Arden Theatre Company Presents Clybourne Park

Arden Theatre Company 2011/12 main stage season continues with Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, the winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Directed by Edward Sobel, Clybourne Park will appear on the Arden’s Arcadia Stage from January 26-March 18, 2012.

Clybourne Park tells the story of a house, a neighborhood and the people who have come and gone over five decades. This daring comedy, leasing characters and property from the 1959 classic A Raisin in the Sun, unearths that gentrification is not just black and white. The first act creates a parallel story to the Younger family from Lorraine Hansberry’s play, while act two imagines what later happens to their new home. With biting comedy, the play challenges the preconceptions of characters from diverse backgrounds.

Clybourne Park premiered in 2010 at Playwrights Horizons in New York City and has since received productions at the Royal Court in London and at major regional theatres throughout the U.S. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Clybourne Park was awarded the Olivier Award and Critics Circle Theatre Awards for Best New Play. A Broadway production with the original cast is slated for Spring 2012.

“I’m proud to introduce Bruce’s work to Arden audiences and to participate in the conversations this hilarious play provokes,” says Edward Sobel, the Arden’s Associate Artistic Director. “Clybourne Park, though set in Chicago, reflects all cities and communities today struggling with change. The play skewers what happens when we are blind to the reality of how territorial we actually are.” With this production, Sobel will expand on his 10 year relationship with playwright Bruce Norris, which began when Sobel served as dramaturg on Norris’ Purple Heart. Sobel continued to work on Norris’ productions of The Pain and the Itch and The Unmentionables, all at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Sobel directed the acclaimed production of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts at the Arden in Spring 2011.

Each actor plays multiple roles in the production, making complete reversals between the two acts. Returning to the Arden for Clybourne Park are Ian Merrill Peakes (Barrymore Award for Something Intangible), David Ingram (The Pavilion, Coyote on a Fence), Steve Pacek (Barrymore nominee for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie), and Maggie Lakis (Sunday in the Park with George). Making their Arden debuts are Julia Gibson (The Exonerated and Stanley on Broadway), Erika Rose (Ruined at Philadlphia Theatre Company, Helen Hayes Award Winner for In Darfur), and Josh Tower (Ragtime and The Lion King on Broadway).

The creative team tasked with creating the sought-after home are set designer James Kronzer (Sunday in the Park with George, Barrymore Award for Something Intangible), costume designer Rosemarie E. McKelvey (Barrymore Award winner for both Something Intangible and Caroline, or Change), lighting designer Joshua Schulman, and sound designer Jorge Cousineau (multi Barrymore Award winner and nominee for The History Boys, Something Intangible, and Opus)

The final dress rehearsal of Clybourne Park on Wednesday, January 25 at 8pm is open to the public as a Pay-What-You-Can performance, with all proceeds collected donated to East Mount Airy Neighbors and West Mount Airy Neighbors.

Clybourne Park previews begin on Thursday, January 26. Preview performances run January 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31. Opening night is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Closing is set for Sunday, March 18, 2012.

Single ticket prices are $29- $45, with discounts available for seniors, students, military and educators. Groups of 10+ enjoy significant discounts; please inquire about group rates. Call the Arden Box Office at 215.922.1122, order online at www.ardentheatre.org, or visit the box office at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

The Arden is wheelchair accessible and provides assisted listening devices and large-print programs at every performance. Open Captioned and Audio Described performances will take place on Friday, March 2 at 8pm and Saturday, March 3 at 2pm. Reservations are required for accessible seating and may be made by calling the Arden’s Box Office at 215.922.1122.