Open Book Theatre Stages TIME STANDS STILL

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Donald Margulies' Time Stands Still focuses on a couple trying to maintain a relationship as they make a living reporting on the world's atrocities. Photojournalist Sarah is home recovering from injuries sustained from a roadside bomb in a war-torn country, eager to return to work. Her long-time partner James, struggling with more mental and emotional injuries from his work as a war correspondent, begins to question their dangerous occupations and ponders a more conventional life for them. His life-changing questions are deepened when their long-time editor and friend, Richard, introduces his fiancé, a decidedly younger woman who helps Richard see the world anew.

Margulies insists that the play is a love story. "My plays are not about the ideas but about the people. It's the story of James and Sarah, and what they've been through together and what their lives are like."

"I have a great script and an amazing cast. Even at auditions, I could see how these actors can find both the humor and the absolute believability and reality of these characters. Although it covers some tough subjects, this play should definitely be an enjoyable evening of theatre," director Wendy Katz Hiller explains. "Time Stands Still touches on many of the issues we struggle with today. With all the terror and world crises in the news, it's sometimes hard to balance how to stay engaged in working to make things better, without losing hope and our own joy and humanity. How can we connect with our own needs and maintain strong relationships with those we love when the world can seem increasingly chaotic and meaningless? We don't want to turn away from the problems, but facing them head-on can be overwhelming. How do we each choose what's the right answer for us?"

Open Book Theatre is a professional theatre in Trenton, garnering critical and audience acclaim for presenting plays that encourage the audience to think and engage. This play is no exception. "Insightful writing, the work is smart, stylish, timely and layered with an intriguing seriousness that inspires discussion after the curtain comes down-a rarity these days," praised the Associated Press.

The New York Times said "Mr. Margulies is gifted at creating complex characters through wholly natural interaction, allowing the emotional layers, the long histories, the hidden kernels of conflict to emerge organically. Throughout, his dialogue crackles with bright wit and intelligence. Although Time Stands Still is deceptively modest, consisting of a handful of conversations among just four characters, the range of feeling it explores is wide and deep."

The cast consists of Open Book Artistic Director Krista Schafer Ewbank as Sarah, David Galido as James, Robert Schorr as Richard and Anna Doyle as Mandy. Lighting design by Harley Miah, Scenic Design by Eric Niece and stage management by Jillian Joie Dahl.

Individual tickets are only $20, or $15 for students or seniors, with tickets for the opening night show and afterglow at $30 each. Tickets can be purchased online at openbooktc.com. More information can be found online or by calling 734 288-7753.

Photo Credit: Jan Cartwright

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