Bristol Riverside Theatre Presents SKELETON CREW By Tony Nominee Dominique Morriseau

Bristol Riverside Theatre's 35th Anniversary Season continues with Bucks County premiere of TONY Nominee (Ain't Too Proud) Dominique Morriseau's timely play about four Detroit auto workers, Skeleton Crew.

This OBIE Award recipient and multiple Audelco Award winner in its 2016 premiere at Atlantic Theatre Company in New York is the third play in her Detroit Project (A three play cycle that includes Paradise Blue and Detroit '67). The BRT production is directed by Cameron Knight, the new head of the BFA Acting Program at Rutgers University and features an ensemble of actors making their BRT debuts. Skeleton Crew runs November 2nd to November 21st. Opening Night is Thursday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 to $50, with discounts available for students and military. A limited number of $10 tickets are available for Bristol Township residents courtesy of Flager & Associates, PC. As always, Bristol Borough residents can receive $5 tickets for preview performances. For this show, audience members must show proof of vaccinations and wear a mask. For tickets and health protocols, visit brtstage.org or call 215-785-0100.

In this riveting play, four Detroit auto workers panic as rumors that their factory is closing circulate through the tight-knit work community. With their futures unknown, each of the workers must make difficult choices about loyalty to each other, the company, and themselves. In this timely play by MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" recipient Dominique Morisseau, who also spent three seasons as a co-producer of Showtime's Shameless, audiences go back to the start of the Great Recession where one of the last auto stamping plants in Detroit is on shaky ground. Each of the workers have to make choices on how to move forward. Shanita has to decide how she'll support herself and her unborn child, Faye has to decide how and where she'll live, and Dez has to figure out how to make his ambitious dreams a reality. Power dynamics shift as their manager Reggie is torn between doing right by his work family, and by the red tape in his office. This powerful and tense play showcases the families we make at work and how we bring each other through the hard times when dynamics shift.

"We saw this play in New York and immediately thought this would be the perfect play to bring to Bristol," said BRT Producing Director Ken Kaissar. "The characters in this play are not only hardworking, they are also very caring and they think of each other as family. They are a tight knit community, and that's exactly how we think of Bristol, a tight knit community. So we thought our audience would really connect with and appreciate this play."

Cameron Knight is at the helm of this Bucks County premiere. Everyone involved in the show is making their BRT debut. His cast includes Malik Childs as Dez. Childs is a Detroit native. He recently appeared in Soft by Donja R. Love and Orlando by Sarah Ruhl produced by Williamstown Theatre Festival. He will make his off-Broadway debut in the spring with Roundabout Theatre Company. Lisa Strum plays Faye. She appeared in Sweat at People's Light. She also was in Lines in the Dust directed by Awoye Timpo and starred as Rose in Fences with the REP and Virginia REP. Joell Well plays Shanita. She appeared in Little Rock (Off Broadway), Dreamgirls (Village Theatre), and Grease (5th Ave Theatre). Marquis Wood plays Reggie. Wood is a classically trained actor, singer, and rapper. He was in the original cast of Black No More and was the lead in No Doubt on Amazon Prime.

The set is designed by Britton Mauk. He is a Pittsburgh-based scenic designer. He designed two world premieres The Burdens at City Theatre and Old Man and the Sea at Pittsburgh Playhouse. Bay Area based designer Sarah Smith is designing the costumes. She designed costumes for the filmed production of The Catastrophist. Chicago based designer Jared Gooding is the Lighting Designer. Before the pandemic, he designed The Agitators at Remy Bumbo Theater and Clybourne Park at University of Indiana NW. The Sound Designer is Michael Keck. Pre-pandemic, Keck designed The Children at Seattle Repertory Theatre and Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express at Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Having Knight at the helm of a BRT show has been something Producing Director Ken Kaissar has wanted to see happen. Years ago, Kaissar met Knight when Knight taught in North Carolina and Kaissar shadowed one of his acting Shakespeare classes. Kaissar noticed how Knight worked with actors and was impressed. He wanted to work with Knight. Skeleton Crew opened the door for it. Knight is currently the head of the BFA Acting Program at Rutgers University.

"He was amazing with the actors," said Kaissar. "The work he got from them was just beautiful, and I thought, I've got to work with this director someday. So when we needed a director for Skeleton Crew he was an obvious choice. Cameron taught at my Alma Mater, Carnegie Mellon, and now he is the new Head of BFA Acting at Rutgers University. They are definitely lucky to have a teacher of his caliber teaching there, and we are so fortunate to have him in Bristol working on this show."

Knight is excited about his time at BRT and he is looking forward to directing this searing play. "The people and the leadership are wonderful (at BRT)," said Knight. "Dominique Morriseau masterfully captures the stories, the people at the heart of our country's struggles, hopes and dreams. It is an honor to work on this play. Being from Michigan, it is a dream to bring stories like these to more audiences. I hope that a conversation is sparked that they carry with them about what is at stake and who we are in the high and low moments of our lives," said Knight. "We are intertwined and share much more than we often want to admit. I hope we can shed some light on that and provoke thought and conversation which can lead to action."

Now in their second show of this season. BRT is enjoying having a bustling, open theatre again. The theatre is looking forward to bringing audiences back again. "We love having audiences back in our space. This time they can expect a very intelligent and beautifully written script by Dominique Morisseau filled with lots of heart," said Kaissar. "The four-person acting ensemble is incredible, and this is a chance to see top-notch acting up close and personal. The play is a wonderful comment on the resilience of the human spirit. The struggles are real and relatable, and watching the characters navigate their predicaments is ultimately very uplifting and inspiring."

Honorary Associate Producers for Skeleton Crew are Andrew and Harriet Singer.

For the production of Skeleton Crew all audience members will be required to wear masks at all times when inside the theatre and show proof of full vaccination with a matching identification. Full vaccination means the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. For future shows, please stay tuned for continued updates that follow CDC, state and local guidelines.

For continued COVID protocols, BRT has upgraded its filtration to a MERV-13 as recommended by the CDC. The theatre will continue thorough and more frequent disinfection with CDC recommended products and special attention to high-touch areas. The theatre has installed touchless paper towel dispensers in all bathrooms. Hand sanitizer will be available in the lobby at all times. Updated health and safety protocols will be updated on the website during the season for each show and special event.

Skeleton Crew is followed by BRT's popular holiday special event, An American Christmas Songbook (December 9 to December 19, 2021). In the new year, audiences will experience a mystery between two high school students in Lauren Gunderson's I and You (January 25 to February 13, 2022). Next, audiences will roar with laughter at the hilarious Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors (March 8 to March 27, 2022). The season closes with Aaron Sorkin's searing masterpiece A Few Good Men (May 3 to May 22, 2022).

Subscriptions for the 2021-22 season are still available starting at $124. Single tickets are also on sale starting at $43. For information, visit www.brtstage.org.

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