A.R.T. Announces C1's MISS YOU LIKE HELL At OBERON

Company One Theatre (C1) launches its 20th season with the Boston premiere of Quiara Alegría Hudes and Erin McKeown's Miss You Like Hell, part of the American Repertory Theater's A.R.T. Breakout series. Performances begin Thursday, January 10, with press opening on Friday, January 11 at 7pm. Performances continue through January 27 at OBERON (2 Arrow Street, Cambridge, MA). Tickets $25 - $45 are now on sale at americanrepertorytheater.org, by phone at 617-547-8300, and in person at the Loeb Drama Center Ticket Services Office (64 Brattle Street, Cambridge). Group, student, and senior discounts are available.

Sixteen-year-old Olivia hasn't seen her mother Beatriz in years, but-surprise!-mom just showed up in the middle of the night, with a pickup truck, the promise of the open road... and an immigration hearing looming at journey's end.

C1 returns to OBERON with a powerful new musical odyssey about a daughter who gets to stay, a mother who might have to leave, and the border wall that could come between them. Quiara Alegría Hudes and Erin McKeown's Miss You Like Hell explores how many miles we can travel with the help of courageous neighbors and beautiful strangers.

Miss You Like Hell is a road trip story-which makes it a fitting kickoff for C1's 20th season, which is equal parts invitation, celebration, and call-to-action: LET'S GO.

"The road is one of the most fundamental American symbols: it's the promise of expansion, of finding meaning; the promise of unattachment and discovery," said co-writer and Pulitzer Prize-winner Quiara Alegría Hudes. "I'm attracted to what happens when a woman leaves the domesticity that she's supposed to stay with and goes unfettered towards expansion."

"The songs are built on rhythm, and they're built on motion, and they're built on energy," said co-writer Erin McKeown, a celebrated singer-songwriter and activist whose music intentionally defies the boundaries of genre. "What happens when a bunch of people sing together, not just in unison, but in harmony, as a big tent that everyone's voice is welcome in?"

"At C1, we do a lot of plays with music at their hearts, but this is my first full-scale musical," said Elliot Norton Award-winning director Summer L. Williams. "Quiara and Erin have created a rich and complex mother-daughter relationship, which is brought to life through incredible music. The piece also reminds us that Beatriz and Olivia are part of a much larger immigration battle that many, many families and organizations have been fighting long before the current administration put children in cages."

"Immigration is a huge part of this story," said Hudes. "Over the last few years, we kept having phone calls where we said, 'the story's not going to be relevant anymore. There's going to be a change and families will stop being divided.' Ultimately that proved naïve."

"At Company One, we get to tell stories and amplify voices that are in direct opposition to those who want to break down the fabric of what could make America great," said Williams, who is also a co-founder of C1 and the company's Associate Artistic Director. "So this is how I fight. This is how we fight together."

"This season, all three of our plays explore the question: who gets to claim the privilege of an 'American' identity?" said C1 Artistic Director Shawn LaCount. "We're thrilled to partner once again with our friends at the American Repertory Theater to bring this piece to life at OBERON, where every audience member will be able to go on this journey right alongside Olivia and Beatriz."

"I'm delighted to continue our collaboration with Company One Theatre", said A.R.T. Artistic Producer Mark Lunsford. "Its vision and ambition makes it an ideal partner for the A.R.T. Breakout series, where A.R.T. collaborates with artists pushing the theatrical form and providing space to mount boundary-breaking productions. We're delighted to work with Summer and her exceptionally talented team to bring Miss You Like Hell to local audiences and to continue our artistically rewarding collaboration with our friends at Company One."

Company One Theatre is producing Miss You Like Hell to AMPLIFY:

• #FamiliasUnidas #FamiliesBelongTogether is not just a rallying cry-it's a right.
• The necessary redefining of "American" to be more inclusive and unbound by borders.
• Kindness and hospitality as powerful tools in paving the way for a more just society.
• The hard work of grassroots organizations that fight for immigrant justice both in Boston and beyond.
• We affirm the declaration of our playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, who says that no matter how "othered" her characters may appear in the traditionally wealthy white spaces of theatre, they categorically belong on our collective stages.

How to purchase tickets:

• Online at americanrepertorytheater.org
• By phone at 617-547-8300
• In person at the Loeb Drama Center Ticket Services Office (64 Brattle Street, Cambridge)
• In person at OBERON (2 Arrow St, Cambridge) one hour prior to performance

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