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PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE LEAP, RECIPIENT OF THE MICKEY KAPLAN NEW AMERICAN PLAY PRIZE, FEBRUARY 12-MARCH 13 (CINCINNATI) – The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will continue its 2004-2005 Thompson Shelterhouse season with the world premiere of John Yearley’s offbeat drama Leap. The inaugural recipient of the Mickey Kaplan New American Play Prize, Leap begins public previews on February 12 and continues through March 13. A world premiere drama of personal rebirth in the face of national tragedy, Leap is the story of a man who, faced with the collapse of his marriage, believes he has lost his identity. One morning he steps out of a New York City subway and finds himself surrounded by the chaos of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. He throws his wallet into the debris and prepares to lose himself forever. Fleeing from his restless soul and his troubling past, the man pretends to be suffering from amnesia. He stumbles into a diner and upon a young waitress. She takes pity on the man and brings him back to her home. There he encounters a house filled with secrets of its own and a family paralyzed by its unsettled history. Playwright John Yearley won the Samuel French Award for short plays for the past two years, first for A Low-Lying Fog in 2003 and then for All in Little Pieces in 2004. He also recently won the John Gassner Award for his play Ephemera, which was workshopped by the LAByrinth Theater Company. In 2002, he was playwright-in-residence at Abingdon Theatre Company in New York, which produced his play Bruno Hauptmann Kissed My Forhead. Mr. Yearley is also the author of Angel Baby, which won the Panelists’ Choice Award at the Edward Albee Festival, and he co-authored the downtown hit and Time Out Pick-of-the-Week Gratuitous Nudity with friend Roland Tec. His other short plays include Hating Beckett, which debuted at the Long Wharf Theatre, as well as Strangers Are Easy and Moving Mom, both of which ran in New York and Los Angeles. His The Unrepeatable Moment, an evening of short work, was produced in New York last year under the direction of Joe Calarco. Mr. Yearley is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the William Esper Studio. He has worked for New Line Cinema as a script doctor, is a member of the Blue Roses Theatre Company, the Dramatists Guild, the Writers Guild of America East and also is a MacDowell Fellow. According to Mr. Yearley, “Leap is a play about people coping with loss and how your quality of life can be determined by how you deal with loss. It’s comedic in tone although it’s also very sad.” The Mickey Kaplan New American Play Prize was established in 2004 in support of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s longstanding commitment to the development and production of new works by both established and emerging playwrights and to the introduction of powerful and inventive new voices to the American stage. Mickey Jarson Kaplan was one of Cincinnati’s most generous and enthusiastic arts patrons and philanthropists. The prize was created in tribute to her memory by her husband, Dr. Stanley Kaplan. Returning to the Playhouse for Leap are Greg McFadden (Mister Roberts, The Bible and The Mystery of Irma Vep) as Man, Edmond Genest (Serenading Louie and Otherwise Engaged) as Martin and Anthony Marble (Twelfth Night) as Jude. Making their Playhouse debuts are Annie Meisels as Natalie/Wendy, Jeanine Serralles as Grace and Jeff Skowron as Luther. The play is directed by Melia Bensussen, who previously helmed the 1997 Playhouse production of The Turn of the Screw. Additional production team members include Judy Gailen (set designer), Claudia Stephens (costume designer), Rhonda R. Gorman (assistant costume designer), Jeff Croiter (lighting designer) and David Remedios (sound designer). The stage manager is Suann Pollock. Tickets to Leap are on sale now. Prices range from $40-$48, depending on day and seat location. All tickets are $33 for the preview performances at 9 p.m. Saturday, February 12; 7 p.m. Sunday, February 13; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 15; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 16. The official opening night is Thursday, February 17 at 8 p.m. Any unreserved tickets are half-price every day when purchased between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the day of the show (for performances Tuesday through Saturday) and from 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available. For tickets to Leap or for more information, call the Playhouse box office at 513/421-3888 or toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800/582-3208. Call 513/345-2248 for TDD accessibility. For single tickets purchased by telephone through the Playhouse box office there is a $3 convenience fee per call. Tickets also can be purchased on the Playhouse web site at www.cincyplay.com. 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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Special Performances Meet the Artists 2 p.m. Sunday, February 20 Dining Options Karlo's Bistro at the Playhouse offers full-service dining prior to most evening performances. Dinners include salad, entrée and dessert. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance. The price is $21, which does not include gratuity. Karlo's Casual Fare offers busy theatre patrons an alternative light, quick bite prior to the show. Options include salads, sandwiches, soups, pasta and desserts. No reservations are required. Sponsors Production Sponsor: The 2004-2005 Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre Series is presented by The Shelterhouse Season Design Sponsor is ### |