Desert Ensemble Theatre to Present A NUMBER

Artistic Director Tony Padilla today announced Desert Ensemble Theatre's production of A Number, a play in one-act by the acclaimed English playwright Caryl Churchill. Performances are February 12-14 and 19-21, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. The production is at the Pearl McManus Theater in the Palm Springs Woman's Club at 314 S. Cahuilla Road. Tickets are $20 and are now on sale via www.DETCTheatre.org, or by calling 760-565-2476.

Human cloning is the subject of this beguiling psychological thriller that blends topical scientific speculation with a stunning portrait of the relationship between fathers and their sons. "Magnificent.... Contains more drama, and more ideas, than most manage in a dozen full-length works.... It combines elegant structural simplicity with an astonishing intellectual and emotional depth.... What a tremendous play this is, moving, thought-provoking and dramatically thrilling." (The Evening Standard)

Actor and cabaret performer Jerome Elliott (Miss Gulch Returns, Standing on Ceremony) makes his dramatic directorial debut with this fascinating study of science, ethics, father-son conflicts and the unintended consequences of selfish actions. Desert Theatre League Award Winner Shawn Abramowitz is cast as Bernard and his two cloned siblings. James E. Anderson III, a veteran of Bainbridge Performing Arts and Ovation Musical Theater in Washington State, is cast as Salter, Bernard's father. The original London production featuring Michael Gambon and Daniel Craig was winner of the Evening Standard Award for Best Play of 2002. Sam Shepard and Dallas Roberts starred in the off-Broadway New York Theatre Workshop production in 2004.

Churchill has been hailed as "the most daring of our dramatists" (The Times of London) and as "the greatest living English language playwright" by Tony-winning playwright Tony Kushner.

The company's fifth season continues with the world premiere of Tony Padilla's newest work Look At Me (Mar. 11-13, 18-20), and Joshua Harmon's darkly comic Bad Jews (Apr. 8-10 and 15-17), directed by Rosemary Mallett.