TampaRep Presents OPEN and EVERY BRILLIANT THING in Repertory

The Tampa Repertory Theatre presents the Tampa area premiere of Crystal Skillman's hit Off-Broadway play OPEN, and the remount of their lauded June 2021 production of EVERY BRILLIANT THING by Duncan MacMillan and Johnny Donahoe, both running Thursdays through Sundays, Sep 16- Oct 3, 2021 at HCC Ybor's Performing Arts center.

OPEN is the story of an amateur magician who attempts the impossible: to rescue her girlfriend. The one-person show will be brought to life by local artist K Sotakoun, who was recently featured in American Stage's ROMEO & JULIET and Jobsite's HAND TO GOD, with direction by USF's Fanni Green and magic coaching by Matthew Belapavlovich.

Playwright Crystal Skillman (whose parents call the Bay Area home) says of the play that it "create[s] a healing catharsis through humor, theatrical surprises, but most importantly through the power of the imagination. This is a play that trusts its audience. As we return to the theater and start to heal during a time still fraught with difficulty in this country, and world, I hope this piece can bring joy to an audience and allow them to move on to find the magic again in the theater and life."

Skillman will be in attendance at opening night of OPEN on September 16th, and will participate in a live talkback discussing the ideas, creation, and the momentum of the show as it begins to make the rounds in theatres throughout the world.

In EVERY BRILLIANT THING, local favorite Ned Averill-Snell will once again share "a list of everything brilliant about the world - everything worth living for." The one man show received audience and critical acclaim when it was presented in June outdoors at Ybor City Museum State Park.

"People absolutely loved this show. It tackles some pretty heavy issues head-on, but with a heavy dose of humor and, ultimately, optimism. And the style of the piece exemplifies our theme of 'Coming Back Together' - it has audience participation that the audience actually enjoys." says TampaRep's Producing Artistic Director, Emilia Sargent. "Plus, there's less chance of a rainout indoors."

Both shows will play "in rep" in the Studio Theatre in the Hillsborough Community College Performing Arts Center, meaning both shows will play in the same night in the same space, with alternating start times of 7:30pm and 9:00pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 3:00pm or 4:30pm on Sunday. The approximate running time of each show is slightly over one hour.

Ticket prices range from $30-$20 for each show individually. TampaRep is also offering their Double-Header ticket, which offers one ticket to each show for a discounted price. Guests may apply the ticket to both shows on the same date, or may choose separate dates. Also on offer is the RepPass, which offers five discounted tickets for any performance(s) in the TampaRep 2021-2022 season, which includes Open, Every Brilliant Thing, The Giver, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time, King Lear, and The Dreamer Examines His Pillow.

Learn more at http://www.tamparep.org.