THE VAST DIFFERENCE, LAST ROMANCE & More Set for Purple Rose Theatre Company's 2013-14 Season

The Purple Rose Theatre Company is proud to announce the 2013 / 2014 Season, which will feature a revival of a classic PRTC premiere, two plays by award-winning playwrights, and a world premiere comedy festival. The theatre company's 23rd professional season will include: The Vast Difference by Jeff Daniels, Redwood Curtain by Lanford Wilson, The Purple Rose Spring Comedy Festival: Lovers, Liars & Lunatics by various playwrights and The Last Romance by Joe DiPietro.

Eight low-priced previews will begin each run, followed by Press Opening Night during the second week of each engagement. Regular performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3:00 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm with added performance dates to be announced. All performances will be held at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park Street, Chelsea, Michigan 48118.

The Vast Difference by PRTC founder and award-winning playwright, Jeff Daniels (Across the Way, Best of Friends) starts the season. A twentieth anniversary production, this classic comedy returns to the stage where it premiered in 1993. Centering on male flight attendant George Noonan and his impending vasectomy, the play explores the relationship between fathers and sons, the Detroit Tigers and what it really means to "be a man". The Vast Difference will have a thirteen-week engagement from Thursday, September 19 to Saturday, December 14, 2013. Directed by PRTC Artistic Director Guy Sanville, the cast includes Richard McWilliams (Dayton, OH), David Bendena (Chelsea, MI), Stephanie Buck (Chelsea, MI), Rhiannon Ragland (Chelsea, MI), Michael Brian Ogden (Berkley, MI), Rusty Mewha (Plymouth, MI), Drew Parker (Ferndale, MI) and Nathaniel Eyde (Okemos, MI).

Redwood Curtain by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lanford Wilson, is a drama about a young Vietnamese-American woman searching for her birth father. Forging a friendship with a homeless veteran in the woods of Northern California, will she unlock the mysteries of her past? The Purple Rose is especially pleased to produce this play, as the PRTC had a strong collaborative relationship with Wilson, premiering the last two plays Wilson wrote in his distinguished career. Redwood Curtain will run for nine weeks from Thursday, January 16 through Saturday, March 15, 2014. Directed by PRTC Resident Artist Stephanie Buck, the cast will feature Rainbow Dickerson (Los Angeles, CA), Alex Leydenfrost (Ann Arbor, MI) and Michelle Mountain (Grass Lake, MI).

The Purple Rose Spring Comedy Festival: Lovers, Liars & Lunatics is a collection of comedic and touching world premiere short plays. Playwrights include PRTC Resident Artists, emerging writers and prominent names that will create a performance sure to entertain, thrill and delight. The Purple Rose Spring Comedy Festival: Lovers, Liars & Lunatics will have an eight-week engagement from Thursday, April 3 through Saturday, May 24, 2014. Directed by PRTC Artistic Director Guy Sanville, the cast will feature Rhiannon Ragland (Chelsea, MI), Michael Brian Ogden (Berkley, MI), Rusty Mewha (Plymouth, MI) and Lauren Knox (Macomb, MI).

The Last Romance is a heartfelt comedy by Joe DiPietro which tells the story of Ralph, a widower, and how a different path taken on his daily walk leads to an unexpected second chance at love. The Last Romance will run for twelve weeks from Thursday, June 12 through Saturday, August 30, 2014. Directed by PRTC Resident Artist Michelle Mountain, the cast will feature Will David Young (Milford, MI), Priscilla Lindsay (Ann Arbor, MI), Franette Liebow (Riverforest, IL), Ryan Dooley (Canton, MI), and Andrew Buckshaw (Canton, MI).

Founded in 1991 by acclaimed actor and Chelsea native Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a leading American theatre dedicated to producing the new American play and creating opportunities for Midwest theatre professionals. The PRTC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional theatre operating under a Small Professional Theatre agreement with the Actors' Equity Association. The PRTC promotes the development of new American theatre and its practitioners, provides valuable educational opportunities for young artists, and, through consistently high quality production values, has earned the respect of both local and National Theatre communities.

Tickets for groups of 12 or more are available for purchase now. PRTC donors can purchase tickets approximately two months before each show opens with tickets going on sale to the general public two weeks later. Ticket reservations can be made by calling The Purple Rose Theatre Company Box Office at (734) 433-7673 or online at www.purplerosetheatre.org.

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