Stone's Throw Productions Presents THE CASINO and THE DISAPPEARING, 7/13-16

In one, two brothers see if blood is thicker than blackjack in old, mafia-run Las Vegas. In another, a middle-class woman looking to disappear forms an unlikely connection with a homeless alcoholic in the alley she finds herself in. Stone's Throw Productions, Pacific Theatre's non-professional counterpart, is thrilled to present J.P. Allen's THE CASINO and THE DISAPPEARING. "The Casino and The Disappearing are part of a cycle of short plays called CITIES that I wrote over a period of about five years between 1984 and 1989" says playwright J.P. Allen.

Director Phil Miguel says of THE CASINO, "This play explores the power struggle that exists between brothers and the unique relationship it creates. Despite the need to be the ‘better' son, two brothers still desire that familial connection. They both recognize this even amidst the fighting and bickering that is held over from childhood even into adulthood. When mixed with the necessity to be vulnerable, to be willing to accept help, you have a very potent mixture. Which side wins? The need to be ‘right'? The need to be loved? The need to ‘win'? JP Allen winds this explosive dynamic around Old Las Vegas and the consequences carried when extending beyond your reach.

THE DISAPPEARING's director and playwright J.P. Allen says this play is "about the nature of human connection. The Disappearing shows two people who both recognize a commonality even though they are from opposite backgrounds. When they meet they are both too broken and too stubborn to let the petty differences keep them from forming a bond. They connect, fleetingly, only to realize that waiting until they were stubborn and broken may have been too long."

THE CASINO features Robert Olguin, this year's Jessie Award winner for Best Lead Actor in the Small Theatre category, John Voth, who recently appeared in BASH, and Erin Germaine Mahoney, last seen at PT in Godspell and soon to make her playwrighting debut in the Fringe Festival this year, and directed by Phil Miguel.

THE DISAPPEARING features Ron Reed, four-time Jessie nominee, Shalyn McFaul, who last appeared on the PT stage in The Last Five Years, and directed by the playright, J.P. Allen.

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