Bad Times Theatre to Premiere BOX 4901 by Brian Francis

Timeshare performance today released new casting and production details for the world premiere of Box 4901, written by and starring Brian Francis, and co-created and directed by Rob Kempson. Box 4901 will play in Toronto at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre from February 27 to March 8, with opening night on February 28. Tickets are on sale now at buddiesinbadtimes.com.

In 1992, novelist Brian Francis placed a personals ad in the newspaper. In total, he received 25 responses but there were 13 letters he never responded to. Now, at a much different stage in life, Brian has written replies to those letters. Box 4901 is a hilarious, strange, sweet, and awkward look back at how gay men used to find one another. "While it might seem antiquated in our dating app world, responding to classified personal ads was the only way many queer people could find with one another," said Francis. "One thing that hasn't changed over the years is our desire for connection. We're still looking to find one another - or even ourselves. I hope that's something audiences both young and old take away from Box 4901."

Following two-sold out workshop productions (2018 SummerWorks Lab; 2019 foldA Festival), the world premiere of Box 4901 once again features an entirely queer cast and creative team. Joining Francis on stage in Toronto will be Colin Asuncion, Hume Baugh, Samson Bonkeabantu Brown, Keith Cole, Daniel Jelani Ellis, Jeff Ho, Michael Hughes, Indrit Kasapi, Daniel Krolik, Eric Morin, G. Kyle Shields, Chy Ryan Spain, and Geoffrey Whynot. Set design is by Brandon Kleiman, lighting design by Cosette Pin, sound design by Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, and stage management by Lucy McPhee. Box 4901 is produced by Stacey Norton with Curtis te Brinke as associate producer.

"While Box 4901 is specifically derived from the queer narrative of Brian's life, it speaks to us all about the importance of connection," said Kempson. "That theme, the desire to connect with one another, resonates whether or not you identify as queer. It is only amplified by our 14-person ensemble cast, a size rarely seen on Toronto stages."

General admission tickets for Box 4901 are $29 until January 29, with a $25 option for students, seniors and arts workers (valid ID is required). Contact the Buddies in Bad Times Box Office for tickets or more information at 416-975-8555 or visit buddiesinbadtimes.com. Show page: http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/show/box-4901/

Performance Schedule:

Thursday, February 27 | 8 p.m. (preview) Friday, February 28 | 8 p.m. (opening night) Saturday, February 29 | 2:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. Sunday, March 1 | 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 | 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 | 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5 | 8 p.m. Friday, March 6 | 8 p.m. Saturday March 7 | 2:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. Sunday, March 8 | 2:30 p.m.Instagram