ABANDON ALL HOPE Sells Out Initial Engagement At Theatre Row

First-time producing partners Peter Fenton and Avery Kellington have sold out the limited engagement world premiere of dramedy play, Abandon All Hope, which serves as the Off-Broadway debut for Fenton, Kellington, the entire rest of the cast, and many of the other artists involved with the show. The script is written by Peter Fenton and stars Avery Kellington as fun-loving demon TERESA. Abandon All Hope is produced with special thanks to Suzanne Fisher and dedicated to the life and memory of Rachel Held Evans. The play will be staged as part of the fifth annual Rogue Theater Festival, which will be held at Theatre Row on 42nd Street. Abandon All Hope takes inspiration from The Good Place, Knives Out, and Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit as it explores ethics, organized Christianity, and identity with clever wit and a streak of dark comedy.

When three college freshmen (a scrappy activist, a naïve evangelical and a cocky analyst) meet in Hell, which appears as a dorm room, a fun-loving demon challenges them to a game with astronomical stakes, which draws out each one's fatal flaws in their confrontations with each other and themselves. The winner will go to Heaven at the cost of the others' eternal torture.

The world premiere production of Abandon All Hope is directed by New York City theater veteran Gorman Ruggiero (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Calf Rope) and stars Avery Kellington as TERESA, Yuliana Sleme as MELISSA, Jonathan P. Chen as SEAN, and Michael De Los Angeles as EVAN. Avery Kellington is represented by The Avenue Agency and Yuliana Sleme is represented by Arcos Management.

Peter Fenton and Avery Kellington are delighted to have sold out the Theatre Row performance-and they are already planning for the show's future. "This story has quirky, compelling yet relatable characters caught in a high-stakes situation that is comic, creepy, thrilling, and heart-wrenching," says Kellington. "There's so much to love about Abandon All Hope-and we are laser-focused on finding the right 'next home' that will enable us to share the play's message through an extended run."

Fenton similarly adds, "To sell out Off-Broadway in our first-ever show is a wonderful sign that this play really does have what it takes to live on somewhere else. We've got a powerful story, strong cast, solid branding, and ideas for how to build on what we have both in marketing and production value. We're so grateful to Rogue and Theatre Row for this opportunity to show 42nd Street what we've got. We're positioned for serious success. All we need is our next 'yes'!"

Abandon All Hope will premiere as a single sold-out performance at Theatre Row on Saturday, June 10th at 7:00 pm. The producers are seeking to build partnership opportunities with established producers and theater companies to extend Abandon All Hope's run Off-Broadway or regionally, with the hope of transferring someday to to a Broadway venue.

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