THE DISAPPEARING QUARTERBACK Returns for an Encore Performance at Plays & Players

As football season kicks into full swing, former Pro Bowl Philadelphia Eagle Mike Boryla returns to Plays & Players, to remount his hit January World Premiere, The Disappearing Quarterback, recalling the glory of his playing days and the complex aftermath of concussions for himself and his teammates. A play for football fanatics and novices alike, the one man show runs nearly 75 minutes with performances September 20-27 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place. The first two performances, including opening night, on September 20 at 8pm, will be included in the final dates of the Philly Fringe Festival. These two special shows can be seen on the theater's historic mainstage, built in 1911, before moving to the intimate Third Floor Skinner Studio for the remainder of the run. Tickets cost $15-$30 and are available online at www.playsandplayers.org or by calling 866-811-4111. For September 20 at 8pmand September 21 at 3pm, patrons can also visit the Fringe Arts Box Office at 140 N. Columbus Blvd for in person ticket purchases.

Mike Boryla was the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1974-1976. Two years later, he quit professional football, not returning to the game or the city of Philadelphia until now, to explain why. With the average lifespan of a professional football player estimated to be as low as 55, the effects of concussions are becoming ever more clear, and with even President Obama speaking out against its future, it begs the question: "Should "America's Game"... disappear? The Disappearing Quarterback puts you inside the helmet of a unique athlete, a self-described "long-haired hippie," with a passionate purpose and a story to share as he returns to the city that brought him fame.

The Disappearing Quarterback features anecdotes of notable figures recognizable to any Philadelphia sports fan. They include four-time All-Pro Eagles "Roll of Honor" member, leader of the "Gang Green" defense, and pre- and post-game analyst on football Sundays, Bill Bergey; three-time Pro-Bowler, 1973 Rookie of the Year and thirteen-year veteran Charle Young; and Eagles' infamous owner (1969-1985), eccentric millionaire Leonard Tose.

The play journeys from Boryla's youth as a high-school basketball and football star in Colorado, to his All-American collegiate career at Stanford, including the night at the Playboy Mansion he found the Bible, to his cross country drive from the Golden Gate Bridge to the culture shock of the Walt Whitman Bridge. His stories of his time with the Eagles focus on his linebacker friends, with tales from the absurd (Frank LeMaster almost drowning in an extremely muddy game at the bottom of a pile) to the bizarre (Kevin Reilly biting a glass to the cheers of his teammates as a pre-game ritual.) The performance opens and closes with the chilling short-term and long-term effects of a concussion, and the discovery of an older Boryla as to why he left the game behind and some of the issues and questions he sees in the NFL today.

The Disappearing Quarterback was developed by Mike Boryla with Plays & Players Artistic Director Daniel Student for over one year beginning in the summer of 2012, when a play originally titled Eagles Belong Where They Can Fly was submitted to Plays & Players. It was the seventh effort in playwriting for Mr. Boryla, and the narrator's voice from the play became the backbone of a one-person show, an idea conceived by Mr. Student. Mr. Boryla workshopped the play in Philadelphia, with former Stanford teammate, comedian Roger Rodd in Los Angeles, and at various theaters near his home in Colorado.

The play launches the unique 2014-15 season at Plays & Players, titled "One," featuring five one person shows, all of which take a look at how one voice can move the world. This chorus of voices reflects the current moment and a journey of shared history, telling stories with passion, humor, and strength. Whether it be a quarterback trying to remember his time in Philadelphia under the veil of concussions, or a Japanese-American reminding of a forgotten history of internment, this season celebrates collective declarations of independence.

Performance Schedule

Sept 20 at 8pm (Opening)

Sept 21 at 3pm

Sept 23 at 7pm

Sept 24 at 7pm

Sept 25 at 7pm

Sept 26 at 8pm

Sept 27 at 2pm

Sept 27 at 8pm

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