Bare Bones Theater Company Presents DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, Now thru 6/29

Bare Bones Theater Company presents John Patrick Shanley's drama "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea" tonight, June 20 and June 21, 22 and 27, 28, 29 at 8:00 p.m. with matinees on June 23 and 30 at 3:00 p.m. at the Bare Bones Theater, 57 Main St., Northport, N.Y. Reserved seating $25. Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006. www.barebonestheater.com.

John Patrick Shanley is best known for his script for the 1987 film, Moonstruck, for which he won an Academy Award. As in Moonstruck, the characters in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea are New York City-type, working-class people, reflecting the playwright's own observations growing up in the Bronx. In 2005, Shanley's play Doubt: A Parable was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Directed by Jim Bonney and produced by Aimee Berlin, the Bare Bones Theater production has been double-cast, with four actors sharing the play's only two roles: Danny is a brooding, self-loathing thug with a tender, almost poetic side. Roberta, a guilt-ridden, divorced woman with a troubled teenaged son, feels she doesn't deserve any happiness-ever. These two walking-wounded social-outcasts meet in a Bronx bar and connect in a way that brings hope and healing to each other.

The entire cast is from Long Island: Sharing the role of Danny are Chris Tyrkko of Glen Head and R.J. Meyer of Holbrook. Sharing the role of Roberta are Christine Copley of Huntington and Justine Waker of Centereach.

The play's director, Jim Bonney, played the role of Danny in a 1986 Equity production in Rochester, New York. In 1996, he directed Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at the John Houseman Theatre in Manhattan. Mr. Bonney, a professional acting teacher, director and actor, coaches Broadway and film actors at his studio in New York City. In 2008, he moved from there to Huntington and in 2012 he began teaching at the Bare Bones Theater, where he is currently Director of Actor Training. "My goal," says Mr. Bonney, "is to bring professional theater opportunities to Long Island, for those actors who want to go beyond the Community Theater level."

The Bare Bones Theater Company was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bennett of Northport, as an acting school for adults. Eventually, Mr. Bennett drew on his alumni actors and others to stage high-quality, innovative productions at an intimate space in the Posey dance school building at 57 Main Street in Northport. Focusing on the power of performance, rather than the trappings of the stage, Bare Bones produces four to five full-length productions each year. The Bare Bones Theater Company also offers acting classes, showcases, and special events, such as film previews featuring the works of Long Island film-makers, and staged readings of new, unpublished plays. Mr. Bennett's professional life focused on teaching theater, English, vocal music and public speaking at Wantagh High School and Shoreham-Wading River High School, which named their school auditorium after him. Bennett has directed plays at Queens College, Theater Three in Port Jefferson and Café La Mama. Mr. Bennett is the author of the textbook Secondary Stages: Revitalizing High School Theater (Heinemann 2001). More information on the Bare Bones Theater Company is available at www.barebonestheater.com.

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