CONSTELLATIONS Opens at TheaterWorks Today

TheaterWorks (Rob Ruggiero, Producing Artistic Director) announced today that CONSTELLATIONS by Nick Payne will run January 18 through February 18, 2018 (note date change). CONSTELLATIONS is the 2nd show of TheaterWorks 32nd Season.

One relationship. Infinite possibilities. This spellbinding journey imagines what happens when boy meets girl. And when boy meets girl again. And again. And again. Defying the boundaries of the world we think we know, Nick Payne's Olivier and Drama League nominated hit is a charming and deep exploration of free will and friendship, love and honey, and parallel universes. It begins with a simple encounter between a man and a woman - delving into the infinite possibilities of their relationship and raising questions about the difference between choice and destiny.

Rob Ruggiero will direct CONSTELLATIONS. Originally staged in London in 2012, it premiered in New York in 2015. Rob said, "This play is very special. There is something indescribable about it that compels me - it creates it own rules. Everything that happens to Marianne and Roland is a matter of probability and the rules of physics prevail. For this production, we are exploring an immersive design and have taken some creative risk. We are re-configuring theater seating so it wraps around a circular stage and we're introducing live music composed specifically for this production."

CONSTELLATIONS features M. Scott McLean A. Roland, a beekeeper. Audiences will remember Scott from Midsummer (a play with songs). Making her TheaterWorks debut is Allison Pistorius as Marianne, a theoretical physicist. The creative team includes Jean Kim (Set Design), Phillip Rosenberg (Lighting Design) and Michael Miceli (Sound Design). An original interactive score will be composed and played by Billy Bivona.

CONSTELLATIONS runs January 18 through FEBRUARY 18, 2017.

ARTISTIC & DESIGN
Director
Set Design
Lighting Design
Sound Design
Composer / Musician

Casting

Stage Manager
Production Manager

PERFORMANCES
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Friday and Saturday
Sunday

ADMISSION
All seating is assigned
Student Rush w/ID
Seniors 60+ Saturday Matinees
Group Rates

Recommended for ages 14+
Run time 75 minutes

Production Sponsors:
Bank of America
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family Foundation, Inc
Roland
Marianne

Rob Ruggiero
Jean Kim
Phillip Rosenberg
Michael Miceli
Billy Bivona

McCorkle Casting, Ltd.br />
Kate J. Cudworth
Bridget Sullivan

7:30 pm
8:00 pm
2:30 pm

$45-$70
$15 (subject to availability)
$35
Call

Program and Operating Support: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Travelers, Aetna, Hartford Financial Services, Hartford Healthcare, Lincoln Financial Foundation, Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Greater Hartford Arts Council, Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, Richard P. Garmany Fund, United Technologies Corporation, J. Walton Bissell Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Connecticut Office of the Arts, George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family Foundation, People's United Bank, William and Alice Mortensen Foundation, The Saunders Foundation.

M. Scott McLean (Roland) was seen previously at TheaterWorks in Midsummer (a play with songs). After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, favorite regional credits include: 'Happy', Death of a Salesman (Denver Center Theatre Company), 'Willoughby', Sense and Sensibility (TheatreWorks Palo Alto), and 'Angelo', Measure For Measure (New York Classical Theatre). Scott is also a playwright and a singer/songwriter. His musical, Fairy Tale Christmas premiered at the International New York Fringe Festival in 2016.

Allison Pistorius (Marianne) is making her TheaterWorks debut. Allison received her MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver. She has been seen regionally in Constellations, Sense and Sensibility, Clybourne Park, Birds of East Africa (Dallas Theater Center); The Winter's Tale, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Trinity Shakespeare Festival); Twelfth Night, MacBeth, Much Ado about Nothing (Shakespeare Dallas Complete Works) among others. Allison is based in Texas and is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.

Nick Payne (Playwright) Works includes If There Is I Haven't Found it Yet (Bush Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company, New York), Wanderlust (Royal Court Theatre), Sophocles' Electra (Gate Theatre), One Day When We Were Young (Paines Plough/Sheffield Theatres and Shoreditch Town Hall), Lay Down Your Cross (Hampstead Theatre), Constellations (Royal Court Theatre and Duke of York's), and The Same Deep Water As Me (Donmar Warehouse). He is the recipient of the 2009 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, 2012 Harold Pinter Playwright's Award, and the 2012 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play for Constellations.

Rob Ruggiero (Producing Artistic Director/Director) has been a part of TheaterWorks artistic leadership for nearly 25 years. He has directed over 50 shows, including Next to Normal, Relativity, Sex with Strangers, THIRD, Good People, Christmas on the Rocks, Annapurna, The Other Place and Time Stands Still. Rob has earned national recognition for his work on plays and musicals. His Broadway credits include Looped (starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance) and High (starring Kathleen Turner). Off-Broadway, he conceived and directed the original musical revue entitled Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn (Nominated for the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle Awards). Rob conceived and directed the world premiere musical portrait of Ella Fitzgerald entitled Ella, which was seen on more than 24 regional theater stages from 2005-2010 before beginning a National Tour. His work has received multiple awards and recognition here in Connecticut, as well as in other cities around the United States. Rob most recently directed La Cage aux Folles, his ninth collaboration with Goodspeed Musicals where he also directed highly successful productions of Fiddler on the Roof (Connecticut Critic's Circle Award for Best Direction), The Most Happy Fella (Connecticut Critic's Circle Award for Best Direction), Carousel (Broadway World Award), Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, Big River, 1776 and a new adaptation of Show Boat (Connecticut Critic's Circle Award for Best Direction). This new version is now being licensed by the Rogers & Hammerstein Organization. www.robruggiero.com # About TheaterWorks: Celebrating its 32nd season, TheaterWorks produces high quality, contemporary theater that is relevant to our audiences, engages a diverse community, and provides insight into the human experience.

Founded in 1985, TheaterWorks has produced over 150 plays and presents approximately 225 performances per season.

TheaterWorks also owns and manages the historic property at 233 Pearl Street, known as City Arts on Pearl. City Arts provides an affordable home and services to a diverse family of non-profit arts organizations.

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