Page 73 to Present World Premiere of John J. Caswell, Jr.'s MAN CAVE

Page 73 will present the world premiere production of John J. Caswell, Jr.'s Man Cave, directed by Taylor Reynolds, March 1-April 2, 2022, at The Connelly Theatre, 220 E 4th Street in Manhattan. Set in the fortress-like Sedona mansion of a Congressman whose poisonous ideology infests both the country and his home, Man Cave is a supernatural horror play that also understands political evil-and the ways systemically upheld forces of white supremacy and patriarchy can brutalize the body and spirit-to be far more insidious than anything on the supernatural plane. Man Cave will be Page 73's first production since 2020's shutdown, before which the organization presented Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop (co-produced with and presented at Playwrights Horizons) and Zora Howard's Pulitzer Prize finalist STEW. It will be followed, in late 2022, by Bleu Beckford-Burrell's La Race.

In Man Cave, Imaculada-a live-in housekeeper who, since taking the job working for a now out-of-town Republican Congressman, has become estranged from her former self-is joined by her friends Rosemary and Lupita, seeking refuge from another dangerous man. Having escaped one form of patriarchal threat, they now find themselves in a household that oozes it, and are compelled to convert the Congressman's luxurious basement man cave into their own spiritual war room and protective sanctuary from the violence of men-both real and supernatural.

Caswell, Jr., who hails from Phoenix, AZ, formed his characters and setting from memory: the four women are "an amalgamation" of women who raised him. Road trips to visit his great-grandmother would include a stop in Sedona, "a weird place with excessive wealth, crystals and vortexes and mediums and scenery that looks like it's from another planet-and feels like a very spiritually ready place"; the mansion owned by late Senator John McCain was also, notably, in the town's outskirts. The setting within a "man cave" in a similar mansion, charged with the unseen pain caused by centuries of oppressive policy, came to Caswell, Jr. later, as he realized a space "made in the name of masculinity" would be a ripe battleground for the drama that unfolds in the piece.

John J. Caswell, Jr. says, "People look at the news and call it a horror show, and I thought, 'what if it was an actual horror show?' The supernatural has a very underestimated potential to stand up as a metaphor for political, sociological, interpersonal horror, and the horror genre is also underestimated in its power to contain and even amplify moments of humor, joy, love, and hope. In this play, I'm really focused on how the horror contributes to each character's personal journey. Theater is ephemeral and ritualistic, and there's sometimes a pretty thin line between performance and possession, so despite horror not being the most common genre onstage, theater is in many ways uniquely primed for it."

Taylor Reynolds (director of Will Arbery's Plano, James Ijames' The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, the upcoming production of Dave Harris' Tambo & Bones at Playwrights Horizons) says, "I think ghosts and spirituality and conjuring have drawn me both because it's fun to be scared and it's helpful to have a specific venue to feel our deepest fears, and have them resolved in two hours-unlike the terror of being alive. One of the things that first drew me to Man Cave is its duality of 'real life is terrifying' and 'ghosts are terrifying' and the coexistence of that in one space. There may be a real spiritual presence that is terrorizing these women, but there's also the very real physical/mental/ emotional/spiritual trauma these women are going through because of the ghosts of patriarchy and white supremacy, as well as their own burdens and secrets."

As with many of the playwrights whose work Page 73 produces, the organization has cultivated an enduring relationship with John J. Caswell, Jr. as he developed and honed his singular script. Page 73 Artistic Director Michael Walkup says, "We've been supporting Man Cave's development since 2017 and we're excited now to see Taylor Reynolds' visionary direction bring this theatrical haunted house to life. Page 73 committed to John's premiere before the pandemic struck, and knowing we would return to the stage with John's remarkable play has at many times kept us going during the last two years."

Not long after two recent Page 73 productions-Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop (co-produced with and presented at Playwrights Horizons) and Zora Howard's Pulitzer Prize finalist STEW -garnered immense critical and audience acclaim, the pandemic struck; continuing on the same course became, for all of theater, an impossibility. Despite disruption, Page 73 decided to focus on their fundamental aim of supporting groundbreaking playwrights whose voices the New York theater community at large has yet to hear. Through programs including extending Interstate 73, the doubling of the Page 73 Playwriting Fellowship, 11-day playwright virtual residencies and New Play Conversations, and a new initiative offering playwrights self-directed writing retreats, Page 73 has helped playwrights ready work for the return of production.

Performance Schedule and Ticketing

The production takes place March 1-April 2, 2022 at The Connelly Theater, 220 East 4th Street, NYC. Performances are Monday - Saturdays at 7:30pm, with 2 PM matinees on March 19th and 26th.

Tickets cost $26 for General Admission and $41 for Reserved Seating during Previews. After Opening, tickets cost $36 for General Admission and $51 for Reserved Seating.

$10 Ticket Initiative

There are ten $10 tickets available for each performance of Man Cave, offered to those who general admission prices would otherwise prevent from attending.

Buy a Sponsor Ticket

A $73 sponsor ticket buys a reserved seat and helps subsidize the $10 ticket initiative program.

Please note their covid-19 audience safety protocols:

* You will need to show a photo ID and proof of vaccination before entering.

* You must wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times.

* Social distancing between audience and performers will be enforced.

One dollar of every ticket sold to Man Cave is allocated to The Campaign for Page 73, the initiative to raise $2 million to bolster the organization's ability to discover the best playwrights and give them the support they need to continue to make a massive impact on the new canon of American theatre. For more information and to make a Campaign donation, please visit: page73.org/campaign.

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