THE EMPATHS Opens This Month at WHAT

The Empaths, a new play by John Markus and Rebecca Bazell, will have its world premiere at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater July 20 - August 19, 2017. Directed by Jeffry George, The Empaths is a fast paced, timely comedy that mines the complex landscape of shifting societal mores, family roles, and the expectations of relationships.

If you've every considered cutting to the chase and having your first six dates in couples counseling (or are glad that never occurred to you), this play is for you.

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer John Markus began his career in high school, supplying jokes about his rural Ohio hometown to Broadway columnist Earl Wilson. After graduating from Stanford University he moved to Los Angeles where he landed a job writing a revival of the animated Mighty Mouse. Following an assignment on Paramount's acclaimed Taxi, Markus joined the original writing staff of The Cosby Show, where he became supervising producer, co-executive producer, and head writer, earning multiple Emmy nominations and a People's Choice award. He co-created the critically-acclaimed Lateline for Paramount Television and NBC with Al Franken. Markus was consulting producer on The Larry Sanders Show, co-writing the Emmy-nominated Ellen Degeneres episode, "Ellen: Is She Or Isn't She?" Co-authored with Mark St. Germain, Markus' musical The Fabulous Lipitones has had fifteen productions across the U.S., including Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

Rebecca Bazell has worked in publishing for Chronicle Books, Barnes and Noble and Hyperion/Walt Disney. Her written work has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barnes & Noble Review, The New York Daily News and Glamour Magazine. Currently, Rebecca is working on a satirical novel about the art world, friendship and ambition. The Empaths is her first play.

Tickets start at $20 and may be purchased online at what.org, at the WHAT box office, or by calling 508-349-9428. Student tickets are $12 and senior discounts are available. Pay WHAT You Can on Friday, July 21. The Opening Night (with reception) is Saturday, July 22, and Playmaker Talkbacks are July 27 & August 3.