Florida Rep Revives SYLVIA to Open Arcade Theatre

Florida Repertory Theatre's 20th anniversary season continues with a revival of the now classic comedy, "Sylvia" by A.R. Gurney. The Wall Street Journal called Florida Rep's 2011 production of the play "clever and cute in all the right ways!"

The production runs in the Historic Arcade Theatre Oct. 24 to Nov. 15 with four nearly sold-out previews Oct. 24-26. Florida Rep ensemble Members, Michelle Damato and Carrie Lund, return to the roles that garnered them national acclaim in 2011. Damato stars as the street-smart pooch, Sylvia, and Lund as the long-suffering wife who must confront her husband's mid-life crisis after he brings a stray dog home from Central Park. Ensemble member, Maureen Heffernan, also returns to direct after recently helming last spring's world premiere of "Doublewide" and two previous nationally acclaimed Florida Rep productions, "Dancing at Lughnasa (2009)" and "The Little Foxes (2013)."

"I could think of no better way to celebrate our 20th Anniversary than to revive this comedy," said Producing Artistic Director, Robert Cacioppo. "In our 19-year history, 'Sylvia' is the number one requested revival by our patrons, and Michelle Damato's performance is legendary in Fort Myers. I swear, our patrons still bark at her to this day! It was after seeing the 2011 production that 'The Wall Street Journal' critic, Terry Teachout, called Florida Rep 'one of America's top repertory companies,' so it was a highlight for us both artistically and critically. We are very excited to bring this play back with the same director and two of the original stars!"

"Sylvia" follows empty nesters, Greg and Kate, who find themselves at a crossroads - his career winding down and hers is ramping up. Now living in a Manhattan apartment, Kate thinks the dog phase of her life is over, but when Greg brings a street-smart labradoodle named Sylvia into their home, all bets are off. Love and laughter are unleashed as Sylvia quickly becomes a bone of contention, testing their marriage to hilarious and touching effect.

Ensemble members Michelle Damato and Carrie Lund return to their roles in "Sylvia," and are joined by fellow ensemble member David Breitbarth and guest artist, Broadway actor, John Ottavino. Damato recently appeared in the one-woman show, "I Loved I Lost I made Spaghetti" and the regional premiere of "The Dingdong." Also Florida Rep's Associate Producer, Lund appeared in last season's world premiere, "Doublewide" and one-woman-sensation, "Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End." Sarasota-based, David Breitbarth, returns after appearing in hit comedies, "Lend Me a Tenor," "Rumors," and "Social Security," and New York-based, John Ottavino makes his second appearance at Florida Rep after "To Kill a Mockingbird" earlier this year.

Director, Maureen Heffernan, is joined by an expert team of designers including ensemble set designer, Ray Recht ("The Cocktail Hour"), costume designer, Alexandria Vazquez ("Doublewide"), lighting designer, Mike Wood (Florida Rep debut), sound designer, John Kiselica ("Outside Mullingar"), and ensemble production stage manager, Amy Massari ("The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee").

New for the 2017-2018 Season, weeknight performances in both performance venues (Tues.-Thurs.) begin at 7:00 PM. Weekend evening performances remain at 8PM and matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are still set for the popular 2PM curtain time.

"Sylvia" plays in the Historic Arcade Theatre from Oct. 27 to Nov. 15 with discounted previews Oct. 24-26. Performances are Tuesday-Saturday at 7pm with 2PM matinees on Wednesday, Sunday, and selected Saturdays.

Priced at $55/$45 and $35/$25 for previews, single tickets are now on sale through the box office at 239-332-4488 and online at www.floridarep.org. Subscriptions for the 2017-2018 season offer the best seats and the biggest savings, and packages start as low as $150 for 6 plays.

Florida Repertory Theatre performs in the Historic Arcade Theatre and the ArtStage Studio Theatre on Bay St. between Jackson & Hendry with limited free parking in the Fort Myers River District. Visit Florida Rep online at FloridaRep.org, and by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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