Photo Flash: BUMP Opens Tonight at Ensemble Studio Theatre

Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) presents the World Premiere of BUMP, written by Chiara Atik and directed by Claudia Weill. Part of the EST/Sloan Science & Technology Project, BUMP opens May 17, for a limited run through June 3, 2018.

The cast of BUMP will include Gilbert Cruz (Little Children Dream of God) as "Luis," Adriana Sananes (La Caída de Trujillo at Teatro Círculo) as "Maria," Ana Nogueira ("The Vampire Diaries") as "Claudia," Lucy DeVito (Hot Mess) as "Mary," Jenny O'Hara ("Transparent") as "Midwife," Kelly Anne Burns (The Navigator) as "Apple," Kelli Lynn Harrison (Big Girl) as "Grapefruit," Erica Lutz (Of Mice and Men) as "Lemon," Kristen Adele (Myrna in Transit) as "Turnip," Laura Ramadei (The Oregon Trail) as "Avocado," Susan Hyon (Trigger) as "Walnut," and Jonathan Randell Silver (Please Continue) as "YouTube Guy."

BUMP will feature set design by Kristen Robinson ([porto]), lighting design by Gina Scherr (Little Children Dream of God), costume design by Suzanne Chesney (Fast Company), and sound design by M.L. Dogg (Downtown Race Riot).

Chiara Atik's BUMP follows three different stories of three separate quests for knowledge, all about one thing. A girl in colonial New England, expectant mothers on a pregnancy message board, and a mechanic about to become a grandfather all attempt to discover more about the miracle of childbirth. BUMP will be directed by Claudia Weill and is presented in partnership with The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Tickets for BUMP are now on sale and can be purchased at www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/bump at the highly limited $20 pre-sale rate. Beginning May 9, 2018, tickets will be available for $30, with tickets for students and seniors available for $25. The performance schedule is as follows: Monday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 7pm, Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 5pm.

BUMP was originally commissioned by the EST/Sloan Project in 2014. Since then EST has worked with playwright Chiara Atik on multiple drafts, including a two-week workshop as part of the 2016 First Light Festival and two stints at the program's summer script development intensive at SPACE on Ryder Farm. Atik is a graduate of the Obie Award-winning EST/Youngblood program, and a portion of BUMP had its origins as a short play written for Youngblood's monthly Sunday Brunch series, specifically its annual crossover with the Sloan Project, the Youngblood Science Brunch. The production of BUMP demonstrates the potential of these longstanding play development programs at EST.

Photo Credit: Gerry Goodstein

To post a comment, you must register and login.