People's Light to Present NOISES OFF, 7/10-8/4

People's Light & Theatre presents Michael Frayn's Noises Off running July 10-August 4, 2013 on the Main Stage. Pete Pryor directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets call 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org.

Lacy lingerie and plates of sardines appear both in the air and underfoot while a dysfunctional company of actors prepare for the opening performance of the play-within-a-play Nothing On. They flub their lines, forget their props, miss their cues, and somehow survive each others' flaws, foibles, theatrics, and love triangles. From award-winning playwright Michael Frayn, Noises Off is a wickedly funny revelation of what can happen on the other side of the curtain.

People's Light is one of only a handful of American theaters with a long-term resident ensemble of artists, many of whom have worked together since the theatre's founding in 1974. Safe to say, these artists are keenly familiar with what it's like to collaborate closely during long production runs, to negotiate the personal and professional conflicts that inevitably pop up along the way, and to ensure that the show goes on no matter what chaos might explode backstage. This depth of experience makes People's Light the perfect match for Michael Frayn's wild play-within-a-play comedy Noises Off. "Our company members GET this material," says director Pete Pryor. "And our guest actors are hilarious, fearless, and willing to dive into the world of this play."

"Noises Off is a love letter from a brilliant writer to the theatre, an amazingly well-structured piece of writing, and arguably one of the funniest farces ever written."

Eight long-term company members welcome six guest artists into the cast and production team of Noises Off. Veteran People's Light artists include director Pryor, actors Leonard C. Haas, David Ingram, Andrew Kane and Marcia Saunders, Stage Manager Kate McSorley, Costume Designer Marla J. Jurglanis and Lighting Designer Gregory Miller. Guest artists include actors Jessica Bedford, Christopher Kelly, Liz Filios, Leah Walton and David Howey, sound designer Nick Kourtides, and Tony Straiges, the Tony Award-winning set designer of Broadway's Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods, back at People's Light for the third time.

Playwright Michael Frayn is celebrated not only for his comic genius, but for the impressive diversity of his writing. Born in 1933, Frayn grew up in south London. He served as a Russian interpreter for the British army before authoring newspaper reports and columns, essays, novels, one-act plays and full-length dramas and comedies. He won Evening Standard Awards for his plays Alphabetical Order (1975), Make or Break (1980), Noises Off (1982), and the tense atomic drama Copenhagen (1998). He has translated several Chekhov plays, and penned screenplays including First and Last, which earned a 1990 International Emmy Award.

Noises Off previews on Wednesday, July 10 and Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 pm and Friday, July 12 at 8 pm. The play opens on Saturday, July 13 and runs through Sunday, August 4. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists for a conversation about the production after the Thursday performances on July 18, 25 and August 1, 2013.

People's Light continues its program called Scoop on Sundays: History, Context, and Gossip, a lively discussion before every Sunday 7 pm performance (July 14, 21 & 28). An artist will discuss the world of the play, how and why it was chosen, as well as how it was cast, designed, and rehearsed. The program begins at 5:30 in The Farmhouse Bistro. Cost of $15 includes light fare. Call the Box Office at 610.644.3500.

Single tickets: $25 - $45. For tickets, call the Box Office at 610.644.3500. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610.647.1900 x111 or email wright@peopleslight.org.

7-play subscription packages for the 2013-2014 season are available for purchase and start at $147. Productions include The Rainmaker (September 18-October 13, 2013), The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith (October 16-November 24, 2013), Cinderella: A Musical Panto (November 20, 2013-January 12, 2014), Ghosts (January 15-February 9, 2014), Pride & Prejudice (February 26-March 30, 2014), Dear Elizabeth (April 2-27, 2014), and Bach at Leipzig (July 9-August 10, 2014). Subscribers may add-on a performance of Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie (May 7-25, 2014) and receive a 15% discount. The Discovery series packages for multigenerational audiences start at $69 and include Cinderella: A Musical Panto, Pride & Prejudice and Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie. Visit peopleslight.org or call 610-644-3500 to order.

Actors, prices, productions, performance dates and times are subject to change. Additional service charges will apply. Contact the Box Office for more details.

People's Light, a professional, not-for-profit theatre in Chester County, Pennsylvania, makes plays drawn from many sources to entertain, inspire, and engage our community. We extend our mission of making and experiencing theatre through arts education programs that excite curiosity about, and deepen understanding of, the world around us. These plays and programs bring people together and provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, and celebration. Founded in 1974, we produce seven to nine plays each season, in two black box theatres with 340 and 160 seats respectively, mixing world premieres, contemporary plays, and fresh approaches to classic texts for our 6-Play and Discovery Series.

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