Aurora Theatre Company Presents Caryl Churchill's A NUMBER

Aurora Theatre Company presents the modern classic A NUMBER by influential British playwright Caryl Churchill with Barbara Damashek directing. Set in the near future, the play explores human cloning, personal identity and the age-old debate of nature versus nurture. It features Paul Vincent O'Connor (American Buffalo, Death Defying Acts) and Joseph O'Malley (Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse).

A NUMBER plays March 9 through May 6, opening March 15, in Aurora's Second Stage performance space, Harry's UpStage, located in the Nell and Jules Dashow Wing.

Always inventive, Churchill (Escaped Alone, Love and Information, Cloud Nine, Top Girls, Far Away, Bliss, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?) wrote A NUMBER during a period of intense public debate about the ethics of human cloning.

The play delves into the issue through the relationships between an aging father and his three adult sons; the second and third a clone of the first. When son Bernard discovers that he's not the only Bernard, a series of questions ensue that will take him and his father on a compelling psychological journey.

Raising big ethical issues while exploring personal identity and second chances, A NUMBER had its world premiere in 2002 at London's Royal Court Theatre. The Evening Standard called the work an "An astonishing event." Said The Daily Telegraph: "...tremendous, moving, thought-provoking and dramatically thrilling."

Tony-nominated director Barbara Damashek returns to the Aurora (Splendour, American Buffalo, Fat Pig) to helm the unsettling study of family, identity and guilt.

Paul Vincent O'Connor also returns to the Aurora (American Buffalo, Death Defying Acts) as Salter. His stage credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Cal Shakes, Berkeley Rep and international tours with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre and Galway's Druid Theatre Company. His film credits include "Seabiscuit," "Inherit the Wind," "Octopus II: River of Fear," and he has appeared in numerous television shows including "Bosch," "Major Crimes," and "The X-Files."

Making his Aurora debut as Bernard, Joseph O'Malley's credits include Kennedy Center, Guthrie Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Cal Shakes, Shotgun Players, and the films "Blood Ties," "The Labyrinth" and "The Sweeter the Pain." His short film "brief" was an official selection at the 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival.

The creative team includes: Michael Locher--set design; Christine Crook--costume design; Jim Cave--lighting design; Matt Stines--sound design.

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