CCCT Presents The Bay Area Premiere Of RIPCORD

Next up in Contra Costa Civic Theatre (CCCT)'s 59th season is the Bay Area premiere of Ripcord, directed by Daren AC Carollo. Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire's sparkling new comedy makes its Bay Area premiere November 16 through December 9 at CCCT. For tickets and information visit the theatre's website at www.ccct.org or call 510.524.9012.

The company of Ripcord includes CCCT veterans Ann Kendrick and Sandi V. Weldon as the battling seniors, Abby and Marilyn; Kim Donovan and DC Scarpelli as Marilyn's daughter and son-in-law; Peter Budinger as the health care aide and wanna-be actor, Scotty; and David Bogdonoff as a mysterious stranger from one of the women's past.

The production's design team includes scenic designer Brian Watson, costume designer Lisa Danz, lighting designer Courtney Johnson, sound designer Michael Kelly, and props designer Devon LaBelle. Stage Manager for Ripcord is Georgia Taylor Benedict.

Abby has always had a quiet room to herself at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility; if a new roommate was assigned to the second bed, Abby - cantankerous and private - quickly got them out. That is until enthusiastic, optimistic Marilyn arrives. Abby finds that if she is going to get Marilyn out, she'll have to do it herself, and the high-stakes bet that the two women make leads quickly to an all-out war of comic proportions.

Deadline calls Ripcord "a show to treasure...a deeply satisfying and vastly entertaining story of two elderly women thrown together by a comic cosmic force possessed of a wicked sense of humor... There are deeper issues lurking below the comedic surface...that gradually build from belly laughs to something more emotionally nutritious", while Time Out (New York) says, "Beyond the high jinks, Ripcord offers a compelling look at the pleasure of a challenge and the challenge of finding pleasure."

CCCT's production of Ripcord is underwritten, in part, through a generous donation from The Walker Family Foundation.

Tickets for Ripcord range from $11 to $32, with discounts available for groups of 15 or more. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. All performances take place at CCCT's intimate and fully accessible theatre in the Flynn building located at 951 Pomona Avenue (cross street Moeser) in El Cerrito. Free parking is available in the adjoining lot. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ccct.org or by phone at 510.524.9012.

Contra Costa Civic Theatre, established in 1959 by Louis and Bettianne Flynn and a group of dedicated volunteers and now under the artistic direction of Marilyn Langbehn, is a non-profit community theatre with its permanent home in El Cerrito, CA. Our mission is to provide affordable, high-quality entertainment to residents throughout the East Bay and provide training in performing arts for children and adults. We are proud to be an independent, self-sufficient organization presenting five Main Stage and thirteen youth productions annually in our intimate two hundred-seat theatre.