Comedy and Drama Combine In STONES IN HIS POCKETS at TheatreSquared

The Olivier Award-winning, Tony Award-nominated Stones in His Pockets, by Marie Jones, opens November 9 at TheatreSquared (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville) and runs through December 18. Tickets, from $20-$54, can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.

Hollywood comes to rural Ireland in this hilarious multi-award winner which ran for four years in London's West End. Small-town Irishmen Charlie and Jake are hired as extras in an epic American movie, but when a famous actress takes a shine to Charlie-and tragedy strikes-chaos ensues. A hilarious clash of cultures that pits harsh reality against Hollywood endings.

Jones' play premiered in Belfast before transferring to London's West End, where it performed for sold-out audiences and was extended multiple times, ultimately earning the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. The production continued to a successful Broadway run.

The intriguing plot is enhanced by the hefty (and hilarious) weight placed on the actors by Jones' script: just two actors will portray more than a dozen characters throughout the play.

"Stones in His Pockets may be a two-hander, but there is a mighty array of fingers on each hand," wrote the D. C. Theatre Scene of this feat. "I think that's one of the exciting things about this play-seeing these actors do these amazing transformations on stage," says director Amy Herzberg. Herzberg is a co-founder of T2 as well as its associate artistic director. Past directing credits at T2 include Great Expectations, One Man, Two Guvnors, Amadeus, Good People, Bad Dates, The Last Five Years, Moonlight and Magnolias and Next to Normal.

"I intend for it to be almost like a film cut -one minute you're looking at one character and the next, a completely different one," she says. "I don't want to see the actor transform for me; I just want the character to suddenly be there. I think people will be wowed by just what is asked of these two very talented actors. I think that's part of the joy of it."

Despite the side-splitting humor of the show, Herzberg says there's a deeper meaning that attracted her to the play.

"While researching the show, I came across an interview that quoted Jones as saying that she doesn't write comedies; she writes tragedies that people find funny," notes Herzberg.

"I think that perfectly encapsulates how this show should work. The story we want to follow is one of valuing other human beings, actually seeing people, and celebrating that everybody's story deserves its own film."

The Acting Company for this show is small but mighty: actors Jason M. Shipman and Joshua Jeffers will demonstrate their acting range by bringing more than 15 characters to life throughout the play.

Shipman returns to the T2 stage where he turned in outstanding performances in Intimate Apparel and Peter and the Starcatcher. Other credits include productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Black Ensemble Theater, and Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

Jeffers was last seen on the T2 stage in A Christmas Carol. He has also worked with the New York Shakespeare Festival, New York Classical Theatre, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Notre Dame Shakespeare Theatre.

The creative team includes James Taylor odom as assistant director; Shawn Irish as scenic/lights/projection designer; Ruby Kemph as costume designer; Chris Renfro as sound designer and Merit Glover as stage manager.

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