Photo Flash: Stage West Presents Regional Premiere of STUPID FUCKING BIRD by Aaron Posner.

Dev loves Mash. Mash loves Con. Con loves Nina. Nina loves Trig...but so does Emma. Thus, the stage is set for sidesplitting heartache, in Aaron Posner's irreverently funny and unabashedly provocative riff on Chekhov's classic The Seagull, beginning a 5-week regional premiere run on Thursday, January 19 at Stage West.

Years and lifetimes of pent up love, loneliness, lust, and longing come to a head when young playwright Con presents a new performance piece to his friends and family, starring his muse, aspiring actress Nina. Unfortunately, his famous, prima donna mother Emma, who has just arrived with her new boyfriend, and established writer, Doyle Trigorin, in tow, takes offense at the whole thing, thus setting events into motion - Nina falls for Trigorin, Con's timid friend Dev tries to woo sad and sullen goth girl Mash, who is hopelessly in love with Con, as uncle Sorn watches the missed connections and misunderstanding fly past them all.

But it isn't all Chekhovian gloom and doom. As these seven souls collide and stumble their way towards that fateful and quintessential theatrical bang, they grapple with and critique each other in hapless and hilarious ways. It's not your parents' Russian theatre. Posner has infused his source material with his own specific brand of clever wit and humor, creating something that is sharply funny and searingly revelatory. It's the classic story that you know, turned inside out, upside down, shoved into the blender, and shot in the proverbial head. Never has unrequited love been so much fun.

Juliet Wittman of Westword called it "...smart, funny, inventive, sometimes moving - and a hell of an entertaining way to pass an evening."

Aaron Posner is a Helen Hayes and Barrymore Award-winning director and playwright. He is a founder and former Artistic Director of Philadelphia's Arden Theatre, is an Associate Artist at both the Folger Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and has directed at major regional theatres from coast to coast His adaptations include Chaim Potok's The Chosen and My Name Is Asher Lev (both of which have enjoyed successful runs at more than 50 other theatres across the country. Aaron was raised in Eugene, Oregon, graduated from Northwestern University, is an Eisenhower Fellow, and lives near Washington, DC.

Stupid f-ing Bird will be directed by Emily Scott Banks, who most recently directed our production of An Iliad. Conrad will be played by Garret Storms, just seen as Prior Walter in Uptown Players' Angels in America, while Dev will be played by Matthew Grondin, who recently appeared as Finn in South Coast Rep's District Merchants, Aaron Posner's newest play. Kelsey Milbourn, who appeared as Helena in Trinity Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, will play Mash, while Alexandra Lawrence, who played Rachel in WaterTower Theatre's One Man, Two Guvnors, will be seen as Nina. Laurel Whitsett, seen as Ilana in Animals out of Paper at Amphibian Stage Productions, will appear as Emma Arkadina. Chris Hury, recently seen as Capulet in the Dallas Theater Center production of Romeo and Juliet, will play Trigorin, and Randy Pearlman, recently applauded for his role as Chick in the Circle Theatre production of Funnyman, will appear as Sorn.

Set Design will by Brian Clinnin, lighting design by Luke Atkison, costume design by Derek Whitener, sound design by Dana Schultes, and props/set décor by Lynn Lovett.

Stupid f-ing Bird will preview Thursday, January 19 at 7:30 and Friday, January 20 at 8:00, and will run through Sunday, February 19. Performance times will be Thursday evenings at 7:30, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00, with Sunday matinees at 3:00. The opening night reception will be Saturday, January 21. Ticket prices range from $31 to $35, with discounts for the preview performance, and for students, seniors, and military. Food service is available 90 minutes prior to performances (reservations are necessary). Reservations and information are available through the Box Office (817-784-9378), or on the website, www.stagewest.org.

NOTE: This show contains strong language and partial nudity!

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