New Play THE ALAMO Comes to Ruskin Group Theatre

In the blue collar Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn sits a rundown neighborhood institution called The Alamo; the last great American bar. Today, with an aging clientele, the place is fighting to keeps it's doors open and the only hope seems to be the arrival of artist/gentrifiers who are moving into the neighborhood and wanting to adopt the bar as an entertainment hangout. Bay Ridge locals and The Alamo regulars don't want to surrender their bar, much less their neighborhood, to these young neo-carpetbaggers. The Alamo paints a humorous and dramatic portrait of eight working class Bay Ridge natives who always seem to find themselves on the front lines of change in America.

Ian McRae's plays have been produced in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and New York. The Alamo was inspired by an op-ed piece called "The Hard Lessons Of Iraq" by David Ignatius, published in The Washington Post on the tenth anniversary of the invasion.

"The Alamo is an authentic and touching portrayal of an Italian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn. It features vivid characters whose lives haven't turned out quite the way that they had hoped. Each of them carries scars of the past (from Vietnam to 9/11, and choices long gone) as they fight for their place in a world under the assault of millennial gentrification. Ian McRae writes with such passion, humor, and compassion about a forgotten group of people-blue collar Americans" - Kent Thompson; Director

The production has been well received and performances continue to sell out, so the producers have decided to announce this second extension. The run days and times will remain the same; Fridays and Saturday at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm. "This world premiere has been well attended by press and they've created a wonderful buzz about Ian McRae's writing and the remarkable Los Angeles ensemble cast," says producer John Ruskin.

Director Kent Thompson is a vital advocate, director, and developer of new plays. He served as Producing Artistic Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company (2005-2017) and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (1989-2005). Kent created the Colorado New Play Summit, the Women's Voices Fund, Off-Center (for immersive, interactive theatrical experiences) and the Southern Writer's Project. He has produced close to fifty world premieres that have subsequently been staged by theaters such as Playwrights Horizons, Goodman Theatre, South Coast Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Chance Theatre, Victory Gardens, Old Globe, Donmar Warehouse (U.K.), and more.

The ensemble cast includes Bobby Costanzo (Joey), Eileen Galindo (Carmen), Nancy Georgini (Claudine), Milica Govich (Mary), Julia Arian (Micaela/Alternate), Kelsey Griswold (Micaela /Alternate), John Lacy (Dominic), Jack Merrill (Tick), and Tim True (Munce)

The Alamo runs Fridays and Saturday at 8pm, Sundays 2pm through April 29, 2018. Ruskin Group Theatre is located at 3000 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Tickets are $27 - $30 and can be purchased in advance by calling (310) 397-3244 or online at www.ruskingrouptheatre.com . Free parking available on site.

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