Shakespeare & Company Presents New England Premiere Of MORNING AFTER GRACE

Shakespeare & Company presents the New England Premiere of Morning After Grace written by Cary Crim, and directed by Regge Life who helmed last season's hit comedy God of Carnage. Morning After Grace is an unconventional new comedy tackling love, loss, and second chances. Performances run from May 24th - July 15th in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.

After meeting at a funeral in Florida, Angus and Abigail wake up wrapped in sheets on Angus' sofa. Strangers just the day before, Abigail thinks she may finally be ready to take another chance on love, but Angus has a few issues to work through first. Then enters Ollie, formerly a baseball player for the Detroit Tigers who now enjoys golf and yoga. Playwright Carey Crim takes audiences on an unexpected journey of second chances, while deftly demonstrating that startling surprises can come in unpredictable packages.

"I love plays about real things and real people," said Director Regge Life. "I love the premise- what happens when there has been a loss and how do we process loss? Carey has taken what could be the saddest time of our life, and she has found a way to peel away the covers to reveal what it really is. Not a sad story, but a very funny story that is entertaining and heartwarming all contained in a roller coaster ride of emotions: moments of joy, recollection, and looking ahead that we often forget."

Regge Life returns to Shakespeare & Company after 2017's acclaimed production of God of Carnage. The cast features Shakespeare & Company veteran: Corinna May, and Company new comers Steven Barkhimer and Kevin Vavasseur. The creative team includes Patrick Brennan (Set Design), James W. Bilnoski (Lighting Design), Stella Schwartz (Costume Design), Iain Fisher (Sound Design), and Allyn Burrows (Fight Choreography).

Tickets for Morning After Grace are available online at shakespeare.org, or by calling Shakespeare & Company's box office at (413) 637-3353. The Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts.

In addition to Morning After Grace, the Company's 2018 Summer Season includes three Shakespeare plays: Macbeth, As You Like It, and Love's Labor's Lost; plus Creditors by August Strindberg, adapted by David Greig; Heisenberg by Laurence Olivier Award winner Simon Stephens; Mothers and Sons by Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally; and HIR by Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac.

AT A GLANCE
PRODUCTION: Morning After Grace (New England Premiere)
PLAYWRIGHT: Carey Crim
DIRECTOR: Regge Life
SET DESIGNER: Patrick Brennan
LIGHTING DESIGNER: James W. Bilnoski
COSTUME DESIGNER: Stella Schwartz
SOUND DESIGNER: Iain Fisher
STAGE MANAGER: Hope Rose Kelly
FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY: Allyn Burrows

CAST MEMBERS
ANGUS: Steven Barkhimer
ABIGAIL: Corinna May
OLLIE: Kevin Vavasseur

SCHEDULE

MAY
Thursday, May 24 - 7:30 PM (preview)
Friday, May 25 - 7:30 PM (preview)
Saturday, May 26 - 7:30 PM (preview)
Sunday, May 27 - 3:00 PM (opening)

JUNE
Friday, June 1 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 2 - 7:30 PM
Sunday, June 3 - 3:00 PM
Friday, June 8 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 9 - 7:30 PM
Sunday, June 10 - 3:00 PM
Friday, June 15 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 16 - 7:30 PM
Sunday, June 17 - 3:00 PM
Friday, June 22 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 23 - 7:30 PM
Sunday, June 24 - 3:00 PM
Thursday, June 28 - 7:30 PM
Friday, June 29 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 30 - 3:00 PM

JULY
Sunday, July 1 - 3:00 PM
Thursday, July 5 - 3:00 PM
Friday, July 6 - 3:00 PM
Saturday, July 7 - 3:00 PM
Sunday, July 8 - 7:30 PM
Friday, July 13 - 7:30 PM
Saturday July 14 - 3:00 PM
Sunday, July 15 - 3:00 PM (closing)

About Regge Life
(Director, Morning After Grace) Regge Life directed the wildly acclaimed God of Carnage in 2017 and Kaufman's Barbershop in 2013. He has directed across the country with credits such as Cross That River at 59E59th and for the Aspen Theater, I Just Stopped by to See the Man for Milwaukee Rep, Yellowman and Gem of the Ocean for Pittsburgh Public Theater, Ghosts for the Pearl Theater, Piano Lesson for Virginia Stage Company, A Walk in the Woods at Capital Rep, Rebel Armies into Deep Chad, Laurence Fishburne's Riff Raff and Arthur Miller's The American Clock for the Juilliard School and Living in the Wind and Do Lord Remember Me at The American Place Theatre.

About Cary Crim
(Playwright, Morning After Grace) Other plays: Never Not Once (Jane Chambers Award winner and O'Neill finalist), Twenty-three and a Half Hours (Conviction) Ovation award nominated, Uncorked (Welcome to Paint Night), Growing Pretty, Wake (Critics' Pick LA and now a feature film) and Some Couples May. Carey has had productions and/or workshops at Pasadena Playhouse, Primary Stages, Luna Stage, Asolo Rep Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Miami City Theatre, Rubicon Theatre, Barrow Group Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and The Purple Rose Theatre Company. She has a Bachelor of Science in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and has studied at The Royal Court Theatre in London, The Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, Second City Detroit, and The Barrow Group Theatre.

About Shakespeare & Company?
Located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the leading Shakespeare festivals of the world. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 30,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to an internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org

Photo: Corinna May. Photo by Carolyn Brown

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