For three weekends, January 13-28, a gripping thriller will take the stage at Open Book Theatre in Trenton. Boy Gets Girl is in the same vein as recent hit books/movies Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. Open Book Artistic Director Krista Ewbank is featured as Theresa, who goes on an awkward blind date with Tony. Theresa she sees no reason to continue the relationship-but Tony thinks otherwise. Theresa's strength and independence begin to unravel as Tony continues to refuse to take no for an answer. "This play has sparked great conversations among the actors and production staff during rehearsals," said Ewbank. "It fits right in to the larger discussion we are all having about the way women are treated and the subtle and not so subtle intimidations and sexualized assumptions that happen to us each day. We share our personal stories and talk about what's happening in the world today. We are excited to have the audience engage in these conversations with us."
The Sunday, January 22nd matinee performance will be followed by a discussion with the artists, but the Open Book staff and artists and have found that their large, welcoming lobby encourages discussion after every play. Ewbank says "People love to talk about the play and how it relates to their own lives. We noticed this particularly with our last production of Recent Tragic Events. Audiences were very moved by it and wanted to talk about their own experiences with each other, both in the lobby after the show and then continuing later over dinner or drinks. This is what we love about the plays we do. We think that stories are important, and that they connect us. We are seeing that after every show. Sure, it's a well produced couple hours of entertainment. We're proud of that. But we love that people are talking about the stories. That's what we love. The connection."
The play is directed by Topher Alan Payne and features Alexis Barrera , Jan Cartwright, Jeff Fritz, Dan Jaroslaw, Dennis Kleinsmith, David Moan and Krista Schafer Ewbank. Danielle Gilbert stage manages, and Harley Miah is designing the lights and the sound.
Boy Gets Girl PERFORMANCE dates and times Friday January 13, 8pm *Opening night with afterglowOpen Book Theatre is located at 1621 West Road, Trenton, MI 48183.
For more information at tickets visit www.openbooktc.com or call 734 288-7753. Tickets can also be purchased in person at Slick Disk, the record store next door to the theatre (at 1625 West Road).
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