Artists Rep Presents SUPERIOR DONUTS, 1/4-2/6

Sprinkled with chuckles and glazed with connections, Superior Donuts tells the story of how an unlikely friendship can emerge in the most unexpected places. In Chicago's diverse Uptown neighborhood, a downtrodden donut shop owner hires a street-savvy and aspiring young writer with hustle and bright ideas.
 
Chalked full of belly laughs, dynamic interactions and compelling neighborhood characters found in everyday lives, Superior Donuts stirs up the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship. The play is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Tracy Letts and directed by Artists Rep's Producing Artistic Director Allen Nause. Superior Donuts runs January 4-February 6 at Artists Repertory Theatre, Morrison Stage, 1515 SW Morrison. Tickets are $20-$42 at 503.241.1278; www.artistsrep.org.
 
It was in a small, funky, off-off Broadway theatre with a half-priced ticket in hand that director Allen Nause first became aware of the work of playwright Tracy Letts.  He was seeing Killer Joe, a play that would later make Letts a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. "I knew right away I was in the hands of a craftsman," said Nause. "He knew theater; he knew audiences...all I had to do was lean back and go for the ride."
 
"Superior Donuts is a dark comedy about changes happening in America," said Nause. "It is about friendships, compassion, redemption...it is about finding out how not to give up, the search for the elusive American dream, and the vibrancy of youth vs. the resignation of middle age."
 
What has made Superior Donuts one of the most-produced plays this year is its ability to tackle heavy themes such as local vs. corporate, the gentrification of American neighborhoods, addiction and even violence with humor and an eccentric cast of characters. These are the reasons Superior Donuts is a perfect fit for Portland audiences, said Nause. "While the sugary childhood treat we all remember is out of fashion now, the donut shop is still a great symbol of a community gathering place," said Nause. "Plus, Portland is home to one of the last hip donut shops in the country."
 
Artists Rep has produced Tracy Letts' earlier plays Bug and Killer Joe, and the World Premiere of his adaption of Chekhov's Three Sisters.  Letts won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for August: Osage County. Comparing the 2009 Broadway production of Superior Donuts to Letts' usually hard-hitting dramas, the New York Times commented, "(it) is a warm bath of a play that will leave audiences with satisfied smiles rather than rattled nerves."
 
"MOST SUPERIOR DONUT" SPECIAL EVENT
Saturday, January 8 @ 6:30pm
The grease will fly and glaze will flow as Voodoo Doughnuts, ACME Donuts and coco donuts battle for "Most Superior Donut" in the categories of Round, Bar and Specialty. Celebrity judges will determine the winner of each sticky treat option.
 
Tracy Letts
A member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company's ensemble since 2002, Tracy Letts has appeared as an actor in 18 productions there.  His work as a playwright includes Nebraska Man, which was a 2004 Pulitzer Prize finalist; Bug, which was the inaugural production of Artists Rep's Morrison Stage in 2005 and Killer Joe which was produced by Artists Rep in 2002.  In 2008 his play August: Osage County won the Drama Desk Award, the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Superior Donuts  is Letts' most recent play and opened in Chicago in 2008.
 
Allen Nause, Director
Allen Nause, Artists Rep's Producing Artistic Director, is a recipient of the 2003 Governor's Arts Award.  He first came to Oregon in 1975 to act with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He joined Artists Rep as the company's first artistic director in 1989 and has directed many of its most Popular Productions, including Gracie and the Atom, Becky's New Car, The Seafarer, Distracted, Clean House, Rabbit Hole, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Appalachian Ebeneezer, Touch, Killer Joe, The Crucible, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, A Raisin in the Sun, Three Days of Rain, Incorruptible, A Delicate Balance, Amazing Grace, Beast on the Moon, Fortinbras, A Perfect Ganesh, A Pirate's Lullaby, A Taste of Honey, The Diary of Anne Frank, We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! and A Long Day's Journey Into Night.  He also has directed Our Town with Mahesh Dattani in Bangalore, India; The Foreigner for Portland Repertory Theater; Tons of Money and Absent Friends for Portland Civic Theatre; Noises Off for Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Beirut for triangle! Productions. Allen has taught theater arts at Lewis & Clark College, Portland State University, and University of Portland. In 1994, Allen traveled extensively through Asia, Africa and the Middle East, representing American regional theater in the U.S.I.A. Arts in America Tour, directing A Journey Through American Comedy. In 2000, Allen traveled to Vietnam and co-directed a bilingual, bicultural production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a Vietnamese language production of The Glass Menagerie as part of the Vietnam America Theatre Exchange. Under his artistic leadership, Artists Rep was selected in 2004 by the National Endowment for the Arts as one of only six theater companies nationally to participate in their "Shakespeare in American Communities" program, the largest-ever tour of Shakespeare in the U.S. Earlier this fall, he traveled to Hungary through an international travel grant from the Theater Communication Group seeking playwrights and directors for a future Artists Rep production. As an actor, Allen has performed at many Northwest theaters, including Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Repertory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Tacoma Actors Guild, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Empty Space Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre and Intiman Theatre. He appeared in the feature films Bucksville, The River Why, Not Dead Yet, Valley of Light, Frances, The Runner Stumbles and Gathering Evidence and directed the film Zig Zag, starring Dan Reed. 

The 2010/11 Artists Repertory Theatre season is presented by U.S. Bank. The 2010 print media sponsor is The Oregonian, the season radio sponsors are KINK.FM and All Classical 89.9. Season Hotel Sponsors are Hotel deLuxe and Mark Spencer Hotel. Superior Donuts is supported by The Standard, Maletis Beverage, Charlie and Darci Swindells, Wendy and Dick Rahm, Kip Acheson and Elizabeth Carr, and Charlotte Rubin.
 
Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theater company in Portland.  Artists Rep strives to challenge artists and audiences with plays of depth and vibrancy in an intimate setting. Artists Rep explores the strengths, frailties, and diversity of the human condition primarily through regional premieres, commissioned works and selected classics appropriate to contemporary issues.