WIPEOUT Comes to Gloucester Stage Company

Gloucester Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rebecca Bradshaw and Managing Director Christopher Griffith, is thrilled to announce the next production in its 2024 season, WIPEOUT by Aurora Real de Asua. As part of its rolling world premiere through the National New Play Network, this breakout new play will run at Gloucester Stage from Friday, July 5 to Sunday, July 28.

Directed by the talented Shana Gozanskyº and starring Karen MacDonald (Gary), Cheryl D. Singleton (Claudia), Noelle Player (Wynn), and Thomas Bilotta (Blaze), WIPEOUT follows the story of Gary, who desires one thing for her seventy-seventh birthday: to go surfing. The only hiccup? She's never touched the water. But with the assistance of a spirited teenage surf instructor and her two best friends, Gary is poised to conquer the unknown. Set on surfboards against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, WIPEOUT is a poignant comedy about friendship and the unpredictable tides of life.

"As a young surfer, I'd be paddling hard, getting ready to catch my wave, only to find a blissed-out grandmother already hanging ten. That's what I love most about surfing. Anybody - any body - can do it. The ocean is our great equalizer," said playwright Aurora Real de Asua. "It has a way of revealing the truth, of disintegrating the boundaries we place around ourselves and each other. This play is my love letter to the joys of surfing, the power of the ocean, and the tenacity of female friendship."

"We are honored to be a part of the National New Play Network's Rolling World Premiere, partnering with Rivendell Theatre in Chicago, IL, and B Street Theatre in Sacramento, CA," shared Gloucester Stage's Artistic Director,Rebecca Bradshaw. "What is special about this collaboration is that each company has had a different director, design team, and cast - but have all worked from the same text. Aurora worked with each ensemble to hone the script and find nuances between each audience and performance. She will join us in Gloucester for the final leg with tools and lessons she's learned along the way - what a gift! We are grateful for a process like this as it underscores our commitment to supporting playwrights and fostering new works."

WIPEOUT has already garnered great attention. It was workshopped at prestigious venues, including Manhattan Theatre Club and Williamstown Theatre Festival, before arriving on Gloucester Stage's shore.

"I feel quite lucky to be the last production in this rolling premiere. Aurora has learned so much from her other collaborators, including the generous audiences who have attended performances and readings. I'm so grateful for Aurora's endless curiosity and openness about how to design a play that takes place in the ocean. I am excited to share what we're creating," shared the production's Director, Shana Gozansky. "At its core, this play celebrates living and all the wisdom from our experiences - no matter a person's age. It's one of those plays that feels like a privilege to be a part of, and I hope audiences feel the same after seeing our production."

WIPEOUT's creative team includes Jenna McFarland Lord (scenic design), Jen Greeke (Costume Design), Kat Zhou (lighting design), Aubrey Dube (sound design), and Carolyn Ferris (prop design).

WIPEOUT will run from Friday, July 5, through Sunday, July 28. All performances, unless noted, are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester. Tickets are now on sale and available at GloucesterStage.com.

The 2024 Season at Gloucester Stage has been made possible by the Shubert Foundation. WIPEOUT is made possible in part by Suzanna Natti and Alan Willsky.

About the Artists:

Aurora Real de Asua (she/her) (Playwright) is a playwright, filmmaker, and performer. Her play Wipeout will receive a rolling world premiere in 2024 through the New Play Network, with productions at Rivendell Theatre, B Street Theatre, and Gloucester Stage Company. Wipeout was developed at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Williamstown Theatre Festival, New Harmony Project, The Old Globe, and Rivendell. Her other plays have been developed with The Playwright's Realm, Victory Gardens, Chicago Children's Theatre, and sideshow theater. Real de Asua's short film Heartsong debuted on Short of the Week and screened at various festivals. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University and an M.F.A. in film from Columbia University, where she received the Jesse Thompkins III Screenwriting Award.

Shana Gozansky º (she/her) (Director) is a freelance director and teaching artist. She has directed at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Trinity Repertory Company, Gloucester Stage Company, The Hangar Theatre, and at venues throughout Boston & N.Y.C. She has taught and directed at various colleges and universities in Boston and beyond. Gozansky holds an M.F.A. in Directing from Brown University/Trinity Repertory and a B.A. in Theater from Bard College, an Artistic Associate at The Hangar Theatre, and an Artist-in-Residence at both Chashama and The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She is a Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab member, Drama League Directing Fellow and an Associate Member of S.D.C. Gozansky also writes books for children.

Karen MacDonald (she/her) (Gary)* returns to Gloucester Stage Company having appeared in The Apple Family Plays: Sweet and Sad and The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and directed An Ideal Husband and The Woman in Black. Recent credits include A Christmas Carol and Gaslight at Merrimack Rep, Rooted at the Lyric Stage, Heroes of the Fourth Turning at Speakeasy Stage, Common Ground Revisited at the Huntington Theater. Regionally, she has also appeared at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Greater Boston Stage Company, Trinity Rep, Gamm Theatre, New Rep, Portland Stage, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Boston Theatre Company, Sleeping Weazel, The Vineyard Playhouse, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Shakespeare and Co. and Berkshire Playwrights Lab. A Founding Company Member of The American Repertory Theatre, she appeared in 74 productions, including The Sea Gull, Mother Courage and her Children and No Exit.On Broadway, she understudied and performed the role of Amanda Wingfield in John Tiffany's revival of The Glass Menagerie. Nationally, she has performed extensively. Credits include Hartford Stage, The Maltz Jupiter Theatre, The Alley Theatre and Berkeley Rep, among others.

She is the recipient of several IRNE Awards and Elliot Norton Awards for her performances. She received both The Robert Brustein Award for Sustained Achievement in The Theater and the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence. She taught at the Harvard Extension School and was a faculty member of Theatre, Dance and Media at Harvard for 22 years.

Cheryl D. Singleton (she/her) (Claudia)* returns to the Gloucester Stage after previously seen on stage in Stew, To Kill a Mockingbird, and in staged readings for the Never Dark series. Selected additional theater credits include work with The Front Porch, The Huntington, Boston Lyric Opera, SpeakEasy Stage Co., Plays in Place, Wheelock Family Theatre, Lyric Stage Co., Manhattan Theatre Club, New Repertory Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare Co., American Repertory Theatre and Queer Soup. Cheryl has appeared onstage as a narrator with the Boston Pops for both their July 4th and Christmas shows. Selected film and television credits include: Invitation to a Bonfire (AMC), She's Gotta Have It (40 Acres and A Mule), and Castle Rock (Hulu). A proud member of SAG-AFTRA, Cheryl has also done commercial and voiceover work and serves the Boston theater community through the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund (TCBF), a source of grants for community members in crisis.

Noelle Player (she/her) (Wynn) is returning to the stage after raising her fabulous 20-year-old twins with Wipeout!her debut at Gloucester Stage. Her international companies include CATS! and Hey, Mr. Producer, and her national tours include Cabaret and Jesus Christ Superstar. Noelle's Regional Theatre and Summer Stock credits includeVictor/Victoria (Theatre Under the Stars); Sugar Babies (Allenberry Playhouse), Janis Joplin, Brenda Lee and others (Beehive); Godspell, Rocky Horror Show and Joseph and the Amazing.. (Candlewood Playhouse); Gypsy, Sound of Music (Surflight); Evita (Falmouth Playhouse). Noelle attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Worth Gardner and Circle-in-the-Square Professional workshop.

Thomas Bilotta (him/he) (Blaze), hailing from White Plains, New York, recently received his BFA in Acting from Boston University. He also completed the semester program at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). Thomas was a part of an Off-Broadway production of I Hate Hamlet last summer at the Rattlestick Theater in New York City.

PERFORMANCE TIMES AND LOCATIONS: Unless noted, all performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW: Tickets to the Gloucester Stage 2023 season are on sale now. Single Ticket prices range from $15 to $67, with discounts available for seniors, military families, college students, youth under 18, young professionals under 35, Card to Culture (E.B.T. and W.I.C.), and Cape Ann residents. For detailed ticket information, visit www.gloucesterstage.com.

Season Packages start at $200 for four tickets for any mainstage performance and include early access to seating, no fees, and free ticket exchanges. Packages can be purchased or renewed by calling the Box Office at 978.281.4433 or visiting gloucesterstage.com/subscribe.

For additional information, contact the Box Office at 978.281.4433 or boxoffice@gloucesterstage.com. Located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, the Box Office is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm.

ºStage Directors and Choreographers Society (S.D.C.) Union Member

*Actors Equity Association (A.E.A.) Union Member

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