LaBute's BASH: LATTER-DAY PLAYS 10/2-17 At The Charlestown Working Theater

Theatre on Fire opens its fifth anniversary season at the Charlestown Working Theater with a BASH from October 2 - 17, 2009. BASH is a triptych of intense and mesmerizing one-acts depicting the dark heart of ordinary people, revealing the casual evil that surrounds us in everyday life.

In Medea Redux, a woman tells of her complex teenage relationship with her high school English teacher and the tragedy that resulted; In A Gaggle of Saints, a young college couple simultaneously recounts their separate versions of a trip to a party in New York City that takes a surprising and violent turn; and in Iphigenia in Orem, a Utah businessman confesses the unthinkable and chilling crime his work troubles drove him to at home.

All three plays are gripping, personal portraits of everyday people who commit brutal crimes, presented in Theatre on Fire's signature intimate and intense style.

BASH premiered off-Broadway in 1999 in a celebrated off-Broadway production featuring Calista Flockhart. It was hailed as "transfixing" and "insistently brutal" by the New York Times. The production was filmed and later aired on Showtime.

Neil LaBute is an American playwright, director and screenwriter. He burst into national consciousness in 1993 with his film In the Company of Men, which he directed and adapted from his own play of the same name. The film won the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival, and major awards and nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, and the New York Film Critics Circle, among many others. He followed this with another film, Your Friends and Neighbors, and a string of critically-acclaimed plays including BASH, The Mercy Seat, Fat Pig, and Reasons to be Pretty, which was recently nominated for three Tony awards, including Best New Play.

Mr. LaBute studied theater at Brigham Young University, where he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BASH resulted in his disfellowship from the LDS Church, which he later left. Mr. LaBute was called " the best playwright to emerge in the past decade - a genius" by New Yorker magazine.

He continues: "BASH is a perfect match for Theatre on Fire's aesthetic - intense material that is actor-driven. No flashy costumes, dance numbers, or complicated sets - just great writing and great acting that's right in your lap. I'll be directing the plays as if they were extended film close-ups and arranging the audience to be very close to the actors, so they can experience every subtle expression and nuance. If you come see this show, you'll be able to read the characters in a way that you normally cannot with the distance between actors and audience. It's going to be an amazing, intense experience."

BASH will feature Kate Donnelly, Emma Goodman, Marc Harpin and Michael Underhill.

Theatre on Fire is small theatre company dedicated to producing hot, high-quality shows that take you out of your comfort zone. We don't do cute and we don't do boring. TOF has been nominated for seven IRNE awards in its first four seasons. Now opening its fifth season, Theatre on Fire is proud to be a Resident Company at the Charlestown Working Theater (CWT). Darren Evans explains: "CWT has given us a wonderful opportunity to grow and thrive in these early stages of our existence. It's a great organization, a funky facility, and a truly welcoming environment." TOF is also a member of the Small Theatre Alliance of Boston.

The Charlestown Working Theater was founded on the idea that a theater and a community can engage in a dialogue which results in creative, artistic expression, an exciting exchange of ideas, and a deeper understanding of the people who make up the community. CWT has maintained this philosophy throughout its history and has remained dedicated to serving the cultural needs of Charlestown and greater Boston. CWT's Resident Artists Program was established in 1997 to create the opportunity and environment for area theatre artists to develop, rehearse, and perform creative theatre productions, teach workshops, and engage with our community. Today, the Resident Artists Program features the work of local, national, and international theatre companies and artists.

For more information on BASH or Theatre on Fire, please visit www.theatreonfire.org.

 

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