Dito van Reigersberg to Lead 1812 Productions' BUYER & CELLAR

Dito van Reigersberg, best known for his work with Pig Iron Theatre Company and as his alter-ego, cabaret queen Martha Graham Cracker, is set to star in Jonathan Tolins' one-man comedy Buyer & Cellar. van Reigersberg replaces previously announced John Jarboe after Jarboe's departure to join Arden Theatre Company's production of Kander & Ebb's Cabaret.

Daniel O'Neil, the show's director, says, "I'm so excited to be working with Dito van Reigersberg, on this play in particular, because he's kind of Philly gay royalty. There's a certain brand of storytelling and sass that's specific to the gay community, and Dito is so well suited to this material."

The first show of 1812 Productions' 21st season, Buyer & Cellar is a one-man comedy about an under-employed gay actor who falls into the oddest of odd jobs- working in the private shopping mall in Barbra Streisand's basement. Winner of the 2014-2015 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show, Tolins' show was an Off-Broadway smash, playing to audience and critical acclaim for 459 performances at Barrow Street Theatre.

As co-founder of Pig Iron Theatre Company, van Reigersberg was a member of their Obie Award-winning works Hell Meets Henry Halfway and Chekhov Lizardbrain. He has also been nominated for Barrymore and Helen Hayes awards for his work in Azuka Theatre's Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Pig Iron's Hell Meets Henry Halfway, respectively.

"I am such a huge fan of Dito's and could not be more thrilled to have him on our stage in Buyer & Cellar," says 1812 Productions' Producing Artistic Director Jennifer Childs. "I think it is a role that will give him the opportunity to both do what he does best and show audiences a different side of his performing ability. It's a powerhouse role and no one holds the stage like Dito."

Buyer & Cellar will play October 5th thru October 29th, 2017 at Plays & Players Theatre in Center City. Opening Night will be Wednesday, October 11th at 7:00pm. Tickets range from $28-$45 and are available at 215-592-9560 or at www.1812productions.org.

Dito van Reigersberg (Alex More): Dito van Reigersberg is a co-founder of Pig Iron Theatre Company, a physical-theatre company that has created over 30 original pieces in its 20-year history. He has performed in almost all of Pig Iron's productions since 1995, including the OBIE-winners Hell Meets Henry Halfway and Chekhov Lizardbrain. He has also created and performed with Headlong, Azuka, Mauckingbird, Arden Theatre Company, and Nichole Canuso Dance Company. He is a Barrymore Award recipient for Best Ensemble for Mission to Mercury and for Best Choreography for Cafeteria (Pig Iron), a Barrymore nominee for Best Actor in a Musical for Hedwig (Azuka), as well as a Helen Hayes Nominee for Best Leading Actor for Hell Meets Henry Halfway. With his Pig Iron cohorts Dan Rothenberg and Quinn Bauriedel, he was named a Pew Fellow (2002) and a Knight USA Fellow (2010). A graduate of Swarthmore College, he trained at The Neighborhood Playhouse and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.

Dito's alter-ego Martha Graham Cracker is famously 'the tallest drag queen in the world." Her monthly cabaret series at L'Etage in Philadelphia has been running for over 11 years. Along with her extraordinarily tight band, she has performed regularly at a wide variety of venues including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Joe's Pub in New York, The Trocadero Theatre, World Cafe Live, The Afterglow Festival in Provincetown, and the Mayor's Reception Room in City Hall.

Daniel O'Neil (Director): Daniel is the Casting Director and Literary Manager at Theatre Exile, as well as a freelance director and producer. He is thrilled to be back at 1812 Productions after working on This Is The Week That Is last season and To The Moon the season before. He has also worked with FringeArts, Arden Theatre Company, Theatre Horizon, Villanova University, Hybridge Arts Collective and others. Recent directing credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Completeness, Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used To It), and Afterplay. He received a BFA in Theatre from the University of the Arts. www.danielhoneil.com

Jonathan Tolins (Playwright): Jonathan Tolins is the author of Buyer & Cellar, which was named "Best Unique Theatrical Experience" by the Off-Broadway Alliance when it premiered at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Other plays include The Twilight if the Golds (Broadway, Booth Theatre), If Memory Serves (Promenade), The Last Sunday in June (Rattlestick, Century Center), and Secrets of the Trade (Primary Stages). A collection of his plays has been published by Grove/Atlantic. His film work includes "The Twilight of the Golds" and "Martian Child." For television, he was a writer for "Queer as Folk," the Academy Awards, the Tony Awards, and "Partners." He was the author of "Pushkin 200: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall," acted as script consultant on "Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular," and co-wrote "The Divine Millennium Tour" and "The Showgirl Must Go On for Bette Midler." He has written articles for Opera News, Opera Monthly, TheaterWeek, Time Magazine, and the Huffington Post, and is a panelist on the Metropolitan Opera Radio Quiz. He lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with his husband, the writer and director Robert Cary, and their children, Selina and Henry. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild of America.

1812 Productions was founded in 1997 and is the only professional theater company in the country dedicated to comedy. 1812 Productions is the recipient of an honorary citation from the City of Philadelphia for outstanding work and commitment to the Philadelphia arts community. In 2010 and 2016, they were among a select group of regional theatre companies to receive a National Theatre Company grant from the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards. Their education program, 1812 Outreach, has received multiple nominations and has twice been awarded the Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. 1812 Productions' mission is to produce theatrical works of comedy and comedic works of theatre that explore and celebrate our sense of community, our history, and our humanity.