Roundabout Underground's BOBBIE CLEARLY Begins Previews Tomorrow
By: Julie Musbach Mar. 07, 2018
Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) is pleased to present the New York premiere of Bobbie Clearly by Alex Lubischer, directed by Will Davis. This is the second play in Roundabout Underground's expanded two-play season, following Too Heavy for Your Pocket by Jiréh Breon Holder this fall.
The cast includes Gabriel Brown (Pete Pfeifer), Sasha Diamond (Meghan Gotschell), Ethan Dubin (Bobbie Clearly), Crystal Finn (Jane Welch),Marcus Ho (Russ Scott), Christopher Innvar (Stanley Welch), Tyler Lea (Eddie Welch), Talene Monahon (Megan Currie), Brian Quijada (Mitch Backes), Constance Shulman (Darla London) and JD Taylor (Derek Nelson).
The New York premiere of Bobbie Clearly begins preview performances Off-Broadway tomorrow, Thursday, March 8, 2018 and opens officially onTuesday, April 3, 2018 at the Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, May 6, 2018. All tickets for Roundabout Underground productions are $25.
Something unspeakable happened in the middle of a cornfield two years ago. Now, at last, the upstanding residents of Milton, Nebraska-from the cop and the nurse to the co-captains of the dance team, and even Bobbie himself-are ready to tell you their sides of the story. Nebraskan Alex Lubischer, a second-year candidate in the Playwriting Program at Yale School of Drama and the newest voice discovered by Roundabout Underground, pushes the boundaries of our Black Box Theatre with a sprawling cast of eccentric characters and an ambitious narrative that pulls back the husk of rural life.
Now in its 11th season, Roundabout Underground has proven an enormous success since the program debuted in 2007 with Stephen Karam's hit comedy Speech and Debate. Karam's first play commissioned by Roundabout-Sons of the Prophet-was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and his second commission, The Humans, won the Tony Award for Best Play after transferring from the Laura Pels Theatre to Broadway. Joshua Harmon also made his professional debut with Roundabout Underground with the hit Bad Jews. His play, Significant Other, premiered Off-Broadway at Roundabout and transferred to Broadway last season; his new play, Skintight, will premiere at the Laura Pels Theatre in Spring 2018 starring Idina Menzel. Fellow Underground alumnus Steven Levenson (The Language of Trees) won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for his Broadway debut with Dear Evan Hansen, while simultaneously debuting his new play, If I Forget, Off-Broadway at Roundabout. After the success of Too Much, Too Much, Too Many in 2013, Roundabout commissioned playwright Meghan Kennedy to write Napoli, Brooklyn. Lindsey Ferrentino, who made her Roundabout debut with Ugly Lies the Bone, returned with Amy and the Orphans, which is currently playing at the Laura Pels Theatre in the spring.
Bobbie Clearly continues the 11th season of Roundabout Underground, with the goal of introducing and cultivating young artists in Roundabout's 62-seat Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. Bobbie Clearly was presented as part of last year's Underground Reading Series at Roundabout, and is the second production in the Roundabout Underground's expanded two-play 2017-2018 season. Prior productions include the acclaimed world premieres of Stephen Karam's Speech & Debate (2007), Steven Levenson's The Language of Trees (2008), Adam Gwon's Ordinary Days (2009), Kim Rosenstock's Tigers Be Still (2010), David West Read's The Dream of the Burning Boy (2011), Andrew Hinderaker's Suicide, Incorporated (2011), Joshua Harmon's Bad Jews (2012), Meghan Kennedy's Too Much, Too Much, Too Many (2013), Jeff Augustin's Little Children Dream of God (2015), Lindsey Ferrentino's Ugly Lies the Bone (2015), Jenny Rachel Weiner's Kingdom Come (2016), Martín Zimmerman's On the Exhale (2017) and Jiréh Breon Holder's Too Heavy for Your Pocket (2017).
Roundabout Underground showcases new plays that will either give a debut production to an emerging writer or director, or allow an experienced director to go back to his/her creative roots. Jill Rafson (Director of New Play Development) serves as Artistic Producer for this initiative that continues to be a creative breeding ground for nurturing new talent.
The 62-seat Black Box Theatre, below the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, allows Roundabout to take artistic risks that are better suited for a more intimate space.
The creative team for Bobbie Clearly includes: Arnulfo Maldonado (Sets), Ásta Hostetter (Costumes), Jen Schreiver (Lighting) and Palmer Hefferan (Sound).
Major support for Bobbie Clearly and Roundabout Underground is provided by Jodi Glucksman.
Roundabout's work with new and emerging playwrights and directors, as well as development of new work, is made possible by Katheryn Patterson and Tom Kempner.Alex Lubischer is Roundabout's 2017-18 Tow Foundation Playwright in Residence.
TICKET INFORMATION:
All tickets for Bobbie Clearly are $25 General Admission tickets and are available by calling 212.719.1300, online at roundabouttheatre.org, in person at any Roundabout box office: American Airlines Theatre Box office (227 West 42nd Street); The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 W 46th Street) and Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street). For groups of 10 or more please call 212-719-9393 x 365 or emailgroupsales@roundabouttheatre.org.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Bobbie Clearly will play Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:00PM with Saturday matinees at 1:30PM and Sunday matinees at 2:00PM.
The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre opened in March 2004 with an acclaimed premiere of Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparelstarring Viola Davis, directed by Dan Sullivan. Since that landmark production, the center has expanded beyond the Laura Pels Theatre to include the Black Box Theatre and now a new education center. The Steinberg Center continues to reflect Roundabout's commitment to produce new works by established and emerging writers as well as revivals of classic plays. This state-of-the-art off-Broadway theatre and education complex is made possible by a major gift from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. The Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg to promote and advance American Theatre as a vital part of our culture by supporting playwrights, encouraging the development and production of new work, and providing financial assistance to not-for-profit theatre companies across the country. Since its inception, the Trust has awarded over $70 million to more than 125 theatre organizations.
Roundabout Underground's home is a 62-seat Black Box Theatre, which is also used year-round by Roundabout's education department for its activities including student productions and professional development workshops.
We gratefully acknowledge the Roundabout Leaders for New Works: Alec Baldwin, James Costa and John Archibald, Linda L. D'Onofrio, Peggy and Mark Ellis, Jodi Glucksman, Sylvia Golden, Hess Foundation, Inc., Judith and Douglas Krupp, K. Myers, Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, Laura S. Rodgers, Seedlings Foundation, Mary Solomon, Lauren and Danny Stein, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Dr. Leonard Tow, and Lori Uddenberg.
Roundabout Theatre Company is committed to producing the highest quality theatre with the finest artists, sharing stories that endure, and providing accessibility to all audiences. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills its mission each season through the production of classic plays and musicals; development and production of new works by established and emerging writers; educational initiatives that enrich the lives of children and adults; and a subscription model and audience outreach programs that cultivate and engage all audiences.
Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals, and new works on its five stages, each of which is specifically designed to enhance the needs of Roundabout's mission. Off-Broadway, the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre, with its simple sophisticated design, is perfectly suited to showcasing new plays. The grandeur of its Broadway home on 42nd Street, American Airlines Theatre, sets the ideal stage for the classics. Roundabout's Studio 54 provides an exciting and intimate Broadway venue for its musical and special event productions. The Stephen Sondheim Theatre offers a state of the art LEED certified Broadway theatre in which to stage major large-scale musical revivals. Together these distinctive homes serve to enhance Roundabout's work on each of its stages.
American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Roundabout's season in 2017-2018 includes Tom Stoppard's Travesties, directed by Patrick Marber.
Roundabout's new off-Broadway season dedicated to new work at the Harold & Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre in 2017-2018 includes Amy and the Orphans, by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Scott Ellis; Skintight, by Joshua Harmon, directed by Daniel Aukin.
Roundabout Underground's 2017-2018 season includes Bobbie Clearly, by Alex Lubischer.
In 2018-2019 season, Roundabout will produce a new Broadway production of Kiss Me Kate, directed by Scott Ellis and starring Kelli O'Hara. Roundabout Underground's 2018-2019 season will include Usual Girls by Ming Peiffer, directed by Tyne Rafaeli.
Photo Credit: Jenny Anderson
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