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Mutineer Theatre Company Presents THE WOODPECKER, Closes 4/3
By: BWW News Desk Apr. 03, 2011
Mutineer Theatre Company is thrilled to present a world premiere play, THE WOODPECKER, written by Samuel Brett Williams, directed by Jon Cohn and produced by Stephanie Chang and Taylor Coffman. Developed by the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Cherry Lane Theater, Hatchery Arts, and now with Mutineer Theatre Company, THE WOODPECKER will close Sunday, April 3 at the Studio/Stage Theatre, 520 N. Western Blvd. in Los Angeles.
"Believin' ain't hard when believin's all ya' got." It's Jimmy's last day before going to war, he's addicted to glue, his mom is seeing visions in the sweet potato casserole, and his wheelchair-bound dad can kick his ass. Battered by his father's impossible expectations, his mother's delusional addiction, and the sweltering heat of the Arkansas summer, Jimmy turns to the only friend he has and pleads for help. God answers him with the rare and elusive Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.
Lured by aspirations of heroism and driven by his father's insistence that he's nothing more than a freak, Jimmy embarks beyond his family's trailer park on an embattled exploration of faith and freedom. Trapped in a land where the line between right and wrong is easily blurred, Jimmy must decide for himself if he has what it takes to be a hero.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
JON COHN (Director) is the founding Artistic Director of Mutineer Theatre Company (MTC) and has directed the company's productions of Ditch, Shaked & Speared, and the co-production of Lie with Me with Charter Theater in Washington DC. He co-wrote Shaked & Speared with Taylor Coffman and James Utt as well as the adaptation of The Mill with James Richter, Myron Davis, and James Utt. Before arriving in Los Angeles seven years ago, Jon played roles on some of DC's most prominent stages and worked with many of its new play festivals. Jon is a founding company member of Project Y, an artistic associate of Charter Theater, and a veteran of multiple regional and national tours performing Shakespeare, classical, and theatre for young audiences. He is a proud recipient of the Theatre Lobby's Mary Goldwater Award for Excellence in Acting as well as a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Resident Play. In addition to acting, Jon has directed classical and Contemporary Theatre on the professional, collegiate, and high school levels.
SAMUEL BRETT WILLAIMS (Playwright) hails from Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he was raised by strict Southern Baptist parents. His plays use Arkansas as a background to explore issues of global importance-religion, racism, war, and family. Williams received his B.A. in English and Political Science from Ouachita Baptist University and his M.F.A. in Playwriting from Rutgers University, where he studied with Lee Blessing. His plays have been produced at Cherry Lane Theatre, Ars Nova, Project Y Theatre Company, Mile Square Theatre, XIII Pocket, Readers Theatre Repertory, District of Columbia Arts Center, and New Orleans Theatre Experiment. Brett received commissions from the National New Play Network and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, where he was the resident playwright in 2008, and is a past winner of the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwright Award.
The cast of THE WOODPECKER features: Ryan Nealy, Brian Norris, AnDrew Price, Mark Withers and Tamara Zook
The design team for THE WOODPECKER is as follows: The set design is by Kurt Boetcher. The lighting design is by Christopher Singleton. The sound design is by James Richter. The prop design is by Ginger Steiner. The costume design is by Karla Contreras. The fight choreography is by Leonard Wu. Special Effects/Make-Up design is by Jared Yeager. The associate producer is Amber Hamilton.
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
THE WOODPECKER will preview on Friday, March 4 at 8pm and will open on Saturday, March 5 at 8pm and run through Sunday, April 3 at the Studio/Stage Theatre, 520 N. Western Ave. in Los Angeles.
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