Jeb Kreager & Brian Osborne to Star in TRUE WEST at Theatre Exile, 1/30-2/23

Following a widely acclaimed start to its 17th season, South Philadelphia-based Theatre Exile will move to the larger Plays & Players Theatre to present Sam Shepard's modern classic True West. Directed by Exile Associate Artistic Director Matt Pfeiffer, True West features local actors Jeb Kreager and BrIan Osborne as brothers Austin and Lee. Performances run January 30 - February 23, 2014. [Full schedule is below].

In True West, two brothers who have taken opposite paths in life - Austin, a screenwriter, and Lee, a drifter - reunite in the suburbs of Southern California when Austin is housesitting for their mother (E. Ashley Izard). The brothers' jealousy toward each other is heightened when Saul (Joe Canuso), a Hollywood producer, enters the scene. Fighting for identity and determined to expose each other as frauds, the brothers collide in a sometimes-terrifying, darkly comic struggle for dominance where the powder keg between them threatens to explode at any moment.

True West will be performed in the Plays & Players Theatre, a premier Philadelphia location for classic works. Scenic designer Matt Saunders will take advantage of the venue's grandeur and create a set to capture the gritty, emotional immediacy that exists between the characters. The result will contrast the realism of Shepard's play with the reality of the theater space itself. In an environment in which authenticity is questioned, and the audience is left to determine what is real and what is not.

"It is exciting for Theatre Exile to plunge into the world of Sam Shepard," says Director Matt Pfeiffer. "His plays are dark, dangerous and absurdly funny; qualities that perfectly define the work of Exile."

True West runs January 30 - February 23, 2014 (press opening: Wednesday, February 5, 8 p.m.). Tickets are $20 - $50 and are available online at theatreexile.org or by calling the Theatre Exile Box Office at (215) 218-4022. Performances will take place at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St. in Center City Philadelphia.

Theatre Exile will close its 2013/14 season with the Philadelphia premiere of Annapurna by Sharr White, directed by Joe Canuso and starring Pearce Bunting and Catharine Slusar (April 17 - May 11, 2014).