The REP Presents Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods

The REP, Point Park University's professional theatre company, presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods by Tammy Ryan Sept. 30 through Oct. 16 in the Studio Theater at the Pittsburgh Playhouse; Sheila McKenna directs.

In the early 90's in Sudan after civil war destroyed their villages, an exodus of boys trekked eight hundred miles across Africa before making it to refugee camps in Kenya where they lived on a bowl of grain a day for ten years. In 2001, the U.S. resettled 3,600 of these "lost boys" in cities across America. Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods tells the story of Christine, a recently divorced East Ender, who makes a remarkable discovery one day in the produce section of Whole Foods in Pittsburgh. A papaya in the hands of Gabriel, a refugee of Sudan. Moved by the story of the trauma he survived as a child, Gabriel's world becomes enmeshed with hers - and daughter Alex - leading to a remarkable journey of awareness, struggle and hopefulness. Pittsburgh playwright Tammy Ryan's eloquent story is simultaneously provocative, beautiful and haunting, leaving us to wonder about the effect of one soul on another.

Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods received its premiere with a co-production at Premiere Stages and Playwrights Theater of New Jersey, and was a featured play in the National New Play Networks 2009 National Showcase of Plays. Following its premiere, Anita Gates of the New York Times wrote, "Remarkably touching," and Peter Filichia said for The New Jersey Star Ledger, "Stirring new play...a most potent play."

Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods features David Anthony Berry as Gabriel, Laurie Klatscher as Christine, Connie Castanzo as Alex, Jamil Mangan as Panther, Ben Blazer as Michael Dolan and Shammen McCune as Segel Mohammed. Scenic design is by Stephanie Mayer-Staley; costume design is by Cathleen Crocker-Perry; lighting design is by Andrew David Ostrowski; and sound design is by StEve Shapiro

Ryan's plays have been produced and developed across the country at such theaters as The Alliance Theater Company, Florida Stage, The Marin Theater Company, People's Light and Theater Company, Premiere Stages, Playwrights Theater of New Jersey, City Theater Company, the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and 29th Street Rep. Plays include Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods, (Premiere Stages/Playwrights Theater of New Jersey) developed at the New Harmony Project and a featured play at the National New Play Network's 2009 National Showcase of Plays; A Confluence of Dreaming, (The Pittsburgh Playhouse); Dark Part of the Forest (Premiere Stages); and Lindsey's Oyster, commissioned by International Culture Lab and scheduled for production at The Kitchen Theater, Irondale Ensemble Project and garajistanbul, Istanbul, Turkey in 2011. Her writing for young audiences has twice won the National Playwriting for Youth Bonderman Award for The Gift of the Pirate Queen (Playhouse Jr.) and The Music Lesson (Florida Stage), which also received the American Alliance of Theater in Education's Distinguished Play Award. Other honors include the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Creative Achievement Award, The Heinz Endowment's Creative Heights Residency and fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Sewanee Writer's Conference. Ryan lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and two daughters, where is she is a Dramatists Guild representative for the Pittsburgh region.

Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods previews on Thursday, Sept. 29 and runs from Friday, Sept. 30 through Sunday, Oct. 16 in the Studio Theater. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday - Sunday at 2 p.m. Dunkin' Donuts is sponsoring a talkback on Friday, Oct. 7, 2011.

The REP 2011 - 2012 season subscriptions-which save patrons up to 35% off single ticket prices-are available now. Subscriber perks also include an invitation to Point Park University's exclusive season-opening party, a fourth subscription free when three are purchased, and other benefits.

Individual tickets range in price from $24 to $27. Preview tickets are $15. To order a season subscription or purchase individual tickets, contact the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office by phone 412-392-8000 or online www.pittsburghplayhouse.com.