World Premiere of RUDE MECHANICS Opens Bridge Street Theatre's 2023 Season This Month

Hang on tight! The Hudson Valley's award-winning Bridge Street Theatre is about to launch its 2023 Subscription Season, "A Holiday for Misfits", with the world premiere of a hilarious new comedy from actor/director/playwright Eric Hissom. "Rude Mechanics" comes to BST's Priscilla Mainstage, located at 44 West Bridge Street in the Village of Catskill, for eight performances only, April 20-30.

And nope, in spite of the title, it's not about grease monkeys in an upstate NY auto repair shop. Instead, this speeding express train of a play transports audiences to a snowy January in 1612 London. On a night packed with political and romantic intrigue, a spear-carrier in Shakespeare's acting troupe is suddenly forced to step into a major role at the very last minute and frantically rehearses for an imminent command performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" before the King and all the court. This is a fast, funny, slyly anachronistic, and scarily relevant period comedy about the absolute insanity of trying to create theatre during a time of plague. Sound familiar?

Featured in the cast are Jack Rento as Julian Crosse, Em Whitworth as Rosemary Bassanio, Andrew Goehring as Henry Worthy (all making their BST debuts), as well as Bridge Street co-founder Steven Patterson in the triple role of Lord Philip Strayte (hmm), William Shakespeare, and the Ghost of Queen Elizabeth I. The production will be directed by the playwright himself, with costumes by Michelle Rogers and sets and lights by John Sowle. Kiara Vedovino is the production stage manager.

Playwright and director Eric Hissom has worked in film, television, and theaters all over the country. He recently appeared as Prospero in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" at the Round House Theatre in Washington, DC, directed by Aaron Posner and Teller (of Penn & Teller). His theatre directing credits include "As You Like It" and "The Complete History of America" at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre (OST), "All in the Timing" at Cape May Stage, "The Thirty-Nine Steps" at Florida Studio Theatre and "Stones in His Pockets" at Florida Theatre Project. He's the author of adaptations of "The Island of Doctor Moreau" and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and his play "Shakespeare and the Zombie Plague of 1590" (co-written with Richard Henry) was featured recently at OST's PlayFest. "Rude Mechanics" was developed, in part, in workshops at OST, the Arden Theatre, and the Folger Theatre in Washington, DC.

The play will be presented Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm from April 20 through April 30. Tickets can be purchased online in advance for $28 - this year, no additional service charge will be added to any online ticket purchase - or at the door prior to each performance (on a seats available basis) for $30.

However, a full Season Subscription Pass, good for admission to all five of Bridge Street Theatre's "Misfits" season shows, is also available for just $125. Subscribers receive a laminated membership card good for added discounts on virtually every other event BST presents during the year as well as discounts and special offers from a host of local businesses. And tickets for Students ages 18 and under are priced at only $15 per show.

Want to spend an evening laughing until your sides ache? You aren't going to want to miss "Rude Mechanics". For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the theatre online at bridgest.org/2023-season/ and follow the links you'll find there. As a special treat, our first Sunday matinee on April 23 will be followed by a celebration of Shakespeare's alleged birthday on that date.

Events at Bridge Street Theatre are supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor of New York and the New York State Legislature and by Public Funds from the Greene County Legislature. Bridge Street Theatre's entire 2023 Season is sponsored by generous donations from Mary E. Barrett and Ted and Mary Neumann in memory of Helmut and Emily Neumann.

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