Four Emerging Companies Announced For Guthrie's SINGLED OUT Festival in the Dowling Studio

The Guthrie today announced that Four Humors Theater, Sandbox Theatre, Lamb Lays with Lion and New Theatre Group will each present one of their acclaimed productions as part of Singled Out: A Festival of Emerging Artists. Curated by the Associate Director of Studio Programming Benjamin McGovern, the January 14 - 24, 2009, festival in the Dowling Studio will feature six performances by each company, showcasing the best work of the Twin Cities small theater scene. Single tickets are $20, with discounts available for 2 or more shows ($17 each for 2 shows, and $14 when purchasing 3 or more shows). Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

In seeking out productions to include in the two-week festival, McGovern examined work from the Minnesota Fringe Festival, church basements, cabaret theaters and other local theater spots where the new work by emerging artists can be found, to arrive at these four emerging young companies all making their Guthrie debut. "The Twin Cities is a hotbed of young theater artists who are reinventing the whole scene," said McGovern, "and the Guthrie is excited to shine a spotlight on a few of the standout emerging artists who are really shaking things up."
Singled Out: A Festival of Emerging Artists - Play Descriptions

Four Humors Theater's production of
Mortem Capiendum
written by Jason Ballweber, Brant Miller, Nick Ryan and Matt Spring
January 14, Opening Night
Easily one of the most exciting young companies to emerge from the Minnesota Fringe Festival scene in the past few years, Four Humors Theater features a group of young, smart and very funny actor/writers with a strong background in improvisation, who "make the beautiful foolish and the foolish beautiful." The group returns to their 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival hit Mortem Capiendum, a fresh but surprisingly dark work, offering a humorous and oddly philosophical meditation on consciousness and death. Marvel at this mock traveling Medicine Show, as three con-men offering a tonic with seemingly miraculous properties begin to believe their own pitch. www.fourhumorstheater.com

Sandbox Theatre's production of
June of Arc
created by Sandbox Theatre
written by Ryan Hill
January 14, Opening Night
This highly intriguing show, with the company's trademark visual presentation and theatrical gesture, offers a peek under the apron of the paragon of motherly virtue - June Cleaver! A meta-riff on "Leave it to Beaver" and 1950s social mores, this show was a sell-out at the 2009 Minnesota Fringe Festival, where the performance of Heather Stone - as a sort of Mrs. Cleaver with her repressed psyche leaking out - was heralded as being worth the experience alone. Love, resentment, comedy, aviation, snickerdoodles: this show has it all. With live-action 1950s commercials! www.aboutthisplay.com

Lamb Lays with Lion's production, in association with Ryan Underbakke, of
The Black Arts
conceived by the Lamb Lays with Lion company and Ryan Underbakke
directed by Jeremey Catterton
January 15, Opening Night
This collaboratively developed work, inspired by a new wave of "hard rock" magicians, is a sincere magic show that strives against disruption. Led by Jeremey Catterton, a graduate of the first University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program class, this adventurous young company has presented its original and experimental theater at many small venues around town, with this work undoubtedly exploring unique and radical new forms of performance as the company strives to become "a leading force behind the thrust into a new age of art." www.lamblayswithlion.org

New Theatre Group's production of
American Sexy
by Trista Baldwin
directed by Brian Balcom
January 15, Opening Night
Headed by frequent Guthrie assistant director Brian Balcom, this production from the New Theatre Group enjoyed a successful run during the 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Set during spring break, this play, by McKnight Advancement Grant recipient and two-time Jerome Fellow Trista Baldwin, follows four college students en route to carefree fling in Sin City, when an unexpected stop at the Grand Canyon reveals depths for which none of them are prepared. Trusts are broken and relationships pushed to The Edge when emotional needs come into conflict with sexual behavior - caught on tape. *This production contains adult subject matter and strong language. It is not suitable for children. www.newtheatregroup.org

The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Guthrie is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Led by Director Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie opened its new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in June 2006.

The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.guthrietheater.org.

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