Nice People Theatre Company Presents LOVE JERRY 6/3-20

Nice People Theatre Company (NPTC) brings its fourth season to a close with a powerful piece of musical theatre and Philadelphia premiere, LOVE JERRY by Megan Gogerty. This play with bluegrass music, directed by Rebecca Wright with musical director Daniel Perelstein, will run June 3 - June 20, 2010. The show officially opens on June 4 at 8 p.m. Performances will take place at The Latvian Society, 531 N. 7th Street in Philadelphia. Tickets are available online at www.nicepeopletheatre.org. Tickets are $10-$35.

The relationship of two adult brothers is tested in this unforgettable musical, which explores the long-term affects of child abuse on a family. This unblinkingly honest account is woven with original music that has the lyrical quality of traditional folk music, and is as mesmerizing as any blues standard. LOVE JERRY is an ask, "Can you love Jerry". Though it in no way condones pedophilia, the show humanizes the title character and his actions, which helps to dispel the false stereotype of internet predators and playground lurking pedophiles. Statistically speaking, the majority of child sexual abuse cases are those where the predator is someone the child knows.

The Atlanta Journal Consitution says,"Love Jerry is a profoundly moving theatrical experience that dares to approach an incendiary social topic with balance, responsibility and emotional authenticity... Are you ready for goosebumps?"
TheatreMania raves, "Love Jerry is a riveting and intense piece of dramatic musical theater that is both unflinchingly honest and deeply affecting," and NYTheatre.com insists, "Love Jerry is only 90 minutes long but the story will stay with you for a long time."

NPTC co-founders Nicole Paloux and Miriam White discovered the show, which was part of the 2008 New York Musical Theatre Festival and was the recipient of four ‘Best of Fest' awards including, Outstanding Book, Outstanding Ensemble, and two Outstanding Individual Performances. "We read the script and literally couldn't move for 10 minutes afterwards. We just sat there gobsmacked and knowing we had to produce this show. It is important," said Paloux. White adds, "Megan broaches the subject matter with organic and theatrical grace and responsibility. We know people will have powerful emotional reactions and we are fully prepared for that."
The Pennsylvania chapter of the Child Abuse Prevention Effort has endorsed the production and will support NPTC by staffing two post-show talk-backs on June 5 and June 11. They are also helping NPTC to staff each performance with a trained professional equipped to refer those with strong reactions to the appropriate person or organization. Furthermore, they have been working with the cast and crew to help educate them on the subject matter.

Scott Boulware leads the cast in the title role as Jerry. Rachael Joffred, joins NPTC for a third time. Her performances in NPTC's PSALMS OF A QUESTIONABLE NATURE, and GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING earned raves. Filling out the cast is: David Blatt, Jered McLenigan, Amanda Grove, and Maria Panvini.

Wright is directing her first show for Nice PeoplE. Wright's directing credits include THE WAR PARTY with Interact Theatre Company where she is also the literary manager, HOLD PLEASE with Eternal Spiral Project, Larry Loebell's THE BALLAD OF John Wesley REED, and 2008 YOUNG VOICES for InterAct Theatre Company/Philadelphia Young Playwrights. She also assistant directed AN EMPTY PLATE AT THE CAFE DU GRAND BOUEF and SLEEPING BEAUTY with Whit MacLaughlin at the Arden Theatre, and BUG with Matt Pfieffer at Theater Exile.

This is Perelstein's second collaboration with NPTC. He served as the composer and sound designer for GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING where he used climbing gear and familiar sounds such as caribeaners and heavy breath to create the sounds that filled the Power Plant basement for the production which earned rave reviews.

Playwright, Megan Gogerty will join NPTC for the last week of rehearsal and will be at opening night and available for a post-show talk-back on a night that is to be determined. Gogerty is a playwright, songwriter and performer. Her solo show, Megan Gogerty LOVES YOU VERY MUCH, premiered at the Riverside Theatre in November 2008. Her musical LOVE JERRY toured England in association with Dartington College of the Arts before receiving its world premiere at Actors Express Theatre in Atlanta. It garnered five Atlanta Suzi Bass Award nominations including Best Musical. Other plays include: RUMPLE SCHMUMPLE (winner of Dad's Garage Theatre Co.10-Minute Play Residency Award; avail. from Dramatic Publishing); SIG GOTTA DO (Synchronicity's SheWRITES Festival, Pasadena Playhouse Hothouse Series), HOBO SEASON (PlayLabs finalist), PANDAS (PlayLabs & PlayPenn finalist, Syzygy Theatre/LA Writers Center reading series), and FIREPROOF BABY (FronteraFest 2004 "Best of the Week"). Megan earned her MFA in Playwriting from the Univ. of Texas at Austin. Megan has been a Playwrights' Center Jerome Fellow and was a grateful recipient of the James A. Michener Playwriting Scholarship and the Ellsworth P. and Virginia Conkle Endowed Scholarship for Drama. More information on Megan Gogerty is available on her website at www.megangogerty.com.

Set design is by Caitlin Lainoff who earned rave reviews from her work on NPTC's set for GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING, as well as that of PSALMS OF A QUESTIONABLE NATURE. Lainoff is a satellite member of NPTC and has just completed her MFA in Set Design from Cal Arts in California. Lighting design is by Shon Causer who designed NPTC's inaugural production, SIX SECONDS IN CHARLACK in 2007, costumes by Wilma costumer, Regina Rizzo. NPTC founders, Nicole Paloux and Miriam White are producing the show. Bayla Rubin will serve as Stage Manager.

Nice People Theatre Company

Nice People Theatre Company is dedicated to the development and production of visually and emotionally moving Philadelphia and World Premieres. We believe in the experiential nature of theatre and the power of well-crafted storytelling. We are drawn to stories that must be told on the stage, that are inherently theatrical, and that inspire a unique design aesthetic. We tell narrative stories about raw, flawed, beautifully real people. We are intrigued by storytelling in spaces that break audience's expectations of what it means to go to the theatre. We seek to produce stories that are thought provoking and inspire conversation beyond the walls of the theatre.

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