Rattlestick & Women's Project's THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW Begins Next Month

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and Women's Project Theater will present the world premiere of The Undeniable Sound of Right Now, written by Laura Eason (S e x with Strangers,"House of Cards") and directed by Kirsten Kelly (Slipping), beginning Thursday, March 19 at 7pm at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place, west of Seventh Avenue South. Opening night is set for Thursday, April 2 at 7pm. The production is set to run through Saturday, May 2.

It's 1992. Hank is struggling to keep his legendary rock club going amid changing times and changing tastes. When his daughter starts dating a rising star DJ, Hank must contend with the destructive power of the next big thing-The Undeniable Sound of Right Now.

The cast of The Undeniable Sound of Right Nowis Daniel Abeles (Where We're Born), Jeb Brown (Beautiful), Chris Kipniak (Macbeth), Brian Miskell (The Hill Town Plays), Margo Seibert (Rocky), and Lusia Strus (Elling).

Laura Eason is the author of twenty plays, original work and adaptation, a musical book writer and screenwriter. Selected productions include: S e x With Strangers (Second Stage, NYC; Signature Theatre, DC; Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago; Sydney Theatre, AU; Blackwing Productions, Buenos Aires, Argentina; published by Overlook Press and DPS); The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Hartford Stage, CT; New Victory, NYC; People's Light, PA; Actor's Theatre, KY; KC Rep; St. Louis Rep; Denver Center, published by DPS); and Around the World in 80 Days (New Vic and Royal Exchange, UK; Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago; Baltimore Centerstage; published by Broadway Play Publishing). She wrote the book for the musicals Days Like Today, music and lyrics by Alan Schmuckler (Writers Theatre, Chicago), and Summerland, music by Jenny Giering, lyrics by Sean Barry (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre commission). Additional plays include: The Vast In-Between (Denver Center commission), Remarkable Invisible (Ambassador Theatre Group commission), Every Reason to Hope and Believe (Repertory of St. Louis commission), 40 Days (NEA grant), Plainfield Ace and an adaptation of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (Arden Theatre commission), among others. As a screenwriter, Laura is a writer on the Netflix's show "House of Cards" (WGA nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Drama Series). She is an ensemble member and former Artistic Director of Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre (2011 Regional Tony Award). In New York, she is a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, New Georges, and a Women's Project Playwright's Lab alumna. More information available at www.lauraeason.com and @LeasonNYC on Twitter.

Kirsten Kelly is a theatre director, educator and documentary filmmaker. Recent credits include Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Kirsten is the creator of CPS Shakespeare! and was just awarded the President's 2014 Award for Youth Programs in the Arts & Humanities at a ceremony at the White House with Michelle Obama. New York theatre credits include shows for The Shakespeare Society, Roots&Branches Theatre (an intergenerational theatre company), Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre and Piece by Piece Productions (off-Broadway), Rising Phoenix Rep, The Juilliard School and Lincoln Center. Kirsten also directed Big Love in Washington D.C. (Helen Hayes nomination for Best Direction), and the D.C. premieres of The Clockmaker and Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gillman (Helen Hayes Nomination, Best Direction) as well as the Midwest/Chicago premiere of Mamet's Boston Marriage (After Dark Award, Best Director). Recent documentary film credits include: The Homestretch, a feature film about homeless high school students in Chicago Public Schools which was supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the Sundance Institute and will appear on PBS Independent Lens on April 13, 2015 as part of the American Graduate Initiative with Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She is also in development on The Girl With the Rivet Gun, an animated new media film project based on Rosie the Riveter. Kirsten is a Fellow at the Sundance Documentary Institute and a graduate of the Master's Directing program at Juilliard. She is the former Associate Artistic Director of Roots&Branches and is a proud member of Rising Phoenix Repertory. Kirsten directed for many years in Chicago and was the former Artistic Director of Strawdog Theatre.

Daniel Abeles (Nash). Theatre: Where We're Born (Rattlestick; Hill Town Plays), Wyoming (Lesser America), reasons to be pretty (Philadelphia Theater Company), Offices (Atlantic Theater Company), Helping People (IRT), Squealer (Lesser America), Too Much Too Soon (Lesser America), Keep Your Baggage With You... (NYIT nominee), Too Little Too Late (NYIT nominee), The Gnadiges Fraulein (Provincetown), The Comedy of Errors (Lake George). TV: "Forever," "Elementary," "Smash"(recurring),"Law & Order," "Wallflowers" (recurring). Film: Seattle Road, You Bury Your Own, Son of Mourning, Gasoline. Education: NYU Tisch. Founding member and producing director of Lesser America.

Jeb Brown (Hank) recently played legendary pop/rock leisure suit "Don Kirshner" in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Other Broadway: Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Time Stands Still, High Fidelity, Ring of Fire, Aida, I'm Not Rappaport, Grease, Bring Back Birdie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Off-Broadway: Romantic Poetry, Game Show. Regional: Steppenwolf, McCarter, Old Globe, Actors Theatre Louisville, Dallas Theatre Center, Kennedy Center, Ford's Theatre, Coconut Grove, Hartford Theatreworks, Paper Mill. TV: "Law and Order: SVU," "Star Trek: DS9," and so many in between. Film: The Dictator, Salt, The Namesake, Renaissance Man, I'll Do Anything. Co-Founder of LA's award-winning Evidence Room Theatre Project. Yale. Various bands.

Chris Kipiniak (Joey). Broadway: Macbeth with Alan Cumming (dirs. John Tiffany/Andrew Goldberg); Metamorphoses (dir. Mary Zimmerman). Off-Broadway: Kit Marlowe (Public Theater), Charles Winn Speaks... (Living Image Arts), Nora (Marvell Repertory). Regional: Huntington Theater, Lookingglass Theater, Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory, Mark Taper Forum, Goodman Theater. Film/TV/Web: Love Life (also writer), Deal Travis In, "The Blacklist," "The Good Wife", "Delocated"; the web series "Real Actors Read . . ." Playwright: Save the World (Roundtable Ensemble), Iiiinsaaaaaaaane!, Change the Be, Stalled (Horse Trade Theater Group).Comics Writing: Nightcrawler, Amazing Fantasy, Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man for Marvel comics, and the upcoming Behemoth from MonkeyBrain comics. www.chriskipiniak.com.

Brian Miskell (Toby). Recent credits include The Hill Town Plays by Lucy Thurber (Rattlestick, Obie Award), The Aliens by Annie Baker at The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) and The SF Playhouse (West Coast premiere), Eightythree Down (Horse Trade; NY Innovative Theatre Nomination), Barn (Rising Phoenix Rep),Home Universe (Columbia Stages), The Un-Marrying Project (Purple Rep),The Sunken Living Room (Theater 80). Company member with Rising Phoenix Rep. Brian studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute and graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Upcoming at Rattlestick in May 2015: Afghanistan Zimbabwe America Kuwait, written and directed by Daniel Talbott. www.brianmiskell.com

Margo Seibert (Lena) made her Broadway debut as Adrian in the musical adaptation of Rocky and starred off-Broadway as Tamar in Marisa Michelson and Josh Cohen's acclaimed Tamar and the River, for which she was nominated for a 2014 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Margo has developed work at The Public, MTC, Playwrights Horizons, NAMT, The O'Neill Center, New Dramatists, and has originated roles in pieces for award-winning writers, including David Byrne, Ahrens & Flaherty, Goldrich & Heisler, Adam Gwon and more. Aside from her extensive work in theatre, Margo has appeared on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." She graduated from American University with a degree in International Business.

Lusia Strus (Bette). Women's Project Theater and Rattlestick debut. Broadway: Enron, Elling. Off-Broadway: The Retributionists (Playwrights Horizons). Other credits include Ironbound; Good People (Jeff Award nomination-Supporting Actress); her own solo show, It Ain't No Fairy Tale (LA Weekly Award-Solo Performance); Hysteria, Our Town and Whispering City (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Commons of Pensacola (Northlight Theatre); Love's Labours Lost, Merry Wives of Windsor (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Henry IV (Royal Shakespeare Company); Big Love (Goodman Theatre/BAM); SLAVS!, Go Away Go Away (Jeff Award-Principal Actress) (European Repertory Theatre); Travesties and John Guare's World Premier of Are You There, McPhee? (McCarter Theater); and many years of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (Chicago and New York City) as a Neo-Futurist. Film: Gus Van Sant's Restless, 50 First Dates, Miss Congeniality 2, Stir of Echoes and independents currently in festivals include Kelly and Cal, The Mend, Cotton. TV: "Modern Family," "Blue Bloods," "Wayward Pines" (Fall-2015).

The set design for The Undeniable Sound of Right Now is by John McDermott (Dry Land); costume design is by Sarah Holden (Bethany); lighting design is by Joel Moritz (Scarcity); sound design is by Lindsay Jones (Bronx Bombers); properties design is by Judy Merrick.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is an award-winning company that has produced over sixty world premieres in the past nineteen seasons and was the recipient of the 2007 Ross Wetzsteon Memorial OBIE Award for developing new and innovative work. Previous plays include Two Boys in a Bed, Message to Michael, Carpool, Volunteer Man, A Trip to the Beach, Ascendancy, Stuck, Vick's Boy, The Messenger, Saved or Destroyed, Neil's Garden, My Special Friend, Faster, Bliss, St. Crispin's Day, Where We're Born, Five Flights, Boise, Finer Noble Gases, That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play, God Hates The Irish: The Ballad of Armless Johnny, Miss Julie, Acts of Mercy: passion-play, Cagelove, It Goes Without Saying, Dark Matters, Stay, American Sligo, Rag and Bone, War, Geometry of Fire, The Amish Project, Killers and Other Family, Post No Bills, Blind, Little Doc, underneathmybed, There Are No More Big Secrets, The Hallway Trilogy, Carson McCullers Talks About Love, The Wood, Asuncion, Horsedreams, Yosemite, Massacre (Sing to Your Children), 3C, Through the Yellow Hour, A Summer Day, The Revisionist starring Vanessa Redgrave and Jesse Eisenberg, Buyer & Cellar (2013 Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance), Basilica, Charles Ives Take Me Home, One Night..., How to Make Friends and then Kill Them, The Correspondent, Ode to Joy, The Few, A FABLE, the Off-Broadway GLAAD Award-nominated hit The Last Sunday in June, Craig Wright's The Pavilion (Drama Desk nominee-Outstanding Play of 2005) and Lady (Drama Desk nominee-Outstanding Play of 2008), The Aliens by Annie Baker (2010 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play), as well as The Hilltown Plays (2014 OBIE Award). www.rattlestick.org.

Women's Project Theater the nation's oldest and largest theater company dedicated to developing, producing, and promoting the work of female theater artists at every stage in their careers. WP Theater supports female-identified theater artists and the world-class, groundbreaking work they create, and provides a platform where their voices can be heard and celebrated on the American stage. Founded in 1978 by visionary producer, Julia Miles, WP has been the launching pad for many of our nation's most important theater artists. Eve Ensler, María Irene Fornés, Katori Hall, Pam MacKinnon, Lynn Nottage and Leigh Silverman, among many, many others, all found early artistic homes here. Throughout its 37 year history, WP has produced over 600 main stage productions and developmental projects, and published 11 anthologies of plays. No other producing institution in the country can claim this kind of ongoing history of advocacy and support for women in the theater, and we look ahead to the next generation of artists who will also begin their careers here. WP Theater accomplishes its mission through several fundamental programs: the WP Lab, a two-year mentorship and new play development program for women playwrights, directors, and producers; the Playwright In Residence commissioning program; the Developmental series; and the Main Stage series, which features a full season of Off-Broadway productions written and directed by extraordinary theater artists. www.wptheater.org

The Undeniable Sound of Right Now plays Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7pm; Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm and 8pm; Sunday at 3pm. The ticket price for preview performances is $30; ticket price for performances beginning April 2 is $45. Student tickets are $15; theater artist and under-30 tickets are $20. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.rattlestick.org or by phoning OvationTix at 866.811.4111. Prices and performance schedule are subject to change. Please refer to the Rattlestick website for the most up-to-date information.

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