'The Beast' Lurks At The Shores

THE BEAST

PROVOCATIVE RUSSIAN PLAY PRESENTED BY THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE

Close on the heels of its new production. "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," The PlayGround Theatre, one of South Florida's most distinguished theatrical companies, will present THE BEAST by Michael Gindin and Vladimir Sinokevitch, Thursday, November 16 at 10 A.M.; Friday, November 17 at 7 P.M.; Saturday, November-18, at 8 P.M. at the Shores Performing Arts Theatre, 9806 NE 2^nd Avenue, Miami Shores.

THE BEAST, in repertory with 6 other productions will also be performed December 4 & 5, Feb 1-3 and May 9 -11 at the Shores Performing Arts Theater.

THE BEAST is directed by Oleg Kheyfets and features an ensemble cast of five including Meshaun Labrone Arnold, Kristen Dawn McCorkell, Jesús Quintero, Valerie Stanford, and Ricky Waugh.

Written in the 1970s during the years of the Cold War, THE BEAST was not produced until the late 80s when it was presented at the State Youth Theatre, a provincial repertory company in Yaroslavl. Gaining fame across Russia, playwrights Gindin and Sinokevitch sought to explore the concept of a family in a post-apocalyptic world searching for the freedom of a "friend" while forced to live in fear of "The Beast" representing the stark dogma of the times. The play emerges as a family drama with an ill-fated love story set in the stark climate of the Soviet Union regime.

Designing the set and costumes, which she did for the original Russian production, is Margarita Demianova. Envisioned as an environment for characters living amidst the remains of a destroyed civilization, Demianova has covered the floor with an inch-high 1,000 lbs of black, grey and brown rubber mulch to create the illusion of ashes, has surrounded a character with 14 mannequins that have been sanded and painted black and grey to make them look dusty, and has positioned an abandoned van onstage to provide shelter for a wandering family. Lighting is by Jeff Quinn.

Other productions in repertory are, "The Love of Three Oranges," "Brooklyn Bridge," and "Pluft, The Little Ghost," and the South Florida premieres of "The Creation of the World and Other Business," and "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings".

Tickets to THE BEAST are $15 each; 10 each for groups of 20 or more; Culture Shock rate: $5. Free tickets are available for schools and community groups.

Mature Content. Recommended for ages 16 and up.

Tickets are available by calling The PlayGround Theatre (305) 751-9550 ext 231; via Fax (305) 751-9556; via e-mail: info@theplaygroundtheatre.com or website: www.theplaygroundtheatre.com.

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