound design) and Corey Anderson (light design) are enjoying the challenge of creating a 17th century world. Allison McCall and Marie Stewart Harmon are production and box office managers respectively.

Renowned playwright Tony Kushner "sat in the theater unable to move" after seeing ONE FLEA SPARE. We hope our audience will have a similar powerful and memorable experience.

ONE FLEA SPARE runs January 18 through February 4, 2018, at the Mad Horse Theater in the historic Hutchins School, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland.

Performance times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, and Sunday afternoons at 2pm. There will be an Opening Night Reception immediately following the Friday, January 19, performance. Everyone is invited to stay after the show, enjoy light snacks, and mingle with the cast, crew, and fellow theatre lovers.

A Talkback is scheduled for Sunday, January 28, immediately following the 2pm matinee. This is an opportunity to discuss the play with the director and actors.

Tickets are $23 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. As always, Mad Horse offers Pay What You Can performances. Pay What You Can dates for ONE FLEA SPARE are Thursday, January 18, Sunday, January 21, and Thursday, January 25. Pay What You Can tickets are only available at the door on a first come, first served basis.

Reservations are strongly recommended. Purchase tickets online at www.madhorse.com or call 747-4148 for more information. Please call for group rates.

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