April De Angelis' PLAYHOUSE CREATURES To Make Austin Premiere

Continuing the 2018 sizzlin' summer season, The City Theatre Company presents the celebrated stage play Playhouse Creatures by April De Angelis. The inspiring story of the first actresses of England and their determination to transform all of the theatre world. The production makes its Austin premiere, directed by guest artist Lindsay McKenna, and running July 13 - August 5.

"Now the theatre adds all its filth, smut and scandalous entertainment. Only they don't want blokes at the playhouse any more, they want ladies."

For England, the late 1600s were a troublesome and unruly time. After seventeen years of suppression, Charles II reopens the theatre playhouses, and, for the first time, women are allowed to take the stage. Considered little more than mistresses and whores, this is the story of these first actresses, the 'playhouse creatures', whose ambitions, talent, and risk for artistic equally make their lives truly uncertain. But with high-spirited comedy, theatrical flair, and emotional poignancy, this moving tale is a bold statement on determination, passion, and the human spirit, signaling a new chapter of history and, ultimately, a story of the transforming power of theatre.

"When women break their silence in an act of reclaiming power, the gesture grows beyond the individual woman to touch the big issues of our world." - April De Angelis

A graduate of Sussex University, April De Angelis is an acclaimed writer whose extensive theatre work includes My Brilliant Friend, After Electra, Rune, Jump, A Laughing Matter, The Positive Hour, and The Life and Times of Fanny Hill. In 1987, her play Breathless was a prize winner at the Second Wave Young Women's Writing Festival, and the BBC production of The Outlander won the Writer's Guild Award in 1992. Her new adaptation of Frankenstein opened at the Royal Exchange, Manchester in the spring of 2018. Playhouse Creatures premiered at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1993 and has since been produced at the Old Vic Theatre and at numerous "playhouses" in Europe and around the world.

City Theatre is excited to welcome back guest director Lindsay McKenna, whose previous City Theatre directorial credits include the highly successful productions of Tartuffe and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The show features the talented cast Lori Cordova, Dashantanaya Lee, Jesselyn Parks, Hannah Enright, Valencia Lee, Paige Breese, Darren Scharf, and Michael Rodriguez. The City Theatre Company is excited to be celebrating its 12th anniversary season of live theatre entertainment in Austin. CTC is an Austin-based, not-for-profit arts organization and is sponsored in part by the Austin Creative Alliance and the Austin Cultural Arts Division. Founded in 2006, the company has been recognized by the Austin Critics Table Awards, the B. Iden Payne Awards, the Central Texas Excellence in Theatre Awards, Austin Live Theatre, and has twice been voted "Best Theatre Company" by Austin American-Statesman's Austin 360. CTC is dedicated in providing quality theatrical experiences and entertainment for Austin artists and its community and continues the commitment to making productions accessible for everyone. CTC offers its discount ticket program with $10 Thursday seats and $12 student seats for any show. The ticket discount is available throughout the 2017 - 2018 season.

Tickets at the door $20. Group and student discounts.

Tickets 512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org. www.citytheatreaustin.org

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