American Premiere Of Tom Wells' BROKEN BISCUITS Comes to 1812 Productions

1812 Productions will present the American premiere of Tom Wells' comedy Broken Biscuits. Named for the boxes of broken cookies in every cupboard in England, Broken Biscuits premiered in Newcastle upon Tyne before touring the UK in 2016. Broken Biscuits stars a trio of young artists making their 1812 debuts, Amanda Jill Robinson, Leigha Kato, and Michael Macri. Broken Biscuits will play October 4th thru the 28th at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Street in Center City. Opening night will be Wednesday, October 10th at 7:00pm.

Set in the working class city of Hull, Broken Biscuits tells the story of three sixteen-year-olds, Megan, Holly, and Ben, who have officially lost any chance of being a part of the in-crowd. Facing the overwhelming prospect of leaving school and life away from home, Megan has an epiphany. She and her friends are going to become rock 'n' roll icons. Nevermind that they don't play instruments and have no musical ability whatsoever. Rock 'n' roll is their ticket to love, acceptance, and adulation. In the garage behind Megan's parents' house, these three outsiders put their dreams on display in a hysterical coming-of-age story for our times.

Playwright Tom Wells, whose work often returns to themes of reclaimed opportunities and nonconformists finding their voices, says of Broken Biscuits, "I like writing about people struggling with quite ordinary things, and maybe that happens quite a lot when you're a teenager. All the awkward, embarrassing, funny stuff-exams and Saturday jobs and parents and wearing bad clothes, listening to the wrong music, not having sex-it all gets mixed up with figuring out who you are a bit, where you fit in in the world and where you don't."

With a set design by Lance Kniskern, lighting design by Maria Shaplin, and costumes by Alison Roberts, the production team also welcomes long-time 1812 performer Dave Jadico. Jadico is an improviser and multi-instrumentalist who will take the cast through a rigorous course in learning several instruments and making rock 'n' roll on the fly. In addition to original music by Matthew Robins, this new production will also feature arrangements and music direction by Barrymore Award-winning sound designer and 1812 collaborator Christopher Colucci.

"When I first read Broken Biscuits I fell in love with the hilarious dialogue and these characters that are so winning and finely drawn," says the show's director Jennifer Childs. "It also has something to say about the need for kindness and authenticity in the midst of an unkind and dismissive world that I really connect to. It is a familiar story in many ways but I think its exuberance and positivity is welcome and necessary right now."

Broken Biscuits will have an open-captioned performance in English on Sunday, October 14 at 2:00 pm. The show will also have a bilingual performance on Wednesday, October 17 at 6:30pm with the performance in English and open-captioning in Spanish.

Broken Biscuits will play October 4 thru October 28 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, in Center City, Philadelphia. Opening Night will be Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00 pm. Tickets range from $28-$44 and are available at 215-592-9560 or at www.1812productions.org.