Mutineer Theatre Company's THE WOODPECKER Extends Through 4/10

Mutineer Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that their world premiere play, THE WOODPECKER, written by Samuel Brett Williams, directed by Jon Cohn and produced by Stephanie Chang and Taylor Coffman is EXTENDING through Sunday, April 10 at the Studio/Stage Theatre, 520 N. Western Blvd. in Los Angeles. THE WOODPECKER was developed by the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Cherry Lane Theater, Hatchery Arts, and now with Mutineer Theatre Company.

"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 Williams (Playwright) hails from Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he was raised in a strict Southern Baptist environment. He received his BA in English and Political Science from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and his MFA in Playwriting from Rutgers University, where he studied under Lee Blessing. Brett's plays have been developed at the O'Neill, the Kennedy Center, the Lark, Naked Angels, New York Theatre Workshop, Yale University, The Flea, WordBRIDGE, and P73 Productions. Brett's plays have been produced at Cherry Lane Theatre, Ars Nova, Project Y Theatre Company, XIII Pocket, Mutineer Theatre Company, and New Orleans Theatre Experiment. Brett is published by Playscripts, Northwestern Press, Best New American Plays 2004-2005, and Best New American Plays 2006-2007. He has received commissions from the National New Play Network and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey (where he was the resident playwright in 2008). Brett is a past winner of the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwright Award (other winners include: Sarah Ruhl, Adam Rapp, and Annie Baker). Recently, Brett's play, The Revival, was optioned by Naked Faith Entertainment, and he was hired to write the screenplay.

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 is EXTENDING through Sunday, April 10 at the Studio/Stage Theatre, 520 N. Western Ave. in Los Angeles.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm; Sundays at 7:00pm. Ticket prices are $20.00 for all performances. Tickets are available online at www.mutineertheatre.com or by calling 1-323-871-5826.

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