Stage Guild Presents Area Premiere of PEN, Now thru 11/23

The Washington Stage Guild begins its 2014-15 Season of Love and/or Marriage with the Washington area premiere of PEN by David Marshall Grant, playing tonight, October 30 through November 23. In the production directed by Kasi Campbell, a divorced couple wrangle over their college-bound son's future, and while the boy's life is about to change, he and his mother undergo perplexing changes themselves. It's 1969, the end of a turbulent decade, and the turmoil in the country is only one factor as Matt and his parents struggle to stay connected. The bonds of a family some would call broken, expressed in Grant's sharp and pointed dialogue, made this funny, touching play an off-Broadway hit.

"As changes come to the world, love, relationships, and families can change, too. Should they? The American actor and playwright David Marshall Grant has written a darkly comic story set in a period in which so much was changing that stability seemed impossible," says Bill Largess, artistic director of the Stage Guild. "But while there are recognizable aspects of the situation, this is as clever and surprising a telling of the tale as any we've presented. The whimsy and fantasy of George Bernard Shaw's BACK TO METHUSELAH cycle, part two of which comes up next spring, is matched in a most unexpected way by Grant's squabbling Long Islanders. Having the brilliant Kasi Campbell back to direct is a delight, as are the returns of old friends Emily Townley and Michael Russotto, and the debut on our stage of Chris Stinson."

Campbell's work is well known in the Washington area, having directed at the Kennedy Center, Rep Stage, Maryland Opera Studio, Theatre Alliance, WSC Avant Bard, Source Theatre, and Spooky Action Theatre. Her productions have garnered several Helen Hayes nominations including four for Outstanding Director (she received the award for The Dazzle), two for Outstanding Production, and two for Outstanding Ensemble. Previous productions at the Stage Guild include Tryst and Elling.

Chris Stinson makes his company debut as Matt, whose frustrations with suburban life and responsibilities perplex his parents. Other DC area acting credits include Hub Theatre's Abominable, Failure: A Love Story, and A Man, His Wife and His Hat; Quotidian Theatre's The Iceman Cometh; Scena Theatre's A Clockwork Orange; Forum Theatre's We Tiresias; 1st Stage's Parfumerie; and Theatre Lab's To Kill a Mockingbird. He is a company member of the Hub Theatre, and a graduate of Penn State University.

His mother Helen is played by Emily Townley, last seen at the Stage Guild in 2012's hit Tryst. She is a company member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre where she appeared in A Bright New Boise, House of Gold, Maria/Stuart, Spain, Fuddy Meers, Wonder of the World and Watbanaland. Other area credits include Candida, Rock n' Roll, and The Bright and Bold Design at Studio Theatre; Rep Stage's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (directed by Kasi Campbell); Everyman Theatre's Our Town; The Real Inspector Hound at MetroStage; Round House Theatre's The Sisterhood; and The Tempest and The Gaming Table at Folger Theatre.
Matt's father Jerry is played by Michael Russotto who last appeared at the Stage Guild in Brian Friel's Aristocrats in 1992. Most recently, he played Orgon in the Franklin Stage Company's production of Tartuffe, and Monsignor Ryan in Arena Stage's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. He is a member of Woolly Mammoth's acting company, where he has performed in many productions, including A Bright New Boise and She Stoops to Comedy (both of which garnered him Helen Hayes Award nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor), and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Other DC credits include Rancho Mirage and Neville's Island at Olney Theatre Center; Signature Theatre's Art; The Comedy of Errors and Much Ado About Nothing at Folger Theatre; and The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg at the Kennedy Center. He has also worked at Rep Stage, MetroStage, Theatre Alliance, Adventure Theatre, and Studio Theatre.

Sets are by Shirong Gu, lighting by resident designer Marianne Meadows, and making their Stage Guild debuts are costume designer Sydney Moore and sound designer Robert Pike. The stage manager is Arthur Nordlie.
Pen by David Marshall Grant - Washington area premiere "My mother's a Jew, my Father's a WASP. I feel nothing, but I feel guilty about it."
Directed by Kasi Campbell, featuring Michael Russotto, Chris Stinson and & Emily Townley
October 30 through November 23
Press night: Saturday, November 1 at 8 p.m.
A divorced couple wrangle over their college-bound son's future, and while the boy's life is about to change, he and his mother undergo perplexing changes themselves. The bonds of a family some would call broken, expressed in David Marshall Grant's sharp and pointed dialogue, make this off-Broadway hit a funny, touching success.
Performance times and prices for all productions
Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. $40.00
Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. $50.00
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. $40.00
Discounts are available for senior citizens, students, and groups.
Season passes are available, offering incredible savings for the entire Stage Guild season.

Location for all performances
The Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church
900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
The Undercroft Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Washington, on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and 9th Street, NW. It's steps from the Convention Center, and blocks from the National Mall, the Smithsonian, the Verizon Center, Chinatown, and restaurants galore!

The Undercroft Theatre is within easy walking distance from the following Metro stations:
Gallery Place/Chinatown-Exit SE corner of 9th and G Sts., NW (Green, Yellow and Red lines)
Mt. Vernon Square-Exit SW corner of 7th and M Sts, NW (Green and Yellow lines)
Metro Center-Exit SE corner of 11th and G Sts., NW (Blue, Red and Orange lines)

For information and reservations, please call 240 582-0050, email info@stageguild.org or go to www.stageguild.org # # # Click here for a printable copy of PEN Press Release
For questions or to RSVP for press night, call Ann Norton at 240 582-0050 or anorton@stageguild.org Forward this email

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