Photo Flash: MI VIDA LOCA At Deep Dish Theater

Mi Vida Loca is set in 1985 at a beach house in the Pacific Northwest. This is a play Ive wanted to do ever since reading it twenty years ago, said Frellick. Erics writing is so rich, and the play affords us so much opportunity to make full theatrical use of our space. I think its the perfect way to launch this anniversary season.

The family of misfits gathering to send Ajay (John Murphy) off to detox includes son Paco (John Allore), the operator of a vintage movie theater in California; Lulu (Helen Hagan), the hard-living, unemployed daughter; son Bubba (Aaron Dunlap), a mall security guard; and Maggie (Jane Underhill), whose divorce from Ajay has been delayed indefinitely by the prospect of insurance settlements. Also at the house is Diana (Jeri Lynn Schulke), Ajays caretaker and a woman with a mysterious past.

Playwright Eric Overmyer is the author of a number of acclaimed plays, including On the Verge, or the Geography of Yearning about three Victorian explorers who end up traveling through time. He also boasts a wealth of writing and producing credits in television, including work on such series as Law and Order, Homicide, and The Wire. Most recently, he co-created the HBO series Treme, a drama about post-Katrina New Orleans, and is currently a writer for the third season of the Gabriel Byrne series In Treatment. He will visit Chapel Hill on September 11, and there will be a reception before the show in his honor.

Rob Hamilton is designing the environmental set, with lighting by Scott Marlow. Annika Pfaender contributes costumes, Devra Thomas properties, and Marc Maximov is the sound designer. The stage managers are Lauren Tannenbaum and Jen Bauer.

The theater will present post-performance discussions on Sunday, September 5 and Thursday, September 9 (a Meet the Designers discussion with the production staff). Dramaturg Karen Blansfield will give a pre-show talk on Friday, September 3, at 7 p.m. The Deep Dish Book Selection, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, will be discussed after the performance on Sunday, September 12.

Performances begin Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday (matinee) at 2 p.m. Deep Dish is located in Chapel Hill's University Mall, on Estes Drive and US 15-501.

Tickets are $19 adults, $17 seniors and educators, with a $2 discount for Wednesday and Thursday shows; student tickets are $12 for all shows. Wednesday, September 1 is "Cheap Dish Night" all tickets are $9 (no reservations accepted). Tickets are available at the Deep Dish box office in University Mall, Wednesday to Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m., at www.deepdishtheater.org, or (919) 968-1515.

The Deep Dish Theater Company is committed to presenting compelling, human-centered dramatic work that contributes to the cultural richness of the Triangle area and challenges audiences to explore concerns of the community and the world-at-large.

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