Porcelain Continues Run through 4/14; Kleiber Appears 4/11

The Garage Theatre Group and Michael Billy are currently presenting Porcelain by Chay Yew. Under the direction of Michael Bias, the theatre's artistic director, Porcelain runs from April 26th to May 14th.

"That's Kentertainment!" host Ken Kleiber will take part in a post-show talk-back on May 11th.  More guests will be announced.

Bias and Billy met 14 years ago when Billy was auditioning for one of the Garage's youth shows. Billy was 12 years old when he first joined the Garage in their production of Oliver!, which Bias directed. Over the years Bias became Billy's mentor, coaching him in theatre, casting him in lead roles, and guiding him through troubled adolescents. Billy says "The Garage was a safe haven for me." He adds, "The Garage, for many kids, is a place where you can be you without fear of being judged."

Porcelain will open its run with a gala charity event where portions of the ticket sales will be donated to a gay organization. "The theatre has not decided which gay group that may be. Porcelain is a potent and lyrical examination of a young gay man's crime of passion. Nineteen-year old John Lee struggles with alienation in a Britain where homophobia and racism leave him very much alone. Now, instead of attending Cambridge as planned, he sits in a prison cell, having confessed to shooting his lover in the public bathroom where they had their first sexual encounter. A winner of the 1993 London Fringe Award for best play," state press notes.

Porcelain "dissects John's crime through a prism of other voices-his Singaporean father, his memories of his lover, newscasts, man-on-the-street interviews, and the Rorschach tests of a prison psychiatrist.  Told with extraordinary lyricism, Porcelain is a modern-day exploration of an ancient dramatic question, 'what could drive a person to kill someone they love?."

Billy, known for his antics on national television and radio was also the victim of a hate crime at the age of 14. A Teaneck New Jersey native, Billy says "This piece is a project of passion to me, it's about homophobia and racism." Billy adds "I get that people expect something funny out of me, but Porcelain sends out a message that STILL needs to be heard." This will be Billy's first shot at producing professional theatre. Other producing credits include the movie True To Life, which never made it to production.

"The Garage theatre Group is known for being a socially conscious theatre company that has no fear in tackling social issues. In previous productions the theatre has tackled Middle Eastern life post-911 in Afghan Women. The Garage also caused a stir with Laughing Wild, which explored the hypocrisy in the Catholic church.

The theatre has a commitment to inspire dialogue among its audience. A testament to this commitment is the 'talk back' after each show. At the 'talk back' the actors and director come on stage to discuss the play with the audience. Often audience members are fortunate to be there a night when the playwright is there. Bias says, 'It's our mission to include our audience in the creative process for each of our shows.'"

The production will run from April 26-May 14 at The Garage Theatre in residence at Becton Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey. During its first fourteen seasons, the GTG successfully realized its mission with producing 8 world premieres, and 6 New Jersey premieres. Plays first produced at the GTG are in development for off-Broadway productions, as well as regional productions across the United States.

Porcelain contains graphic language and adult content.

Tickets for Porcelain can be purchased online at www.garagetheatre.org/, or by calling The Garage office at 201-569-7710. Single tickets Friday, Saturday & Sunday are $35.00 for Adults; $30.00 for Seniors; $25.00 for Students. Thursday evening performances are $30.00 for Adults; $27.00 for Seniors; $20.00 for students. A season PlayPass is also available. Contact Lila Taylor at 201-569-7710 for information on Group Sales. Parking is free on the Fairleigh Dickinson University campus. Accommodation for wheelchairs is available.