Actor's Express Stages SLASHER 5/20-6/19

Actor's Express presents the Atlanta premiere of Slasher, an outrageous new comedy by Allison Moore that was an audience favorite at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American plays.

Directed by AE Artistic Director Freddie Ashley and starring local favorite Shelly McCook, the show runs May 20 through June 19, closing out the theatre's 22nd season.

According to Ashley, "Slasher is one of the funniest plays I've read in years. I remember seeing it at the Humana Festival in Louisville and thinking throughout the performance 'we have to do this play at the Express.' "

When Sheena McKinney is cast in the slasher flick filming in her small Texas town, it might just be her big break. After all, she's young and buxom, and her character is the last girl standing. But accepting the role unwittingly unleashes Sheena's hostile, pill-popping mother's feminist rage on the low-budget production in a burst of pitch-black hilarity, fake blood and real violence.

Slasher films are defined as sub-genre of the horror film genre typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking, and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a chainsaw or scythe. The victims tend to be high school or college-aged adolescents and frequently have a single survivor, usually a "last girl" who is left alone to deal with the killer.

The huge box office success of John Carpenter's Halloween in 1978 and Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th in 1980 are largely credited with defining and popularizing the genre. Critics of the genre contend that the genre fetishizes violence against women. It is this intersection of pop culture and feminism that playwright Allison Moore skewers in Slasher to hilarious effect.

McCook, who last appeared at AE in 2008 in The New Century by Paul Rudnick, is joined by Annie York, also a cast member from that hit comedy. John Benzinger makes his second appearance of the season at Actor's Express, following his performance in the world premiere of Fair Use by Sarah Gubbins. Making their Express debuts are Elizabeth Neidel, David Sterritt and Sarah Wallis.

The creative team includes Freddie Ashley (Director), Stephen Judd (Scenic Designer), Mike Post (Lighting Designer), Emily Gill (Costume Designer), Robert Turner (Sound Designer), Elisabeth Cooper (Props Master), Barrett Doyle (Assistant Director) and Alicia Quirk (Stage Manager).

Slasher runs May 20 through June 19 at Actor's Express, which is located in the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta's hip west side.

SLASHER
By Allison Moore
Directed by Freddie Ashley

May 20 - June 19, 2010

Running time
One hour and twenty minutes with no intermission. No late seating.

Preview Performances - $15
Thursday, May 20, through Saturday, May 22 - 8 p.m.

Gala Opening Performance and Reception - $40
Sunday, May 23 - 5 p.m.

Regular Performances - $25-30
Wednesdays - Saturdays, May 26 - June 19 - 8 p.m.
Sundays - 5 p.m., except June 6 at 2 p.m.

$5 discount for seniors and students

Reservations
Online - actors-express.com
Phone - 404-607-SHOW (7469)

About Actor's Express

Since 1988 Actor's Express has offered original voices and new perspectives that reflect Atlanta's diverse and evolving community. Recognized as one of the most remarkable and daring theatre companies in the Southeast, Actors Express has been cited as "the city's most vital theatrical venue" (Creative Loafing) and continues to fill an important niche in Atlanta's rich arts community as a place for high quality theatre and theatre education.

In 2009 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution cited three AE productions in its list of the 10 top plays of the year, more than any other theatre. When Creative Loafing announced its pick for the top productions of 2009, Actor's Express was recognized twice and was the only theatre to be honored for more than one play.

Under the artistic direction of Freddie Ashley, the theatre strives to nurture the next generation of playwrights through workshops, readings, and full productions of new plays; to enhance Atlanta's artistic community through theatre training; to catalyze dialogue essential to the vitality of our city and to enhance Atlanta's reputation nationally as a thriving center for live performance.

Major funding for Actor's Express is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. GCA is a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Actor's Express programming is also supported in part by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs.

 

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