PCPA Theaterfest Stages CLYBOURNE PARK, Now thru 9/29

Clybourne Park, a new play by Bruce Norris that defies definition, is sure to instigate much debate on social issues - past and present. It plays in the Severson Theatre tonight, September 12 - 29.

The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning drama is a wickedly funny and fiercely provocative play that deals with race, real estate, and the volatile values of each. It spans 50 years between each explosive act. Act I is set in 1959 as nervous community leaders try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act II takes place in the same house, but in present day, and the predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification.

The issues over time are strikingly similar. It's a battle over territory that will leave you wondering how far we've come, or how little we've changed in the last half-century. One cast plays both sets of characters, as they unearth delicate personal issues and uncover perilous social agendas. Elizabeth Stuart* plays Bev/Kathy, Peter S. Hadres* plays Russ/Dan, Cara Ricketts* plays Francine/Lena, Michael Jenkinson* plays Jim/Tom/Kenneth, Ryan Vincent Anderson* plays Albert/Kevin, Andrew Philpot* plays Karl/Steve, and Karin Hendricks plays Betsy/Lindsey.

The Pulitzer Prize jury described Clybourne Park as "a powerful work whose memorable characters speak in witty and perceptive ways to America's sometimes toxic struggle with race and class consciousness."

Director Mark Booher said that part of the appeal of this play is it's unpredictability. "This play excites me and upsets me. When I first saw it, I laughed and didn't know if I should be laughing. It felt subversive, naughty, important and dangerous. Things happen in this story that I understand and can predict, and then things happen that I thought wouldn't dare happen. People say things they shouldn't say and do things they ought not do." Playwright Norris amplified the nature of the work saying, "My ideal audience response is to have them come out saying, 'I don't know what's right anymore. I used to think I knew what was right, but I'm not sure I do.'" He also told theNew York Theater, "Audiences want to align themselves with someone in a play, and one of the most fun things to do is deny them that option."

Clybourne Park has won nearly every honor the theatre community has to award: the Tony Award, the Olivier Award, the Evening Standard Theatre Award, the Theatre World Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. After its triumphant run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, Clybourne Park premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizon in 2010. It arrived on Broadway at the Walter Kerr theatre on March 26, 2012.

Norris has said that there's timelessness to this story because these situations will very likely happen again - in 50 years, or a hundred years - though the details may change. It might be Hispanics versus Asian-Americans or Hindus versus Muslims, but he observed that human behavior tends to repeat itself. In an interview with Boston's SpeakEasy Stage Company, Norris reflected on the assumption that over time - specifically the 50 years his play covers - we are collectively moving to a socially higher ground. "One of the traps we fall into is the 'progress' trap. We like to think there's some sort of linear progression toward a utopian ideal, and that each incremental or even superficial change we make is somehow part of a long march to this ideal universe." Norris said the situations change through the generations, but just like looking back at absurdities 50 years ago he observed, "the problems we grapple with [today] are going to seem incredibly absurd to people 50 years from now."

Clybourne Park is best enjoyed by adults due to its adult language and mature themes.

Clybourne Park Schedule:

Preview September 12 & 13, 2013
Open September 14, 2013
Plays through September 29, 2013

All performances run at the Severson Theatre, 800 S. College, Santa Maria. Times 1:30 - Wed., Sat., Sun 7pm - Thu., Fri., Sat. Tickets From $29.50 - $32.50 with discounts for students, children, seniors, and preview performances Sept 12 & 13. Box Office (805) 922-8313 - Wednesday - Sunday 12:30 - 7pm
Internet www.pcpa.org.

Currently in its 49th season, PCPA Theaterfest is the Central Coast's Resident Professional Theatre Company, and has infused The National Theatre scene with thousands of trained actors and technicians over the years in its conservatory. The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) of Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California supports a unique, fully-accredited vocational training program for aspiring actors and theatre technicians. PCPA is the only training program of its kind offered by a community college in the United States.

Pictured: Elizabeth Stuart* as Bev, Cara Ricketts* as Francine, Ryan Vincent Anderson* as Albert, and Andrew Philpot* as Karl in PCPA's CLYBOURNE PARK.

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