The UK Premiere of US Playwright's Award-Winning AIDS Play, Comes to the Tabard Theatre

Recipient of the PEN U.S.A. Award in Drama, Lonely Planet originally premiered in Northlight Theatre, Illinois in 1993. Considered his most widely performed work, this production marks its UK premiere from award-winning playwright Steven Dietz, recently placed eighth on the list of the Top Ten Most Produced Playwrights in America, equal to Edward Albee and Tennessee Williams.

"Mr. Dietz is a graceful writer, able to set up & work out his conceits with intelligent precision. There is no ignoring the honest & troubled emotional core at the play's center" The New York Times

It's the 1980's in an unknown American city. There is no internet and mobile phones are a rarity, sharing information and knowledge is near impossible. It's dark, and communication is hard. A poster appears at a local store, it's a photo of a person's torso with lesions all over. It's an unknown condition that spreads quickly.

Lonely Planet is a heartfelt, funny and ultimately moving play that focuses on the friendship between Jody, a cautious and thoughtful man who insulates himself in the map store he owns; and Carl, a frequent visitor to the store with an unusually vivid imagination and multiple, ever-changing occupations. Carl notices Jody has been isolating himself from the world and starts bringing chairs into his shop to convince him to confront the fears which prevent him from leaving his store. The play shows an individual's struggle to come to terms with illness, their own mortality and the stigma associated with AIDS.

Director Ian Brown was artistic director and chief executive of the West Yorkshire Playhouse and was previously artistic director of the TAG Theatre Company in Glasgow and the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.

Steven Dietz's 30 plus plays and adaptations have been seen at over 100 regional theatres in the United States, as well as Off-Broadway. International productions have been seen in over 20 countries and his work has been translated into 10 languages. Dietz is a two-time winner of the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award for Fiction and Still Life with Iris, as well as a two-time ?nalist for the Steinberg New Play Award for Last of the Boys and Becky's New Car. He received the PEN USA West Award in Drama for Lonely Planet and the 2007 Edgar Award© for Drama for Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.

Performance Dates June 27th 2017 - July 15th 2017

Tuesday - Saturday, 7.30pm

Running Time 90 minutes (not including interval)

Venue Tabard Theatre, 2 Bath Road, London W4 1LW

Ticket Price £20/£18 (concessions) - £10 previews June 27th/28th

Box Office Tabard Theatre (tabardweb.co.uk), 0208 995 6035

Travel Turnham Green station (1 minute walk)

Links Twitter (@LonelyPlanetLDN)

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