Little Theatre of Manchester to Continue 2016 Season with CLYBOURNE PARK

Little Theatre of Manchester continues its 2016 season with the Greater Hartford premiere of Bruce Norris' award-winning play, CLYBOURNE PARK, sponsored by First Niagara Bank Foundation.

CLYBOURNE PARK runs June 10-12, 17-19, and 24-26, 2016, at Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Rd, Manchester. Friday and Saturday evening performances will be held at 8:00 pm, and Sunday matinees will be at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $19-$25 with discounts available for both seniors and students. Manchester Community College students can receive a free general admission ticket with a valid student ID, and Greater Hartford Arts Council Let's GO Arts! members are eligible for 2-for-1 tickets. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 860-647-9824 or visiting www.littletheatreofmanchester.org. Press night for CLYBOURNE PARK is Friday, June 10 at 7:30 pm.

Opening night on June 10 will feature a pre-show dinner and lecture from local author and theatre historian David Garnes. Dinner is available for $15 with a discount for subscribers and begins at 6:30 pm.

Winner of the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this cutting-edge, funny satire explores the collision of race and real estate in the suburbs of Chicago. A spin-off from Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, the play begins in 1959 when a white couple sells their home to the neighborhood's first black family, sparking controversy. Fifty years later, the same neighborhood, now mostly black, splinters over a white family's renovation plans for the now-historic home. One agile ensemble of actors plays two sets of characters in this play Entertainment Weekly calls "A theatrical treasure! Indisputably, uproariously funny."

CLYBOURNE PARK tackles historic and contemporary issues of race through comedy. Mike Zizka of Burlington, the play's director, says, "[Television Writer and Producer] Norman Lear recognized how these attitudes can be the source of great comedy when he brought 'All in the Family' to television many decades ago.

"Bruce Norris has raised the game immensely. The play is extremely clever, well-written and excruciatingly funny-audiences will often be squirming while laughing. Norris confronts the stereotypes head on-in two completely different eras-with the refreshing, lacerating honesty that always underlies the most memorable comedies."

CLYBOURNE PARK features Tina Huey of Mansfield, Robert Lunde of Springfield, MA, Rayah Martin of Manchester, Justin Mullis of Vernon, Foster Evans Reese of Simsbury, Michael Reilly of Torrington, and Monique Sanders of Windsor.

CLYBOURNE PARK contains adult themes and strong language.

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