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World Premiere of RUBBER DUCKS AND SUNSETS to Play Gene Frankel Theatre, 7/12-27

By: Jun. 12, 2013
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Ground UP Productions proudly presents the World Premiere of Rubber Ducks and Sunsets, written by Catya McMullen and directed by Kate Middleton, with original music by Reel Big Fish's Scott Klopfenstein. Rubber Ducks and Sunsets runs from July 12 - 27, 2013 in a limited engagement at the Gene Frankel Theatre, located at 24 Bond Street between Lafayette & Bowery in New York City. Previews begin July 12 for a July 15 opening.

Performances are Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7pm, Mondays at 7pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $25 and $18 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at http://www.GroundUPProductions.org or by calling 800-838-3006. Tickets for the opening gala on Monday, July 15 are $55 and includes a post-show party. Rubber Ducks and Sunsets contains strong language and adult themes, and is appropriate for mature audiences 18 and up. The running time is 2 hours including intermission. For more information visit http://www.GroundUPProductions.org.

Al Baskin choked on a Rubber Duck and died. His sister, Amy, is a mess. His boyfriend, Walter, is trying to compose one final lullaby to say goodbye. His childhood friend, Eli, is competing in The Iron Bro; a grueling competition that combines recreational drug use, fitness and nutrition. His best friend, Casey, well, she's just trying to keep it all together. With heart and humor, Rubber Ducks and Sunsets explores the nature of greatness while posing the question of how do we live for those who have died.

The cast includes Josh Evans, Zac Moon, Christine Mottram, Anna Stromberg (The Bad and the Better, Collision, HotelMotel with The Amoralists) and JD Taylor.

The creative team includes NYIT Award nominee Travis McHale (Set Design), NYIT Award winner David Sexton (Lighting Design), Off-Broadway Alliance Award winner Amanda Jenks (Costume Design) and Chris Schardin (Sound Design). Kate August is the Production Stage Manager.

Catya McMullen is a Brooklyn-based playwright and native New Yorker. Her play Missed Connection recently won the 2012 Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival and was directed by Leslye Headland. She is the author of four full length plays (The Collective, Rubber Ducks and Sunsets, Everything is Probably Going to be Okay and Rock me Like a Hurricane) along with numerous shorts. McMullen is the founder of the "September Challenge Brunch Series" and has been produced or developed work with The Middle Voice Theater Company (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Ground UP Productions, Ugly Rhino, ESPA at Primary Stages and UNC Chapel Hill's Department of Dramatic Art. She is a company member of The Middle Voice Theater Company and the Educational Director for Ground UP. She graduated from UNC-CH with Honors in 2011, and was the recipient of the Max Steele Senior Prize in Fiction and the Suzanne Bolch Literary Award.

Kate Middleton (Director) is the founding member and Artistic Director of Ground UP Productions. She directed the critically acclaimed new musical The People vs. Mona, which The New York Times called, "Good-natured down-home fun," Variety said was "A hootin' good time," and the New York Innovative Theatre Awards nominated for "Best Production of a Musical." She has also directed The Trestle At Pope Lick Creek at UNC-Chapel Hill (Best Direction by The Independent Weekly's "Best of 2008") and T.S. Eliot and The Women, in association with NYU's Department of International Studies.

Ground UP Productions creates honest, intimate theatre. They believe in telling character driven stories with heart, bringing to life "The New Classics" - new works as well as old favorites produced in unique ways. They take pride in the aesthetic: design, attention to detail, and clever use of space. They believe theatre should be approachable and fun, and they want their audiences to feel included, impressed and inspired. 2013 is Ground UP's 8th season.

Ground UP Productions has received continuing praise for its shows. Past productions have been called, "Good-natured, down-home fun" (The New York Times), "Compelling drama...Deliriously entertaining" (The New Yorker), "Consistently inventive" (The New York Post), and "Outstanding...with an exquisite attention to detail" (NYTheatre.com).

The theater is accessible from the B, D, F, M trains to Broadway/Lafayette or the #6 train to Bleecker St.







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