William Inge Rolls Into Brooklyn W/ BUS STOP 3/14-3/29

For the first time in over a decade, William Inge returns to Brooklyn with The Gallery Players' revival of his classic drama Bus Stop. Directed by The Gallery Players' Artistic Director Heather Siobhan Curran, this slice of Americana rolls into Brooklyn March 14 - 29, 2009.

In the middle of a howling snowstorm, a bus out of Kansas City pulls up at a cheerful roadside diner. All roads are blocked, and four or five weary travelers are going to have to hole up until morning. Cherie, a nightclub chanteuse in a sparkling gown and a seedy fur-trimmed jacket, is the passenger with most to worry about. She's been pursued, made love to and finally kidnapped by a twenty-one-year-old cowboy with a ranch of his own and the romantic methods of an unusually headstrong bull. The belligerent cowhand is right behind her, ready to sling her over his shoulder and carry her, alive and kicking, all the way to Montana. Even as she's ducking out from under his clumsy but confident embraces, and screeching at him fiercely to shut him up, she pauses to furrow her forehead and muse, "Somehow deep inside of me I got a funny feeling I'm gonna end up in Montana ..."

The Gallery Players' Artistic Director Heather Siobhan Curran teams up with Producer Amanda White (Milk Can Theatre Company, teacher and performer; William Inge Theater Festival) to bring this archetypal American drama to The Gallery Players' stage. "What a thrill it has been to bring one of our great American plays to Gallery's stage with this wonderful ensemble cast. And having the dramaturgical assistance of Amanda White and the Inge Center has proved invaluable. Although there is a current of loneliness and loss that runs throughout William Inge's plays, he has great affection for the people in this small town. All of the characters in Bus Stop are searching for love; some find the accepting their loneliness to be the choice they make. Even though Inge's characters in Bus Stop are very much a product of the 1950's America; he allows them to transcend the cultural politics of the time and we find ourselves drawn into their world, nose pressed against that window, as we search and reassess our choices."

The Gallery Players production of Bus Stop features John Blaylock*, Rebecca Dealy, Justin Herfel*, Brad Lewandowski*, Shawn Parsons, Annie Paul*, Alisha Spielmann & Brad Thomason*. *appears courtesy Actors' Equity Association

Bus Stop is produced by Amanda White for The Gallery Players, Directed by Heather Siobhan Curran and the Associate Producer is Brian Michael Flanagan. The creative team includes: Set Design by Edward Morris, Costume Design by Meredith Neal, Lighting Design by Mike Billings, Sound Design by Craig Ryan Freeman, Props Master by Nicole Gaignat, Production Stage Managed by Trevor Regars and Assistant Stage Managed by Rebekah Hughston.

The Gallery Players' limited engagement of Bus Stop runs March 14 - 29, 2009: Thursdays, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. Special events to include Producer Amanda White moderating a talk back about William Inge's work and life following both 2 pm matinee performances of March 21st & March 28th.

Tickets to Bus Stop are $18, $14 for Senior Citizens and children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling TheaterMania at (212) 352-3101, or online at www.galleryplayers.com. The Gallery Players is located at 199 14th St., between 4th and 5th Aves. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Take the F Train to 4th Ave. or the R Train to 9th Street. By car: BQE to Hamilton Avenue to 14th Street.

A New York institution since 1967, The Gallery Players has served actors and audiences alike for more than 4 decades by showcasing burgeoning new talent and offering a home base for theater professionals. Its eclectic programming of intimate revivals and ambitious new work in inventive productions has earned it the reputation of "New York's Best Kept Secret." The Gallery Players is the recipient of the Off-Off Broadway Review's 2000 Award for Lifetime Achievement and was the recipient of New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical in both 2007 & 2008 for their productions of Urinetown! the musical and Yank! A New Musical. Among its famous alumni are founding member Harvey Fierstein; Broadway regulars Nancy Anderson, Jeffry Denman and Diedre Goodwin; New York theater personality Seth Rudetsky and many others.

The Gallery Players' 2008 - 2009 season closes with The Who's Tommy May 2-24, 2009.