Island City Stage Presents ROTTERDAM By Jon Brittain From January 19 – February 19

Alice wants to come out as a lesbian. Her girlfriend Fiona wants to start living as a man. In Island City Stage's new production of Rotterdam by Jon Brittain, audiences journey to find out what happens next in this modern comedy about gender, sexuality, and being a long way from home. Rotterdam runs from January 19 through February 19.

"Although politics and media seem focused on the trans community, we don't often hear personal stories about those who seek to transition and the effect that can have on those closest to them," said Andy Rogow, artistic director of Island City Stage. "Rotterdam is a bittersweet comedy whose characters are in transition in one way or another."

Rotterdam, a new play from Jon Brittain, co-creator of Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Soho, writer of What Would Spock Do? and The Sexual Awakening of Peter Mayo, is a moving and sensitive exploration of gender identity and relationships. It shares the story of lesbian couple Alice, who is struggling to come out to her parents, and Fiona, who tells Alice that she has always identified as a man.

Co-produced by Sue Wilder, Rotterdam stars Suzanne Ankrum as Alice and Autumn Kioti Horne as Fiona. It features Abbie Fricke as Lelani (in her Island City debut performance) and Robert Koutras as Josh.

Suzanne Ankrum's recent regional credits include Palm Beach Dramaworks production of A Streetcar Named Desire, WAM Theatre's Emilie: La Marquise du Chatelet..., Majestic Theater's Crimes of the Heart, New Century Theatre's The How and the Why, Clarence Brown Theatre's Woyzeck, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Tartuffe, and A Christmas Carol, and Richmond Shakespeare Festival's Twelfth Night and Henry IV, Part 2. She's also appeared on Netflix's

Orange is the New Black and has performed in several workshop productions from Palm Beach Dramaworks, Theatre Lab, Hartford Stage, Ivoryton Playhouse and HartBeat Ensemble.

South Florida artist and actor Autumn Kioti Horne has performed with Theatre Lab, Zoetic Stage, GableStage, Florida Stage, Caldwell Theatre, and others. In NYC, they originated the roles of Cassandra in The Hive, Veronica in She Calls Me Firefly, and others. Their interdisciplinary art has been presented in galleries/spaces throughout the U.S. and abroad including La Mama, Dixon Place, The Queens Museum and Last Frontier, and more. They have also appeared in award-winning films at Lincoln Center, Art Basel, Sci-Fi London, Palm Springs Film Festival, and more. When not onstage, they run an environmental art/education/justice program Wildness is Necessary.

Along with its Season 11 lineup, Island City Stage will be bringing back its introspective "Behind the Red Curtain" free public forum series, launched last year as an anniversary initiative to address the stories and issues that inspire its shows. Providing insight to Rotterdam, Island City Stage will present ''Living the Truth - Seeing the Trans Community Through a Different Lens" on Monday, January 9, at 6:30 p.m. This forum will educate and inspire others regarding how to interact with transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals. The discussion will open hearts and minds by sharing personal triumphs, breaking down barriers, understanding fact vs. fiction and reflecting on personal biases.

Creating quality professional theatrical experiences focused on the LGBT+ community for a universal audience, Island City Stage's 11th South Florida season offers thought-provoking productions that explore bittersweet longing, gender questions, loneliness, the ins and outs of friendship, the magic of random human connection and ethnic conflict within the generational divide. Upcoming shows include I Wanna F@#king Tear You Apart by Morgan Gould from March 2 - April 2; Tracy Jones by Stephen Kaplan from May 18 - June 18 and Springfield Pride Commissioned by Island City Stage from August 3 - September 3.

Rotterdam set sponsors are Doug Pew and Don Croxton, costume sponsors are Thomas Nichols and Dan Chadburn and lighting and sound sponsor is Scott Bennett.

Tickets for Rotterdam start at $40. Enjoy a special Mimosa Sunday sponsored by Murl Casey on January 29 for $55 that includes a light bites pre-reception and a post-show talk back. A special Women's Night at the Theatre will take place on Friday, February 3 with a 7 p.m. reception with light bites and beverages followed by the show.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.islandcitystage.org, call (954) 928-9800 or email md@islandcitystage.org.

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