Ross Valley Players Presents RIPCORD

Ross Valley Players will kick off its 92nd Season with Ripcord by Pulitzer Award winning playwright, David Lindsay-Abaire - a comic and touching clash of wills between mismatched roommates at a retirement home. Directed by Chloe Bronzan. The play will run from September 10-October 10, 2021, at the Ross Valley Players Barn Theatre.

A sunny room on an upper floor is prime real estate in the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, so when the cantankerous Abby is forced to share her quarters with new-arrival Marilyn, she has no choice but to get rid of the infuriatingly chipper woman by any means necessary. A seemingly harmless bet between the old women quickly escalates into a dangerous game of one-upmanship that reveals not just the tenacity of these worthy opponents, but also deeper truths that each would rather remain hidden.

Play history: Ripcord was first performed in a limited engagement in 2015 at the Off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club.

Quote from the director, Chloe Bronzan: "I first agreed to direct this play before we knew what 2020 would have in store for us. At the time, I found an "Odd Couple" story featuring two mature women unique and refreshing, as we seldom get to see plays centered around this demographic. Furthermore, the script made me laugh out loud upon first reading it. Fast forward to 2021 and new themes jump out, so to speak: The pandemic either forced many into quarantine with a roommate we would have preferred to spend less time with or left many of us living in isolation. In either scenario, amplified by the impact of a global shutdown, we are left pondering our basic need for human interaction."

Quote from the Executive Producer, Steve Price: "RVP chose "Ripcord" by David Lindsay-Abaire as the perfect play to welcome audiences back to The Barn. It's hilarious, moving, uplifting and reminds us life is worth living."

Chloe Bronzan Bio:

After directing Silent Sky, RVP's last fully run show before the pandemic, Chloe is delighted to be reopening the Barn with Ripcord! In prior years, she staged RVP's productions of Deathtrap and Dead Man's Cell Phone. She started out as an actor, discovering her affinity for directing a decade ago. She recently returned to her performing roots to make an appearance in Neighborhood Stories: Mill Valley, as a tribute to her late father and the challenges they faced together in 2020. Ms. Bronzan helms Symmetry Theatre Company, where she has directed such critically acclaimed productions as Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight, The Language Archive and Carnival Round the Central Figure. Since 2017, Symmetry has been pioneering the multinational, bilingual theatre festival: Bridge Across the Wall, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Berkeley, CA. Freelance directing credits include The Glass Menagerie (Eugene O'Neill Foundation), Other Desert Cities and Angel Street (Role Players Ensemble).

Cast:

Characters Actors

Abby Binder Tori Truss

Marilyn Dunne Pamela Hollings

Scotty Bau Tran

Benjamin, Lewis, Clown Nate Currier

Derek, Zombie Butler, Masked Man Peter Warden

Colleen, Woman in White Rebekah Kouy-Ghadosh

COVID Health Protocols - In keeping with public health protocols, Ross Valley Players' actors, stage crew and volunteers are fully vaccinated. In order to attend a performance, attendees must show proof of being fully vaccinated and masks must be worn at all times. RVP will monitor County, State and US health guidelines and abide by them as circumstances change.

DETAILS:

WHAT:

Ross Valley Players presents Ripcord

WHEN:

September 10-October 10, 2021

Performances are Thursdays (7:30pm), Fridays & Saturdays (8pm) and Sundays (2pm)

Special Nights:

Thursday, September 9 (7:30pm) - Preview Night

Friday, September 10 (8:00pm) - Opening Night and Season Subscriber's Reception (6:30pm) Pre-show outdoors cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and wine. Q&A with director

Saturday, September 11 - Buzz At The Barn - 7:00pm pre-show cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine.

Sunday, October 10 (2pm) - Closing Matinee

WHERE:

Ross Valley Players: Barn Theatre - 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, CA 94957.
(415) 456-9555 ext. 1

TICKETS:

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays: $30 ($15 under 19)

Thursdays: $25 General Admission ($15 under 19)

First Thursday of a major production a.k.a. Preview night, (Thursday, September 9) is Pay What You Will (PWYW), suggested donation $15.

To order tickets, go to https://www.tickettailor.com/events/rossvalleyplayers/530611

Or call 415-456-9555, ext. 3

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