Berkshire Theatre Festival presents the world premiere of Pageant Play by Mark Setlock and Matthew Wilkas directed by Martha Banta. Pageant Play is an outrageous new satiric comedy about the twisted world of child pageants. Two ruthless stage mothers with rival pageant coaches go on a desperate quest to turn their daughters into beauty queens. Note: Adult content. Not appropriate for children. The production previews July 1 through July 4 at 8pm and July 5 at 2pm. Opening night (press night) is Saturday, July 5 at 8pm. The production runs through July 26.
Playwright-actor Mark Setlock plays Bobby, a high-powered pageant coach. He is best known for his award-winning performance in the international hit Fully Committed, which he helped create with playwright Becky Mode. In addition to co-writing Pageant Play, Setlock collaborated with Steve Murray on a stage adaptation of the screenplay, It's A Wonderful Life, called This Wonderful Life, which has been produced regionally. A member of the original Rent Broadway company, his recent New York performance credits include Tea and Sympathy, Roulette, and The Last Sunday in June. Playwright-actor Matthew Wilkas plays Bob, Bobby's partner pageant coach with a special flair for choreography and hair. Wilkas performed at BTF last season in Love! Valour! Compassion!. He recently appeared in Far and Wide at the Mint Theatre and Carrie at PS122. He has also performed in productions at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Huntington, Syracuse Stage, and the Fulton.
Daiva Deupree plays stage-mom-in-training Marge. Deupree is the co-creator of the two-woman comedy burlesque show, Two Girls for Five Dollars, which has been performed at festivals and theatres across the country. She was a mainstage cast member at the Improv Asylum in Boston and studied mime at Marcel Marceau's International School of Mime in Paris.
Jenn Harris plays Pinky, Marge's ruthless rival stage mom. Jenn returns to BTF after appearing in The Heidi Chronicles two seasons ago. She has appeared Off-Broadway in New Jerusalem with the Classic Stage Company and won a Lucille Lortel Award and Theatre World Award for her work in Modern Orthodox.
Martha Banta was the original founder and artistic director of the Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF) in upstate New York, where she oversaw 50 productions in 13 seasons, including It Goes Without Saying by
Bill Bowers, which was also produced at BTF's Unicorn Theatre in 2004. She is currently the resident director for Mamma Mia on Broadway and for the National Tour. Joining Banta to create the very sparkly world of child pageants is set designer Luke Hegel-Cantarella, costume designer Jessica Risser-Milne, lighting designer Thom Weaver, and sound designer Bart Fasbender.
Pageant Play in BTF's Unicorn Theatre previews July 1 through July 4 at 8pm and July 5 at 2pm. Opening night (press night) is Saturday, July 5 at 8pm. The production runs through July 26. Performances are Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm with matinees at 2pm on Saturdays. Free post-show discussions with the cast will be held following the July 7 and July 21 performances.
High-resolution production photos will be posted on BTF's website. Please visit the online gallery at www.berkshiretheatre.org/gallery/2008.
Tickets range from $19.50 to $44. Students with valid ID receive a fifty percent discount. Additionally, half-price tickets to Saturday matinees are available to full-time Berkshire residents (driver's license required to verify address). For additional ticket information, please call 413-298-5576 or visit www.berkshiretheatre.org. Box Office hours are Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm and one hour prior to curtain.
Berkshire Theatre Festival celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, making it the third oldest professional regional theatre in the United States and the longest-running cultural organization in the Berkshires. Now under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, BTF presents theatre that matters—world premieres, contemporary works, and classics that speak to who we are in our world today. The Main Stage (408 seats), cataloged by the National Register of Historic Places, was originally designed and built by Stanford White as the Stockbridge Casino in 1888. The mission of BTF's second stage, the intimate Unicorn Theatre (122 seats), is to provide a home for emerging artists and new theatrical ideas. BTF's education program, BTF PLAYS!, reaches over 10,000 children annually through school residencies, touring performances, and summer performance training and writing programs. During the summer months BTF opens its doors to over 75 administrative, acting, and technical interns and apprentices.
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