BECKY'S NEW CAR Plays Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, Now thru 6/4

Actors' Playhouse presents the comedic new adventure Becky's New Car by Steven Dietz, from tonight, May 9 through June 3, 2012 at the Miracle Theatre. This fresh, delightful and devious regional premiere play is about life, love, marriage, and the detours we make on our way to happiness.
 
Becky Foster doesn't have a half-bad life; it has just become predictable and mundane. She has a decent job at a car dealership, a solid husband and a freeloading psych-major son living in her basement. She isn't exactly unhappy, but from her desk at the dealership, she can't help but wonder what else is out there. When a socially inept and grief-struck millionaire stumbles into the car dealership one night and mistakenly presumes she is a widow, Becky soon finds herself leading a double life until it quickly (and hilariously) accelerates out of her control, leaving a mounting list of cover-ups along the way. Pretty soon, mishaps turn to mischief as Becky finds herself asking the audience for advice. Writer Steven Dietz maps out a road trip that lets the audience ride shotgun in a way most plays don't dare.
 
Becky's New Car comes complete with a unique back-story of how the production came to life. Searching for a "major" gift to give his wife Benita for her 60th birthday, Seattleite Charles Staadecker happened to meet a local woman who had commissioned a tuba concerto from the Seattle Symphony in memory of her husband. Charles latched onto the idea and brought it to ACT Theater (the Staadeckers are longtime supporters), and artistic director Kurt Beattie liked it so much he hired award-winning playwright Steven Dietz to pen the work. 
 
The Staadeckers now travel throughout the country visiting each production of Becky's New Car, and educating arts patrons on the importance of commissioning new works and funding arts organizations along the way. Actors' Playhouse is excited to welcome the couple to the Miracle Theatre on Friday, May 11, when they meet with the company's Board Members before the opening performance of Becky's New Car, and on Saturday, May 12, when they participate in a post-show Q&A, along with the show's cast and director.
 
Actors' Playhouse Artistic Director David Arisco will bring this hilarious script to the stage. The creative team for Becky's New Car includes Set Designer Gene Seyffer, Costume Designer Ellis Tillman, Lighting Designer Patrick Tennent and Sound Designer Alexander Herrin.
 
Laura Turnbull revs up an outstanding ensemble cast as Becky. Turnbull is delighted to be back at Actors' Playhouse having last appeared here in the critically acclaimed production of August: Osage County.  This season she has been seen in Death and the Maiden, directed by her husband, Avi Hoffman  (Mosaic Theatre), The Effect of Gamma Rays... with her daughter, Arielle Hoffman (Palm Beach Dramaworks), and Lombardi(Mosaic Theatre). Ken Clement returns to the Miracle Theatre to play Becky's roofer husband Joe. Actors' Playhouse audiences might remember Ken from his recent work in the one-man show Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol (Carbonell Award nomination), and other favorites such as 1776,House and Garden, Johnny Guitar, Sherlock's Last Case, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Big Bang, Another Night Before Christmas,Floyd Collins, Oliver!, and Urinetown. Allan Baker also returns to AP's stage as the eccentric and socially awkward billionaire Walter Flood. Baker is back in South Florida from Rolla, MO, in his 4th try as "Tito" in Lend Me a Tenor, and his first attempt as "Vice Principal Panche" in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. No stranger to Actor's Playhouse, Francisco (Pancho) Padura is back as Becky's hilarious, nosy and granolapushing co-worker Steve. Padura was last seen at AP in the Florida Premiere of Havana Bourgeois starring Danny Pino, and the company's productions of Tomfoolery, Sheer Madness, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, and Das Barbecu (Carbonell Award nomination). Kim Ostrenko plays the predatory socialite Ginger who is hoping to be the next Mrs. Flood. Ostrenko is a native Miamian who is thrilled to be back at Actors' Playhouse where she was last seen in The Boy From Russia, Picasso At The Lapin Agile & the first production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum. Ryan Didato appears as Becky's freeloading psychology major son Chris. Didato was last seen on a South Florida Stage as Tyler Shaw in Parade Productions inaugural show Brooklyn Boy and in Gablestage's production of Red at Gablestage (Carbonell Award nomination). Rounding out the cast is Anne Chamberlain as Kenni, Walter's rebellious young daughter. Ms. Chamberlain is a New World School of the Arts graduate who was last seen as Cinderella in Into the Woods at Slow Burn Theatre, and has recently appeared inDas Barbecu, Winter Wonderettes (Strauss),  Lobby Hero (ALLIANCE THEATRE Lab), and Rocky Horror Show (Slow Burn).

Preview performances of Becky's New Car will be held Wednesday and Thursday, May 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. The show will open on Friday, May 11 at 8 p.m. and play through June 3, 2012. Evening performances will be held Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m­., with afternoon matinees on Sunday at 2 p.m. A special weekday matinee is scheduled on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 2 p.m.
 
Preview night tickets on the first Wednesday and Thursday are $35. Tickets for weeknights and matinees are $40, and on Friday and Saturday evenings $48. The theatre offers a 10 percent senior discount rate the day of performance and $15 student rush tickets 15 minutes prior to curtain with identification. Discounts are based on availability and exclude Saturday and Sunday. 
 
Group discounted rates are offered for 15 or more through our group sales department. Single tickets may be purchased through the box office at305-444-9293 or online at www.actorsplayhouse.org.  

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