Theatre Exile's DARK PLAY OR STORIES FOR BOYS Opens 11/13

Theatre Exile's 12th season starts with the Philadelphia premiere of DARK PLAY OR STORIES FOR BOYS by Carlos Murillo, directed by co-artistic director Deborah Block.  The show runs from November 13th through December 7th at the Theatre at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival.  DARK PLAY OR STORIES FOR BOYS is recommended for mature audiences because of strong language and sexual content.

Studies revealed that 1 in 5 youths are sexually solicited online but most claim, 'it's not a big deal.'  Yet it is a big deal that 1 in 5 children have accepted these facts as "just the way it is".  This statistic is the tip of an iceberg.  It's not just middle aged men sitting at their desks getting-off on talking to little girls.  Teenagers are hurting teenagers, children are hurting children.  Instead of being protected from guns, drugs, and kidnappers this generation is learning how to use another tool that when misused has become just as dangerous.  The internet can be as harmful as the gun.  Children used to be sent outside to play, but from the solace of home this generation plays in cyber-playgrounds.  They reach out to one another through social networking sites, chat-rooms, and instant messages; and communicate through abbreviations and acronyms.  Instead of personal friendships they create computer-screen-deep identities that promote false securities and a misunderstanding of the value of human life.

DARK PLAY OR STORIES FOR BOYS illuminates how easily it is for anyone to slip into the darker side of the cyber-playground.  A psychosexual drama, this play ensnares audiences in a web of fantasy and deceit as two adolescent boys search for human connection in a disconnected world.  Based on the true events of one of England's most unusual crimes*, dark play premiered in the 2007 Humana Festival, where it quickly developed a cult following.  In dark play we meet Nick, an intelligent and darkly charismatic college student whose outlet for his talent for "making shit up" is the World Wide Web.  Nick's talent and neuroses become weapons in the world of internet chat rooms, online dating services, and instant messaging where he preys on those he deems weaker than himself, the gullible ones, guys like Adam.  Adam appears to be a typical guy but his loneliness leads him to look for the perfect girl in the only place he feels like he can connect with people, the internet.  When Adam enters into Nick's carefully crafted fantasy-world both boys discover the possibility of finding true love in a fake world.  But when Adam denies Nick real intimacy only to offer love and devotion to Nick's fictional avatars, Nick creates the ultimate blurring of fantasy and truth where the consequences are only too real.  * (Judy Bachrach. Vanity Fair. New York: Feb 2005., Iss. 534; pg. 86)

Theatre Exile brings together new friends and familiar faces for dark play's cast and crew.  Robert DaPonte returns from Exile's Barrymore nominated Mr. Marmalade ensemble as Nick, dark play's deceitful anti-hero. Last season DaPonte was seen with InterAct's House Divided and Mum Puppettheatre's The Master & Margarita.  Doug Greene joins Theatre Exile for the first time as Adam.  Greene was most recently seen in EgoPo's celebrated Woyzeck as well as Spring Awakening and Vagabond's Art of War, both of which earned him Outstanding Ensemble Barrymore nominations. Katie Gould makes her Philadelphia debut as Rachel. Gould is a recent transplant to Philadelphia after working with companies such as Actors Theatre of Louisville and the SITI Company.  Krista Apple, part of Temple's professional MFA acting program, also joins Theatre Exile for the first time as the haughty and haunting Female Netizen.  Apple has performed at the Wilma and The Arden Theater and was most recently seen as the lead in Temple Theater's Expecting Isabel.  Dave Johnson completes the cast as the aggressive and witty Male Netizen.  Johnson has been part of the ensembles for Enchantment Theatre Co. as well as Mum Puppettheatre.  2008 Barrymore Award winner for Outstanding Sound Design, Christopher Colucci returns to Exile after designing last season's Roosters and Mr. Marmalade.   Adam Riggar and Krista Billings join Exile for the first time as set designer and lighting designer, respectively.  After designing last season's hit Bug, Alison Roberts costume designs return to Exile.  Doug Smullens steps out of the shadows of technical director to serve as video designer for the production.

Director Deborah Block has been a consistent figure in the Philadelphia arts community for almost 20 years as a director, dramaturge, producer and educator.  She has been involved in the creation of over 50 professional productions with an emphasis on new plays and movement-based theater.   She has received much recognition for her professional and educational work including being a recipient of the Independence Fellowship in the Arts and finalist twice for the F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Artist.  She is one of the founders of the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe and was the program director for nine years.  She is currently teaching at Temple University where she received her MFA.  She most recently directed Roosters for Theatre Exile. 

Playwright Carlos Murillo is quickly making a name for himself with his dark modern tales of pseudo-existence.  Laura Hitchcock of CurtainUp Review said, "Murillo has an aptitude for skewering today's culture through piercing literate dialogue and credible, sad and questing characters."  dark play, his most recent creation, received critical praise and cult-following status at its debut at the 2007 Humana Festival.  Murillo's play digs deep into this duality by blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, the real and the imagined, masculine and feminine, love and hate.  It's an age old concept with a very modern twist, as Murillo cites Ancient Greek theatre as one of his central inspirations for dark play.  "Euripides's idea of masks, revelation and false pretext-man becomes woman, woman becomes man, reality becomes hallucination, hallucination become reality-all had a heavy subconscious influence on the play."

The cast features Robert DaPonte (Nick), Doug Greene (Adam), Krista Apple (Female Netizen), Dave Johnson (Male Netizen), and Katie Gould (Rachel).

The crew includes Deborah Block (Director), Brenna Geffers (Assistant Director), Adam Riggar (Set Design), Alison Roberts (Costume Design), Krista Billings (Lighting Design), Chris Colucci (Sound Design), Doug Smullens (Video Design; Technical Director), Paul Moffitt (Production Manager), with stage management by Eric Snell, Josh Wallace and Sara Waxman.

DARK PLAY OR STORIES FOR BOYS is playing at The Theatre at The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, 2111 Sansom Street (between 21st and 22nd), Philadelphia, PA 19103. First preview is Thursday November 13, 2008. The show opens Wednesday November 19, 2008, and closes Sunday December 7, 2008.

For tickets, call 215-922-4462 or visit at www.theatreexile.org. Ticket prices are $15-$40, call for specific prices and dates. Season subscriptions and student tickets are available. Substantial savings are offered for groups of 10 or more, please call for details.

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