Philadelphia Theatre Workshop Opens Season With Premiere of 'The Mystery Plays'

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop will kick off its season with the Philadelphia premiere of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's haunting story told as two one-acts, The Mystery Plays.  This new work runs November 15-30 at Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5. Single tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 day of show. More information can be found online at www.philadelphiatheatreworkshop.org.

Aguirre-Sacasa's is one of the writers for HBO's critically acclaimed series Big Love. He is also well known in the comic world. He has written from several Marvel Comics including: Marvel Knights 4, Nightcrawler (vol. 3), and The Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2). He recently wrote a comic adaptation of Stephen King's apocalyptic epic, The Stand. His plays include: The Muckle Man, King of Shadows, Rough Magic, Based on a Totally True Story, Bloody Mary, Rough Magic, Dark Matters, Good Boys and True, and Say You Love Satan.

The Mystery Plays begins when Joe, a horror film director, survives a terrible train wreck only to be haunted by the ghost of one of the passengers. Joe investigates the man who's haunting him, desperate to understand what the specter could possibly want. In the second act,  Joe's attorney and friend, Abby, travels to a small town in rural Oregon where she seeks to  make peace with the man who brutally murdered her parents and younger sister. Eerie and surprising, the two stories run as two separate one acts that intersect before the evening is over.

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop Artistic Director Bill Felty directs The Mystery Plays. His cast includes, Dallas Drummond, Benjamin Kanes, Dylan Clements, Matt Lorenz, Jennifer Nehila, and Polly MacIntyre. Each actor portrays multiple roles. Adam Riggar designed the set, Shon Causer is handling the lighting design and Melissa Black created the costumes.

"I met Roberto three years ago when I directed a staged reading of The Muckle Man.  I knew immediately this was a new and unique voice in the American theatre.  His works deal with the world we know and the things that lie beyond; the natural and the supernatural.  He creates characters and situations that make us feel, care, and understand," said Felty. "At PTW, we were very surprised to find that this prolific young playwright had never been produced in Philadelphia.  I knew that had to be rectified immediately. We are so proud to introduce a playwright like Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to Philadelphia audiences."

About Philadelphia Theatre Workshop

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop strives to nurture bright and emerging artists at various stages of their careers. They will ignite Philadelphia by spotlighting communities of varying orientations, ethnicities, and age often underrepresented in the broader theatrical world. The company is dedicated to reflecting diverse audiences through original, evocative programming. Philadelphia Theatre Workshop educates, invigorates, and entertains!

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