Theatre Nova to Launch Second Season with Lee Blessing's CHESAPEAKE

Theatre Nova, an Ann Arbor company that focuses exclusively on new and recent plays, will launch its second season with Lee Blessing's CHESAPEAKE, a one-man show that reunites the dynamic team from last year's smash "Buyer & Cellar" - actor Sebastian Gerstner ("The Wizard of Oz" and "Into the Woods" at Encore Musical Theatre, "Venus in Fur" and "The Glass Menagerie" at Performance Network) and director Daniel C. Walker ("Bright Half Life" and "Buyer & Cellar" at Theatre Nova).

Dexter native Sebastian Gerstner plays Kerr, a performance artist who accidentally helps the conservative Therm Pooley win a seat in senate with his government sponsored performance. In an act of revenge, and performance art, Kerr stages an elaborate heist of Therm Pooley's beloved dog, Lucky, and what happens next brings him closer than ever to the senator. Gerstner, who earned rave reviews, and multiple award nominations, in Theatre Nova's "Buyer and Celler" the play about an out-of-work actor who finds a job in Barbra Streisand's personal mall. Theatre Nova Producing Director Daniel C. Walker is the show's director and production designer, and Artistic Director Carla Milarch is providing sound design.

Called "Blessing's funniest piece of work to date" (Chicago Tribune), it was inspired by Republican Senator Jesse Helms' 1989 campaign against the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for supporting artists engaged in "anti-Christian bigotry." Often referred to as "The Culture Wars" this crusade was a defining moment in the history of government funding of the arts. CHESAPEAKE mirrors this conflict between artist Andres Serrano and Senators Al D'Amato and Jesse Helms, in 1987, which sparked conversations about the NEA's funding. CHESAPEAKE premiered in 1999, in New York City, was recently rewritten by Blessing. This is the Michigan premiere of CHESAPEAKE. Blessing, a Minnesota native, is best known for his plays, "A Walk in the Woods", which earned both a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nomination, and "Fortinbras", a follow up of Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Patrons have a rare opportunity in February when two of Blessing's plays will be presented at the same time in Ann Arbor. "Fortinbras" will be running at the University of Michigan's Arthur Miller Theatre February 18th-21st.

CHESAPEAKE will run February 5th-28th in the Yellow Barn (416 W. Huron, Ann Arbor), a downtown performance space that also hosts musicians and classes. Theatre Nova features free parking for patrons as well as quick access to the city's restaurants, bars, bakeries and coffee shops. New patrons can find it across Huron Street from Ann Arbor's YMCA, through a parking lot entrance on the north side of the street.

Theatre Nova has marked all tickets for all performances as pay-what-you-can, with a suggested donation of $20. Visit www.artful.ly/store/events/8119 to purchase tickets. Members with a donation of $75 or more also receive admission to all seven season productions, every show in the New Play Readings series, and children's shows. Patrons can attain memberships by going to www.artful.ly/theatre-nova/store/donate.

Theatre Nova is Michigan's only theater exclusively producing new plays. Its mission is to raise awareness of the value and excitement of new plays and playwrights, and provide resources for playwrights to develop their craft by importing, exporting, and developing new work. It seeks to create a sustainable theater for generations to come, built on the cornerstones of accessibility, transparency, artist-leadership, and equality. It is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization. Visit theatrenova.org for more information.

SEBASTIAN GERSTNER received a BFA in Theater from Michigan State University. He is currently at Oakland University working on his Masters in Elementary Education. Sebastian was most recently seen locally in Spamalot (Patsy) at The Encore, Venus in Fur (Thomas) at Performance Network Theater, 42nd Street (Billy) with Ann Arbor in Concert, Lend Me a Tenor (Max) at The Encore, and The Wizard of Oz (The Tin Man) with Wild Swan Theater.

DANIEL C. WALKER has worked on over 300 productions at more than 30 theatres (including the majority of past and present professional theatres in southeast Michigan), and in a dozen states. He has been an Artistic Director (Performance Network), Chair of a Theatre Department (Albion College), and has taught at seven different colleges and universities.

CARLA MILARCH is the former Artistic Director of Performance Network Theatre, whose ongoing focus on new plays led her to co-found Theatre Nova. As a Dramaturg and Director she has helped bring more than 10 brand new plays to fully-staged productions, as well as hundreds to staged readings, including those at the Fireside New Play Festival, the NNPN National Showcase of New Plays, and the Kennedy Center's MFA playwright's showcase.

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