Fair Trade and Rattlestick's NEW COUNTRY Extends Through June 27

In response to popular demand and critical acclaim, Fair Trade Productions, in association with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, extend the world premiere of New Country by Mark Roberts to June 27.

The unfiltered comedy, which opened on May 20, was declared a New York Times critics' pick by Neil Genzlinger, who wrote, "Mark Roberts shows that he's a mighty good playwright and actor" with a "real knack for deadpan comedy" and that the productions features "a scalding performance by Sarah Lemp." Best known for his TV work, as creator of Mike & Molly and Executive Producer of Two and a Half Men, Roberts trained as an actor and began his theater career in 1982 outside Chicago, where he first worked with New Country's director, David Harwell.

In New Country, handsome, charismatic country music star Justin Spears is rich, famous, cavalier, with an ego-and at the top of the charts. It's Justin's bachelor party on the eve of his wedding day, and his ruthless managers, Paul and Chuck, try in vain to keep an unruly entourage under control. Enter Ollie, the star-struck hotel bellboy with a cock-eyed view of fame, Sharon, Justin's vigilante, scorned ex-girlfriend, and dirty old pig farming Uncle Jim who arrives with inflatable lady, Wanda June Whitmore.

So how does this raucous, rodeo go so wrong...so fast? Booze, bong hits, blackmail and a blast. In the New Country, the hits just keep on comin'. With all of this heat on him, will Justin rise to the top or will his career go pop?

The cast of New Country includes Malcolm Madera as Paul, Jared Culverhouse as Chuck, Stephen Sheffer as Ollie, David Lind as Justin, Mark Roberts as Uncle Jim and Sarah Lemp as Sharon.

The creative team includes David Harwell (Sets and Lighting), Heather Baumbach (Costumes), Johnna Doty (Sound) and Jaimie Van Dyke (Stage Manager), Kelcie Beene (Producer) and Anchor Watch, LLC (Production Management).

Performances of New Country will now take place through June 27 (see schedule above) at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The Cherry Lane Theatre is located at 38 Commerce Street in Manhattan. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by visiting rattlestick.org or calling 212-352-3101.

About the Artists:

In his first life as a comedian, Mark Roberts (playwright, actor) appeared several times on The Tonight Show, as well as comedy specials on Fox, HBO, and Showtime. He also performed at the comedy festivals in Montreal, Toronto and Aspen.

In his second life as an actor, Mark was seen on such shows as Seinfeld, Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Larry Sanders Show, The Practice, and was a series regular on The Naked Truth starring Téa Leoni. He's also in the movies Bulletproof, Next of Kin, and Meet the Applegates.

In Roberts's third life, as a writer, he has penned the stage plays Welcome to Tolono, Enter at Forrest Lawn, Whitey, Couples Counseling Killed Katie, Rantoul and Die, Paradise Drag, and Where the Great Ones Run. The latter three are published by Dramatists Play Service and performed around the country and as far away as Stockholm, Sweden. He also spent seven years as head writer and executive producer on Two and a Half Men, three seasons as an executive consultant on The Big Bang Theory and three seasons as creator-show runner and occasional director on Mike and Molly.

In his next life he hopes to learn to cook, play the guitar and die a good death. After which he'll spend eternity hanging out with Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and his Grandpa Joe, trying like hell to make them laugh.David Harwell (director) has designed at The New England Conservatory of Music, Boston Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, Playwright's Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Penguin Repertory Company, Washington and Lee University, University of Kentucky, University of Alabama, William and Mary University and others. In 1998 He joined the Production Design Group in NYC as a production designer and project manager for the award winning company whose clients included NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, National Geographic, MTV, Court TV, A&E, History Channel, TNT and PBS. In 2001 he received a daytime Emmy Award for Set Design for Between the Lions. Theatrical productions include: Rantoul and Die (Ovation Nomination for set design); Couples Counseling Killed Katie (Director, Ovation Nomination for best play).

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