ABANDON ALL HOPE Off-Broadway Hit is Coming to Philadelphia's Beacon Church

Philadelphia, PA (August 2023) - Writer/producer Peter Fenton and actress/producer Avery Kellington will return to the Philly theater scene in August, mounting the Philadelphia premiere of Fenton's dramedy play, Abandon All Hope, after selling out the world premiere at Theatre Row in New York City as part of the Rogue Theater Festival in June. The play will be staged in the sanctuary of Beacon Church in Olde Kensington on August 18th & 19th. Abandon All Hope takes inspiration from The Good Place, Knives Out, and Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit as it explores ethics, organized Christianity, and identity with clever wit and a streak of dark comedy.

All members of the cast and creative team are slated to return from the New York City production. The play is directed by actor and New York City theater veteran Gorman Ruggiero (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Calf Rope) and produced by Peter Fenton and Avery Kellington with special thanks to Suzanne Fisher. Kellington portrays the fun-loving demon TERESA and is joined by cast members Yuliana Sleme, Jonathan P. Chen, and Michael De Los Angeles. Avery Kellington is represented by The Avenue Agency and Yuliana Sleme is represented by Arcos Talent Management.

"We are thrilled to bring Abandon All Hope to a new audience in an atypical performance space," says Kellington. "Staging a play that takes place in Hell in an actual church introduces a new level of meaning to an already-rich narrative." Fenton adds, "We've got some real momentum with this show. We sold out an Off-Broadway venue! This cast is immensely talented and I can't wait to show my home city this powerful story. All I can see are possibilities for this show, the cast, and creative team."

"At Beacon Church, we recognize that our lives are always lives of great theological, ethical, and personal wrestling," shares Rev. Laura Colee, Senior Pastor of Beacon Church. "We are so excited to watch Abandon All Hope bring these internal struggles to life in our space!"

Abandon All Hope's Philadelphia premiere will be two performances at Beacon Church, one on Friday, August 18th, and the other on Saturday, August 19th, both starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available through Eventbrite starting at $25 before fees.

About Abandon All Hope:

When three college freshmen (a scrappy activist, a naïve evangelical and a cocky analyst) meet in Hell, which appears as a dorm room, a fun-loving demon challenges them to a game with astronomical stakes, which draws out each one's fatal flaws in their confrontations with each other and themselves. The winner will go to Heaven at the cost of the others' eternal torture.

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