Boston Playwrights' Theatre Presents THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY 10/27-11/20

Set inside the racial tensions of 1940s Mississippi, THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY pulses with revenge and retribution. Some things demand to be remembered, whether we like it or not-especially if we love someone we shouldn't.

The 1927 Flood in Mississippi is still remembered 20 years later by this small Delta town of Moonlight, and its devastation still lingers. WWII war hero Evans has wanted to lead his own church for decades, and as a Purple Heart recipient, he should have his own way. But a secret from the past haunts his dreams, and it may cost him the church and more-his true-love Nettie. This Southern Gothic ghost story features original music from its Tennessee native playwright.

Featuring Kenard Jackson, James Loutzenhiser, Sarah Newhouse and Alex Pollock and directed by James A. Petosa.

Will Fancher (Playwright) is a playwright, musician, educator, and actor, and a graduate of the Boston University with an MFA in Creative Writing/Playwriting. His one-act and full-length plays have been showcased in several national and regional venues, such as the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory, Primary Stages, and the ALLIANCE THEATRE. His writing has been recognized by the Kennedy Center (Rosa Parks Playwriting Award) and the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Conference. Born in Tennessee, he currently lives in Boston.

Jim Petosa (Director) has been the artistic and educational leader of the Boston University School of Theatre since 2002, as well as Artistic Director of Maryland's Olney Theatre Center for the Arts since 1994. He also serves as artistic director for the National Players educational touring company and as one of three artistic directors for the Potomac Theatre Project (PTP/NYC), a company devoted to the presentation of political works in New York City. Petosa has directed more than 35 plays in the last five years. OTC directing credits include: THE GLASS MENAGERIE, DEMOCRACY, COPENHAGEN, THE LARAMIE PROJECT, ART, LOOK! WE HAVE COME THROUGH! (Charles MacArthur Award nomination for Outstanding New Play), Jacques Brel IS ALIVE AND WELL LIVING IN PARIS (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Director), and THE MIRACLE WORKER. For Potomac Theatre Project: CLOSETLAND, MARISOL, GOOD, and THE TRIAL OF THE CATONSVILLE NINE. National Players' productions include: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, The TAMING OF THE SHREW, and OTHELLO. As a guest artist, he has directed at the John F. Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre, and Rep Stage. Petosa also directed the Theater J production of COLLECTED STORIES, for which he received a 2001 Helen Hayes Award nomination for outstanding direction. For Boston University, Mr. Petosa has directed the School of Theatre mainstage plays TRUMPERY, STUFF HAPPENS, RED NOSES, SCENES FROM AN EXECUTION, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, and AMADEUS, and the Opera Institute productions of POSTCARD FROM MOROCCO, THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA, CARMEN, and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. For New Repertory Theatre he has directed productions of OPUS and THE LAST FIVE YEARS. In 2009 he established the Boston Center for American Performance, the professional production extension of the Boston University School of Theatre. Petosa has served on the faculty of the Catholic University of America, the University of Maryland College Park, and the Heifetz International Music Institute at St. John's College. He has been a visiting professor at Middlebury College, an artist-in-residence at George Washington University, and a guest artist at Georgetown University, Wolf Trap, and the Smithsonian Institution. In 2008, Petosa was named Montgomery County's Outstanding Artist/Scholar at the Montgomery County Executive's Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Awards ceremony in Maryland. He has served as director for the New York Theatre Studio, Theatre Matrix, and as performing arts coordinator for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. A member of Actors' Equity Association and the Dramatists Guild, Petosa has served on the board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Catalyst Theatre, and Playwrights Forum.

David Wilson (Music and Sound Design) has designed lighting or sound for over 300 productions of opera, theater, concert and dance. He served on the faculty of Brandeis University for 26 years, heading the graduate program in sound design, and six years as resident lighting designer for Central City Opera. Other area productions include sound design and music for NEIGHBORS and BOOK OF GRACE at Company One, A COMEDY OF ERRORS at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (Elliot Norton Award for Best Sound Design), BAD DATES at Shakespeare & Co and Merrimack Rep; Actors' Shakespeare Project's MACBETH (IRNE Nomination), A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS at New Rep, GIZMO LOVE at W.H.A.T., The Nora Theater Company's A DUBLIN CAROL (sound and lighting design), Stoneham Theater's A CHRISTMAS CAROL (sound design) and George M. Cohan TONIGHT! (Lighting Design).

Kenard Jackson (Boy) is making his Boston Playwrights' Theatre debut. Regional: ENJOY (Apollinaire Theatre); BILOXI BLUES (MMAS/New England Repertory Theatre); AS YOU LIKE IT (Rochester Civic Theatre); THE THREEPENNY OPERA, BURN THIS, SWEET CHARITY (Boston College). Film: 'I'll Owe You', 'Circumstances', 'Identity Crisis', 'Roommates', 'Meaningful Encounters', 'The Spy Musical'. BA, Boston College.

Jim Loutzenhiser (Evans) is happy to be back in the theatre after taking some years off to raise kids and pursue other interests. Theatre credits include Chris Keller in ALL MY SONS at the Lyric West; File in THE RAINMAKER at Merrimack Rep; William in AS YOU LIKE IT at the Huntington Theatre and Pittsburgh Public Theatre; Gennady Demyanich ("The Tragedian") in THE FOREST for the Stari Theatre in Boston, Moscow, and at the New York Fringe Festival; Ariel in THE TEMPEST at the Theatre of Relativity; Bertram in ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL at the Studio Theatre/NYC and KAFKA ON KAFKA at the HB Playwrights Foundation/NYC. Film and TV credits include 'Pink Panther Part Deux' (Sony Pictures), 'Waterfront' (CBS), 'We Shall Remain' (PBS), and a menagerie of psychopaths and miscreants on 'America's Most Wanted' and 'Unsolved Mysteries'. Jim studied acting with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof in New York City. He blames his addiction to the stage on director J Ranelli, who introduced him to the magic of theatre by casting him in Dylan Thomas' UNDER MILKWOOD years ago. Jim lives in Cambridge with his wife Cristi Catt and their son Peter. Their daughter Katy is now studying at the Second City Conservatory in Chicago.

Sarah Newhouse's (Nettie) Boston area credits include SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR, THE KING STAG, MACBETH, PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE (American Repertory Theater); DESDEMONA - A PLAY ABOUT A HANKERCHIEF (Boston Center for the Arts); LA VITA CLAIRE (CentaStage); LEGACY OF LIGHT, Red Herring, LOST IN YONKERS, THE MIRACLE WORKER (Lyric Stage Company); DOLLHOUSE (New Repertory Theatre); MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, AS YOU LIKE IT (Publick Theatre); and SHEAR MADNESS (Charles Playhouse). Regional productions include THE ROSE TATTOO (The Berkshire Theatre Festival); ARCADIA (The Firehouse Theatre at Newburyport); OF MICE AND MEN (American Stage Festival); LIVING TOGETHER, TABLE MANNERS AND FIGHTING OVER BEVERLY (Gloucester Stage Company). Off Broadway: Playwrights' Horizons, Kraine Theatre, and Manhattan Punch Line. Ms. Newhouse is a founding member of Actors' Shakespeare Project, with whom she has performed more than a dozen roles in seven years. Local film credits include 'Feathers', 'The Legend of Lucy Keys', 'Dischords and Beneath Contempt', which screened in 2011 at SlamDance, Independent Film Festival of Boston, and the Brooklyn Film Festival. Sarah is a graduate of Hampshire College and the ART Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. She is currently serving on the boards of both StageSource and ASP.

Alex Pollock's (Joe Lily) credits include Jared in BODY AWARENESS, Mervyn in A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, KJ in THE ALIENS, Jimmy Jr. in LITTLE BLACK DRESS, Jamie in DAUGHTER OF VENUS, SHOUTING THEATRE IN A CROWDED FIRE, and WATERS RISING. Alex founded The Ocular Audio Experiment, and in 2011 received an Elliot Norton Award for his performance in The Aliens. In 2005 Alex received a Princess Grace Award for acting.Boston Playwrights' Theatre presents

THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY
written by Will Fancher
directed by James A. Petosa
October 27 - November 20, 2011

For tickets call 866.811.4111 or visit bostonplaywrights.org
$30/Reserved Admission - $25/Seniors (62+) - $10/Students (with valid ID)

Special Ground Floor Talk Back with the playwright and cast to follow the October 29 evening performance.

Boston Playwrights' Theatre
949 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

Green Line "B" to Pleasant Street, 57 Bus from Kenmore and Watertown.

Some street parking is available. Patrons are welcome to park in the lot beneath Harry Agganis Arena next door. Parking is just $2 an hour on most days but may be as much as $25 during concert events. Please visit agganisarena.com for parking rates.

 

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