Stark Naked Theatre Company's 2015-16 to Feature SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? & More

Philip Lehl and Kim Tobin-Lehl, co-Artistic Directors of Stark Naked Theatre Company, are proud to announce the exciting line-up of plays selected for the theatre's fifth season.

The 2015-2016 season opens on September 11th with the regional premiere of Bess Wohl's Small Mouth Sounds. Critics praised Small Mouth Sounds in its world premiere earlier this year, calling it "wry and observant" and "long on emotions." Houston audiences will likewise be enthralled with this unique dramedy, focused on the interactions between six disparate strangers who meet at a silent yoga retreat. As Variety magazine noted in its review, "it's hard to say exactly when the shift happens - the silent, earth-moving switch from comedy to tragedy that makes this...play so moving. But when it does happen, it's shattering." Opening September 11th and running through September 26th at Stark Naked Theatre's STUDIO 101, Small Mouth Sounds will be directed by Kim Tobin-Lehl, with a strong ensemble cast featuring Pamela Vogel last seen in the critically acclaimed Stark Naked production of Body Awareness by Annie Baker.

And back by popular demand, Stark Naked Theatre spreads a hearty dose of holiday cheer with a new 90-minute, no-intermission version of Ho Ho Humbug 2.0 that is even faster and funnier than before. Written by and starring New York City-based actor and playwright Scott Burkell, this tale of holiday calamity and hilarity also features Philip Lehl and Susan Draper, in a semi-autobiographical story of a disillusioned and acerbic middle-aged New Yorker who unexpectedly finds himself dressed in a red velvet costume (with beard!) and awash in a sea of candy canes, artificial snow, and crying babies. Is this sardonic Santa capable of suppressing his contempt for the season long enough to collect a paycheck? Or will Macy's Santaland actually make a believer out of its resident cynic? Well on its way to becoming an annual holiday tradition for Houston theatre-goers, Ho Ho Humbug 2.0 runs December 3rd through December 23rd at STUDIO 101 and is recommended for audiences aged 13 and older.

For its third play of the season, Stark Naked Theatre presents the classic, yet ever-relevant dark comedy Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf? by Edward Albee. Winner of both the Tony Award and the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play in 1963 and again for Best Revival in 2013, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a thought-provoking masterpiece that exposes marital discontent, dysfunction and delusion through a war of verbal attrition between a university professor, his wife, and their unwitting guests. The New York Times noted that when this "landmark dramafirst exploded like a stealth bomb on Broadway, [it] establish[ed] Mr. Albee as the most

important American playwright of his generation...setting a brave new standard for truth-telling" and in its recent revival on Broadway, "Mr. Albee's scalding drama of marital discord still retains the bantam energy and strong bite of its youth." Running March 4th through March 26th, 2016 at STUDIO 101, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf features perennial Houston favorites Philip Lehl and Kim Tobin-Lehl in the leading roles.

Stark Naked Theatre's final play of the season is an exciting collaboration with New York City's highly acclaimed Bedlam Theatre, making its Texas debut in a powerful, must-see production of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan. Stark Naked is thrilled to provide Houston theatre patrons with the rare opportunity to experience such a singular New York production. Saint Joan will be directed by Bedlam Theatre co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Tucker, heralded as 2014's Director of the Year by the Wall Street Journal. Of Mr. Tucker's recent work at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theatre Festival, the Wall Street Journal said: "It seals Mr. Tucker's reputation as the outstanding American classical stage director of his generation." As the New York Times noted during Bedlam's New York run of Saint Joan, "What a rare and rich treat to see a group of performers stretch the classics as far as possible and not one inch further. That's what...Bedlam company has done with its taut, maraudingly high-spirited take on George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan...A protean quartet has created a production to be treasured: just three gifted men play the 23 fighters, schemers, moralizers and executioners surrounding Joan of Arc. Just as St. Joan lured the multitudes to her cause, this production of Saint Joan soon has audience members all too happy, even grateful, to clamber after it." The extensive accolades and awards for Bedlam Theatre's production of Saint Joan include being named as a New York Times and Time Out New York 'Critics Pick' and featured on renowned New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley's top ten productions of 2014, as well as Time magazine's top ten of 2013. This is a limited engagement and will not extend so get your tickets early! Opening on June 3rd and running through June 18th, 2016 at Stark Naked's STUDIO 101.

To purchase individual and season tickets for Stark Naked Theatre's exciting line-up of plays, and to receive exclusive ticket offers and advance notice of special events, please visit the theatre's website at www.starknakedtheatre.com and register your email address.

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