Purple Rose Artists Celebrate 1000 Performances

Veteran actors Jim Porterfield (Northville, MI) and Michelle Mountain (Chelsea, MI) will celebrate their 1000th performance with The Purple Rose Theatre Company during the run of the current production, Some Couples May... . Artistic director Guy Sanville will recognize this milestone for both long-time resident artists on Friday, May 20, 2011, following the 8:00 pm performance. The post-show festivities will include a meet-and-greet with the actors in the lobby.
 
Jim Porterfield appears in Some Couples May... as Bernie, leading man David's father-of-few-words. AnnArbor.com critic Jenn McKee said in her review of the show: "One of the standouts on opening night was Porterfield, who quietly, gruffly steals his scenes ..." Porterfield first appeared on the Purple Rose stage in the World Premiere of The Harmony Codes by Michael Grady in 1996. Other highlights of his fifteen years in the Purple Rose company include Dr. Gibbs in Our Town by Thornton Wilder (2010), Honus Wagner in Honus And Me by Steven Dietz (2006) and Albert Soady in Escanaba in da Moonlight by Jeff Daniels (1997). Porterfield calls hitting his 1000th Purple Rose performance "a great thing." He continues, "It's been a big part of my life for the last fifteen years. I'm grateful to Guy and to everyone else in the organization."
 
Michelle Mountain plays sister-in-law Faye in Some Couples May... , the fertile foil to leading lady Emily. Mountain's Purple Rose career highlights include Berthe in Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camoletti (2010), Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (2009), Amanda in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (2005), and Ellie in the World Premiere of Across The Way by Jeff Daniels (2002). Her Purple Rose directing credits include the World Premieres Growing Pretty (2008) and Hope for Corky (2003). "I am just so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful company," Mountain says. "Being here has been a literal dream come true - and it still is, every single day. I always wanted to be a real part of a real company, and we have that here. We have a family of people who believe in each other, in the work, in the theatre. I'm honored."
 
Mountain first appeared on the Purple Rose stage in the World Premiere of Book of Days by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lanford Wilson in 1998 with Porterfield. They have since appeared together in the World Premieres The Hole by Wendy Hammond, Orphan Train: An American Melodrama by Dennis E. North, Norma & Wanda by Jeff Daniels, When The Lights Come On by Brian Letscher, and Gravity by David MacGregor.
 
Their current co-starring roles are in Some Couples May... is an edgy new comedy that explores families: what it means to start one and to be a part of one. David and Emily are a conventional couple attempting parenthood through unconventional means. Along the way, they encounter misunderstandings, overbearing in-laws and a mysterious dominatrix. Will the greatest test of their marriage be a pregnancy test?
 
Under the direction of Purple Rose artistic director Guy Sanville, Porterfield and Mountain are joined onstage by Alex Leydenfrost (Ann Arbor, MI), Aphrodite Nikolovski (Birmingham, MI), Jan Radcliff (Farmington Hills, MI), Rhiannon Ragland (Flint, MI) and Bill Simmons (Indianapolis, IN).
 
Design for Some Couples May... includes set by Vincent Mountain, properties by Danna Segrest, costumes by Christianne Myers, lighting by Dana White and sound by Quintessa Gallinat. Stephanie Buck stage manages.
 
Some Couples May... is produced in media partnership with Michigan Radio.
 
Founded in 1991 by acclaimed actor and Chelsea-native Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a leading American theatre dedicated to producing the new American play and creating opportunities for Midwest theatre professionals. The PRTC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit theatre operating under a Small Professional Theatre agreement with the Actors' Equity Association. The PRTC promotes the development of new American theatre and its practitioners, provides valuable educational opportunities for young artists, and through consistently high quality production values has earned the respect of both local and National Theatre communities.

 Tickets for all remaining performances through May 28, 2011, including the celebratory performance on Friday, May 20 at 8:00 pm, are available by phone at 734.433.7673; Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm. Tickets are also available at www.purplerosetheatre.org.

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