The Civilians' New Musical PRETTY FILTHY Opens Tonight at Abrons Arts Center

The Civilians' world premiere production Pretty Filthy opens tonight, February 8, 2015, kicking off the 100th anniversary celebration of the Playhouse at Abrons Arts Center.

The Civilians is known for its singular approach to making what it calls 'investigative theater,' a process in which the show's creators immerse themselves in a subject matter, conducting extensive interviews and research. This brand of journalistic theater-making enables the company to tackle complex subjects with intelligence, humanity and humor.

Drawing on extensive interviews and research, The Civilians' Pretty Filthy explores the real stories of people in the adult entertainment industry. Running now through March 1, Pretty Filthy is directed by Steve Cosson, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman and a book by Bess Wohl, along with the same design team behind last season's Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play.

Inspired by a tradition of classic musicals about show business, Pretty Filthy is the untold showbiz musical, based on interviews with adult entertainers. Armed with their notepads and recorders, The Civilians crossed the mountain range that divides Hollywood from the "other Hollywood"-the San Fernando Valley, world capital of porn. The creative team conducted interviews and visited sets to get an insider's glimpse into a world that is far more than the sum of its (very) visible parts. The Civilians' time in the Valley captured a singular time in our culture; this digital era that's radically transformed the business of sex. Pretty Filthy is ultimately a story about trying to make a life and a living in an ever-changing world-a task that's all the more complicated when your work is so intimately tied to customer "satisfaction."

The cast features Alyse Alan Louis (Mamma Mia!), Luba Mason (Chicago, Jekyll & Hyde, How to Succeed...), Steve Rosen (Spamalot, The Farnsworth Invention), Marrick Smith (The Underclassman, Fun Home), Maria-Christina Oliveras (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Here Lies Love), and John Behlmann (Journey's End, The 39 Steps).

The artistic team includes Neil Patel (set design), Emily Rebholz (costume design), Justin Townsend (lighting design), Ken Travis (sound design), Darrel Maloney (projection design), Sam Pinkleton (choreographer), Nathan Dame (music director) and Terri Kohler (production stage manager).

Tickets are $55 and can be purchased by visiting abronsartscenter.org or by calling 212.352.3101.

Led by Artistic Director Steve Cosson, The Civilians creates new theater from creative investigations into the most vital questions of the present. This season, the company is the first ever theater company in residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Last season saw Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play produced by Playwrights Horizons(included in eight Top 10 of 2013 Lists), as well as The Great Immensity at The Public Theater. Since its founding in 2001, the OBIE award-winning company has been produced at The Public Theater, Vineyard Theatre, BAM Next Wave Festival, Barrow Street Theater, Playwrights Horizons; and nationally at Center Theatre Group, A.R.T., La Jolla Playhouse, HBO's US Comedy Festival, the TED Conference, and Actors Theatre of Louisville, among others. The company also produces the popular podcast Let Me Ascertain You.

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