Artists Repertory Theatre Presents HOLIDAZED, through 12/20

The Artists Repertory Theatre Company presents Holidazed, running now through December 20, written by Marc Acito & C.S. Whitcomb, and directed By Jon Kretzu.

After many sold out shows in 2008, Holidazed returns to Artists Rep for the 2009 holiday season. This year, local writers Marc Acito & C.S. Whitcomb will be adding some new material to the story. The do-it-all super mom and wife throws her Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas season on its ear when she takes in a feisty, pagan homeless teenager. 

The cast includes Susannah Mars, Todd Van Voris, Michael Mendelson, Duffy Epstein, Ana Reiselman, Steve Rathje, Vana O'Brien, Evan Shely, Alex Thede, Parker LaRiviere, Taylor Thede, Anna Jane Bishop, Kieler Beers, and Kaia Hiller. For this production the set designer is Jeff Seats, and the lighting designer is Jeff Forbes.

Marc Acito is the author of two comic novels, How I Paid for College and Attack of the Theater People. He is a winner of the Oregon Book Awards' Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and has had his work translated into five languages he cannot read. Marc is now a regular commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered where he pontificates on subjects ranging from the economy to Girl Scout cookies. His newest play, Birds of a Feather, was workshopped this year at Portland Center Stage's JAW Playwrights Festival. Prior to becoming a writer, Marc performed comic character roles in opera with such companies as Seattle Opera, Opera Ireland and Portland Opera, where he will once again tread the boards this fall in the west coast premiere of Philip Glass's Orphée.

C.S. Whitcomb has been nominated for the Emmy, Cable Ace, Edgar Allan Poe, Humanitas, and Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2007 her play The Book of John was part of the JAW new play festival at Portland Center Stage. This year her play Santos was a semi-finalist at the Eugene O'Neill. Her new play The Wilde Boy is receiving its first public staged reading at Aritsts Rep in January as part of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works. She teaches screenwriting and serves on the Oregon Film Board, the Advisory Board for Literary Arts and is president of Willamette Writers. She is taking a group on a Trans-Atlantic Writing Cruise in April 2010. For more on Cruise or classes email Cynthia at cwhitcomb1@aol.com.

Holidazed received its World Premiere at Artists Rep during the 2008/09 season and was extraordinarily received by audiences and critics. Several other professional theaters around the country have expressed interest in producing the play.The creative team includes Jeff Seats, scenic design; Jeff Forbes, lighting design, Rodolfo Ortega, composer/sound design; Mary Rochon & Sarah Gahagan, costume design; and Mina Kinukawa, props design.

Performance times are Wednesday through Sunday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:00pm, plus one Wednesday matinee at 11:00am on December 9. There will be no performances on Thanksgiving, instead a performance will be held on Tuesday, November 24. Student Tickets are $20 and regular adult tickets range from $25 to $47. For tickets and information,visit www.artistsrep.org or call the Artists Rep box office at 503.241.1278. The play is recommended for teen and adult audiences.

Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the oldest professional theater 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. For more information, visit www.artistsrep.org.