Photo Flash: Cortland Repertory Theatre Presents ROUGH CROSSING

Cortland Repertory Theatre kicks off their 47th annual summer season at the Little York Pavilion in Preble with the hysterical ship-board comedy Rough Crossing, written by Tom Stoppard which he "freely adapted" from Ferenc Molnar's comedy Play At The Castle. Performances will run from June 6th - 16th with evening show times at 7:30 PM. Matinees are available on June 8th, 10th and 13th at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or at the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org with ETIX. CRT cautions that this is the only approved online ticket service; other online sites charge significantly higher rates for tickets and are NOT approved by CRT. The GPS address for the Little York Pavilion is 6799 Little York Lake Road in Preble.

All is not smooth sailing in this hilarious high seas farce! In the suites of the luxury liner The Italian Castle, the playwrights and composer of a new Broadway musical are simultaneously trying to write and rehearse the play while crossing the Atlantic from England to New York. The play doesn't have an ending yet, and the beginning is lame. And the middle is a mess. As they struggle to pull it together, the stuttering composer is madly trying to express his love for the leading lady, who may or may not be flirting with the (much older) leading man. Toss in a not-so-helpful cabin steward who can only seem to walk straight when seas are rough (and visa versa), and the laughs bubble over in this oceanic mis-adventure. The Boston Globe calls it "an absurd, joyous ride!".

Rough Crossing is directed by Trey Compton in his CRT directorial debut. The cast is comprised of a mix of returnees to CRT and new faces. The playwriting team of Turai and Gal are portrayed by James Taylor Odom and Tanner Efinger, respectively. Odom returns to CRT after having been seen in last summer's The 39 Steps, and previously as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the West End Horror and Col. McKean in 1776. Efinger first appeared at CRT last summer in Footloose. Jason Shipman also returns to play Dvornichek, the steward, having appeared previously in CRT's The 39 Steps, Cards on the Table, The Kitchen Witches and Miracle on South Division Street. Also returning is Nathaniel Kent as Ivor, the show-within-the-show leading man; Kent appeared in last summer's Appointment with Death. Making their CRT debut are Sam Balzac as Adam the musical composer, and Briana Gantsweg as Natasha, the leading lady with an unidentifiable European accent.

Stage Manager Caroline Brown, in her CRT debut, leads a talented production team including Scenic Designer Shelley Barish, who's previous work at CRT was seen in Appointment with Death, Nana's Naughty Knickers, The Addams Family and others. Costume Designer Jimmy Johansmeyer returns for his fifteenth year at CRT and Sound Designer Seth Asa Sengel is in his seventh CRT year. CRT Production Manager Eric Behnke also serves as Lighting Designer for this production and Props Designer Andrew Carney makes his CRT debut with this show. Dana White Jr. returns for his fourth year as CRT Technical Director.

CRT will continue the tradition of "Friday Night Talk Backs" at which a Q & A session with the actors, designers and crew takes place after select Friday evening performances. Tickets are also on sale for all of CRT's summer season, which includes Saturday Night Fever, Newsies, Our Town, Women in Joepardy!, The Rat Pack Lounge and the children's show Dorothy Meets Alice. Visit www.cortlandrep.org for more information on all upcoming performances.

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