FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 16, 2003
Contact: Christa Skiles
Public Relations Director
513-345-2242, ext. 232

HIDING BEHIND COMETS WILL RECEIVE WORLD PREMIERE AT CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK MARCH 20-APRIL 18

(CINCINNATI) – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Producing Artistic Director Edward Stern announced today that he has chosen playwright Brian Dykstra’s gripping drama Hiding Behind Comets as the third world premiere play in the Playhouse’s 2003-2004 season. The script will be produced in the Playhouse’s Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre from March 20 to April 18.

At the center of Hiding Behind Comets are twin brother and sister Troy and Honey. Though the pair shares an unusually strong bond, they otherwise seem as different as night and day. One late summer evening, a stranger wanders into their family-owned bar. When he starts asking personal questions, it soon becomes clear that his visit to this small-town dive has not been purely coincidental. However, the extent of his journey — its underlying motivation and the past horrors that have directed it — provide a roller coaster of surprises that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the play’s final moments.

Hiding Behind Comets contains sexual situations, adult language and graphic violence. No one under the age of 18 will be admitted.

Brian Dykstra is a New York based playwright whose works have been staged in New York, Los Angeles and London. His play Forsaking All Others earned rave reviews at London’s Pentameters Theatre and received a DramaLogue critics’ pick and a LA Weekly Pick of the Week for its Los Angeles run. Other plays include That Damn Dykstra, Silence, Strangerhorse, A Sane Policy and Spill the Wine.

Mr. Dykstra’s screenplay credits include Baggage Claim, Amazombies, Un-Coupled and Fight Game. He additionally has written for the Emmy-nominated television show The Life on ESPN. Also an actor, Mr. Dykstra has appeared frequently on the New York stage and in regional theatres across the country, including at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in the 1994 production of Keely and Du. He is a graduate of California State University who earned his master of fine arts degree from the Professional Acting Training Program at Rutgers University.

“It’s terrific,” Mr. Dykstra said about the selection of his play by the Playhouse. “Being a playwright can be a long and slow process. Looking back, your progress over a year’s time can feel very incremental. But this is a nice step forward for me, and it’s very exciting. I love the Playhouse, and Ed Stern and I go way back to when he was a teacher at Rutgers, so this is just an incredibly rewarding opportunity.”

Brian Dykstra will be in residence throughout the show’s rehearsal process, during which time the script will be developed further with the participation of the director and cast. The play will be directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Michael Evan Haney.

Hiding Behind Comets will not receive the Rosenthal New Play Prize. In a letter to Edward Stern, Lois and Richard Rosenthal wrote, “Because of a lack of enthusiasm for this year’s selection, we have chosen to discontinue the prize.

“The Playhouse traditionally has scheduled a slot for the New Play Prize when the season is announced in the spring but before a play is found,” they continued. “While this is the first time we have chosen not to award the prize once [Ed Stern] has selected a play, we would prefer to avoid an awkward situation of this sort in the future. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue the Rosenthal New Play Prize and instead to work to find other vehicles in which we can continue our support of the Playhouse.”

According to Edward Stern, “Of course, we are disappointed in the decision of Lois and Richard Rosenthal to discontinue the Rosenthal New Play Prize. Over the past 15 years, the prize has created a remarkable tradition that truly has elevated the level of new plays in this region. We are thankful to the Rosenthals for making this possible and for their continued support of the Playhouse. This is a tradition that we will be proud to carry forward as we continue to seek submissions of new scripts and to produce world premiere plays each season.”

Mr. Stern continued, “I believe in my selection of Hiding Behind Comets for the Playhouse’s Shelterhouse season this year. I feel the play follows in our long tradition of supporting new works and that it continues the legacy established by productions including The Dead Eye Boy and last year’s The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer of introducing hard-hitting new voices to the American stage. I believe that this play will have a long life beyond Cincinnati, and I am proud that our audiences will have the first opportunity to see it.”

Hiding Behind Comets is sponsored by Right Management Consultants. The Playhouse’s 2003-2004 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre Season is presented by Heidelberg Distributing Company. The Season Design Sponsor is the Sheakley Group of Companies.

Tickets to Hiding Behind Comets are available now and range from $31.50-$46.50, depending on day and seat location. For reservations or subscription information, call the Playhouse box office at 513/421-3888 or toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, 800/582-3208. Call 513/345-2248 for TDD accessibility. Information and tickets also are available at the Playhouse’s web site, www.cincyplay.com.

Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Edward Stern and Executive Director Buzz Ward, the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is now in its 44th year as one of the nation’s leading professional regional theatres. During its season, the Playhouse produces both established hits and world premieres that attract nearly a quarter of a million people annually.

Playhouse artists fly to and from Cincinnati on Delta Connection COMAIR, the Playhouse’s official airline.

The Playhouse is supported, in part, by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses that give to the Fine Arts Fund.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

The Playhouse also receives funding from the City of Cincinnati.

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