Mad Horse Theatre Presents Nell Benjamin's THE EXPLORER'S CLUB

London, 1879. The prestigious Explorers Club is in crisis: their bartender is terrible. Possibly worse - their acting president wants to admit a woman! True, the lady in question is brilliant, beautiful, and daring, but admitting her into this enclave could shake the very foundation of the British Empire - and how does one make such a decision without a decent drink? Prepare your secret handshake and enter the hilarious world of THE EXPLORER'S CLUB.

Author Nell Benjamin is an acclaimed playwright and lyricist. She received 2007 Tony and Drama Desk nominations for her work on LEGALLY BLONDE. Nell has also won a Kleban Award and a Jonathan Larson Foundation grant. She recently wrote the lyrics for the broadway production of MEAN GIRLS.

THE EXPLORER'S CLUB won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant.

Director Christine Louise Marshall says: "This play is satisfying on so many levels. On its face, it is farce in the best, wittiest tradition. But, as with any play we choose at Mad Horse, it addresses a wide and deep range of issues that have existed since the first person planted a flag on foreign soil - and failed to notice the one already there. As Sir Harry Percy (Brent Askari) says in utter bewilderment, 'I once named a whole mountain after an attractive Sherpa girl. Got nowhere. She said the mountain already had a name.' Never mind that to these men, the notion of a woman planting that flag is either laughable or a sign of the coming apocalypse. That all these issues, and more, are tackled with super-sharp wit and rousing toasts of 'To Science!' makes them no less compelling."

The agile cast includes Company Members Janice Gardner, Burke Brimmer, Brent Askari, Jake Cote and Guest Artists Jason LeSaldo, Thomas Campbell, James Patefield, Jody McColman and Paul Haley.

"This show is a blast to rehearse! The cast is tasked with carrying off precise, athletic gags not, once, or twice, but repeatedly. So the cast must function as a seriously tight ensemble. And they do. I can't express how wonderful it feels to laugh so hard, every single night at rehearsal. If it's this funny now, I can't wait to see the production we share with you, the audience."

The Artistic Team features Company Members Christine Louise Marshall (Director, Prop and Costume Design), Allison McCall (Stage Manager), Stacey Koloski (Prop Design), Marie Stewart Harmon (Production Manager) and Tootie Van Reenen (House Manager.) Guest Artists include Mike O'Neal (Lighting Design), Scott Leland (Sound Design), and Matthew Ferrel and Elizabeth Conlin (Set Design and Construction.) Graphic Design by Stacey Teas Collins.

THE EXPLORER'S CLUB runs May 3 - 20, 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 2 pm. There will be an Opening Night Reception immediately following the Friday, May 4th 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, May 13th , immediately following the 2pm matinee.
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 THE EXPLORER'S CLUB are Thursday, May 3, Sunday, May 6, and Thursday, May 10. Pay What You Can tickets are only available at the door on a first come, first served basis.
There is a special Mother's Day offer: Treat your Mom to live theater with a free ticket to our Sunday, May 13 matinee. To take advantage of this offer please email madhorseboxoffice@gmail.com. Mom's get in for free with the purchase of another full price ticket.

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