Mamie Gummer Leads Roundabout's UGLY LIES THE BONE, Opening Tonight

Roundabout Theatre Company presents the Roundabout Underground world-premiere production of Ugly Lies the Bone by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Patricia McGregor, as part of the 50th Anniversary Season. The cast features Karron Graves (Kacie), Mamie Gummer (Jess), Caitlin O'Connell (Voice / Their Mom), Chris Stack (Stevie) and Haynes Thigpen (Kelvin). Roundabout welcomes back Mamie Gummer, who made her New York stage debut in Roundabout's 2005 production of Mr. Marmalade.

The world premiere of Ugly Lies the Bone opens off-Broadway officially tonight, October 13, 2015 at the Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, November 22, 2015.

Newly discharged soldier Jess (Gummer) has finally returned to her Florida hometown. She brings with her not only vivid memories of her three tours in Afghanistan, but painful burns that have left her physically and emotionally scarred. Jess soon realizes that things at home have changed even more than she has. Through the use of virtual reality video game therapy, she builds a breathtaking new world where she can escape her pain. As Jess advances farther in the game, she begins to restore her relationships, her life and, slowly, herself.

UGLY LIES THE BONE launches the ninth season of Roundabout Underground, an initiative to introduce and cultivate artists in Roundabout's 62-seat Black Box Theatre, at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). Ugly Lies the Bone, which was presented as part of last year's Underground Reading Series at Roundabout, is the first?ever recipient of a Special Citation of Excellence from The Laurents /Hatcher Foundation. Prior productions include the acclaimed world premieres of Stephen Karam's Speech & Debate (2007), Steven Levenson's The Language of Trees (2008), Adam Gwon's Ordinary Days (2009), Kim Rosenstock's Tigers Be Still (2010), David West Read's The Dream of the Burning Boy (2011), Andrew Hinderaker's Suicide, Incorporated (2011), Joshua Harmon's Bad Jews (2012), Meghan Kennedy's Too Much, Too Much, Too Many (2013), and Jeff Augustin's Little Children Dream of God (2015).

Roundabout Underground is an initiative to showcase new plays that will either give a debut production to an emerging writer or director or allow an experienced director to go back to his/her creative roots. Robyn Goodman (Artistic Consultant to the Roundabout) serves as Artistic Producer, with Associate Producers Jill Rafson and Josh Fiedler, for this initiative that continues to be a creative breeding ground for nurturing new talent.

The 62-seat Black Box Theatre, below the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, allows Roundabout to take artistic risks that are better suited for a more intimate space. The creative team for Ugly Lies the Bone includes: Tim Brown (Sets), Dede Ayite (Costumes), Jiyoun Chang (Lighting), Jessica Paz (Sound), Caite Hevner Kemp, (Projections) and Vincent T. Schicchi & Thomas Denier Jr. (Prosthetics).

For this world premiere Roundabout Theatre Company is partnering with DeepStream VR, a company pioneering virtual reality to help relieve pain and improve quality of life, to allow audiences of Ugly Lies the Bone to experience the technology used to improve the quality of life for the play's central character, Jess (Gummer). DeepStream VR is creating the next generation of VR games with biofeedback to help patients manage pain, speed rehabilitation and achieve better health and wellness. More information about DeepStream VR is available at deepstreamvr.com.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus