BUYER & CELLAR, Starring Karl Gregory, to Launch Kitchen Theatre's 25th Anniversary Season

Kitchen Theatre Company kicks off its 25th Anniversary Season with a wildly hilarious and delightful one-man show. BUYER & CELLAR by Jonathan Tolins stars KTC veteran and favorite Karl Gregory. It is a campy, outrageous and riotously funny tour de force production, directed by Wendy Dann. Performances run September 6 through September 27, 2015.

Playwright Jonathan Tolins had a flash of inspiration when he first got his hands on a copy of Barbra Streisand's coffee table book, My Passion for Design. Streisand's real-life obsession with the material world, including having an actual underground mall in her home, begs for a theatrical exploration. Who takes care of this floor-to-ceiling collection, with its rows of little "shops" and Barbra the lone shopper? Tolins imagined a lone shopkeeper, and BUYER & CELLAR became the story of Alex, an out-of-work actor who gets the job as the new mall manager. Alex spend his days with shoes from Funny Girl, gowns from Hello, Dolly!, and thousands of items acquired over her 50+ year career, but when Barbra descends the spiral staircase to possibly make a "purchase," that's when the comic gold really shines. This wonderfully imaginative premise is also an insightful look at the price of celebrity and a cautionary reminder to be careful what you wish for. Wendy Dann returns to KTC to direct, with designers Steve TenEyck, Lisa Boquist and Rusty Wandall on the creative team.

Wendy Dann began her directing career at Kitchen Theatre Company with the world premiere of Francis Bacon by Katherine Clark. Also at KTC, she directed Chesapeake, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Nora and The Soup Comes Last. Her regional directing work includes Dallas Theatre Center, The Repertory Theatre at St. Louis, Alliance Theatre, Geva Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Hangar Theatre and Capitol Repertory Theatre. She is currently Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at Ithaca College.

BUYER & CELLAR will mark Karl Gregory's 25th production at Kitchen Theatre Company. His first was Wendy Dann's 2002 production of The Cripple of Inishmaan. Last season he appeared in Lonely Planet and Swimming in the Shallows.

"This is a marvelous way to begin the season. How terrific to have Karl and Wendy working together again, " says Artistic Director Rachel Lampert. "Writer Jonathan Tolins has a great take on celebrity and all it brings, and this creative team knows exactly what to do with a comedy. I look forward to hearing a lot of laughter!"

Joining Karl Gregory and Wendy Dann to complete the creative team are scenic and lighting designer Steve TenEyck, whose work has been seen at Kitchen Theatre Company in The Trial, A Perfect Ganesh, The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, The Syringa Tree, Bed and Sofa and many others, costume designer Lisa Boquist, and sound designer Rusty Wandall. BUYER & CELLAR is sponsored by Elissa Cogan and Barry Chester with media sponsorship by Cayuga Radio Group.

IF YOU GO:

WHEN: September 6-27, 2015

WHERE: Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W. State/MLK, Jr. St., Ithaca, NY 14850

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $90-$245. To purchase, call (607) 272-0570, or visit the Kitchen offices (409 W. State St.) Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM and at the theater (417 W. State St.) Saturday-Sunday, 12:00-4:00 PM.

TICKETS: $15-$40. To purchase, call (607) 272-0570, visit the Kitchen offices (409 W. State St.) Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM and at the theater (417 W. State St.) Saturday-Sunday, 12:00-4:00 PM, or click www.kitchentheatre.org.

Bold, intimate, engaging... Kitchen Theatre Company (KTC) is downtown Ithaca's critically acclaimed and nationally recognized year-round professional theater company, specializing in regional and world premiere plays and musicals. KTC's intimate 99-seat theater is in its beautifully renovated, LEED-certified building in the West End neighborhood of downtown Ithaca, New York. KTC is the first not-for-profit recipient of the David R. Strong Memorial "Small Business of the Year" Award from the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and receives public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the Tompkins County Tourism Program.

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