Mad Horse Theatre Opens Its Season With RADIANT VERMIN

Mad Horse Theatre presents Radiant Vermin By Philip Ridley, directed by company member Jake Cote, September 26 - October 13, 2019 at Mad Horse Theatre, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland, ME.

When a young couple is offered an ideal house by a mysterious stranger, it prompts the question: How far would any of us go to get our dream home? A fast-paced, pitch-black comedy, Radiant Vermin is a provocative satire about the housing market.

In a timely look at issues of gentrification and the housing crisis, Ridley's play explores how decent people are driven to stifle their consciences in a world where enough is never enough.

The cast includes company member Allison McCall and guest artists Joe Bearor and Dana Legawiec. The production crew includes company member Mark Rubin (Production Manager) and guest artists Emily Dixon (Stage Manager), Scott Leland (Sound Design), Stephen Legawiec (Set Design), Chris DeFilipp (Lighting) and Grace Fosler (Costume Design).

In director Cote's words, "Ridley's modern Grimm fairy tale takes a dash of Twilight Zone/Black Mirror and healthy dose of dark comedy and transports us into a world where you may be shocked at what you find yourself laughing along with. You never get a second chance at directing your first show with a company you care so passionately about. I wanted to make sure I had a show that not only boldly fits into what a "Mad Horse" show is, but has something that powerfully resonates with us as a community. This is that show in spades and with as talented a crew onstage as off this will be the show you hear people saying, "You remember Radiant Vermin?"

Author Philip Ridley was born in 1964 in the East End of London. He studied at St Martin's School of Art, making a controversial public debut in the ICA's 'New Contemporaries' exhibition, and has since achieved critical acclaim as an artist, songwriter, a novelist for both adults and children, and an award-winning screenwriter. He burst onto the theatrical scene in the early '90s with a provocative series of plays and has been challenging audiences across a range of forms ever since. In 2012 "What's On Stage" named him as one of the Jubilee Playwrights (60 of the most influential British writers to have emerged in the past six decades). Philip has won both the Evening Standard's Most Promising Newcomer to British Film and Most Promising Playwright Awards, the only person ever to receive both prizes.

Radiant Vermin runs September 26 - October 13, at Mad Horse Theater in the historic Hutchins School, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland.

Due to the generous support of the cPort Credit Union all ticket sales for the October 5th performance will be donated to Florence House. Florence House provides safe, supported, permanent housing to chronically homeless women in Portland, Maine.

Performance times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm, and Sunday afternoons at 2 pm. There will be an opening night reception immediately following the Friday, September 27 performance. Everyone is invited to stay after the show, enjoy light snacks, and mingle with the cast, crew, and fellow theater lovers.

A talk-back is scheduled for Sunday, October 6, immediately following the 2 pm matinee. This is an opportunity to discuss the play with the director and actors.

Tickets are $23 for adults and $20 for seniors. If you are under 25, tickets are pay-what-you-can for all performances. Pay-what-you-can dates for are Sunday, September 29, Thursday, October 3, and Sunday, October 6. Pay-what-you-can tickets are only available at the door on a first come, first served basis.

Reservations are strongly recommended. Purchase tickets online at www.madhorse.com or call 747-4148 for more information. Please call for group rates.

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