People's Light to Stage Regional Premiere of AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS, 10/14-11/8

People's Light presents AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS, running from October 14 through November 8, 2015. Artistic Director Abigail Adams directs. People's Light is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets, call 610.644.3500 or visit peopleslight.org.

People's Light introduces the Philadelphia region to celebrated playwright Laura Schellhardt with AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS, a quirky modern take on our obsessive attachment to the objects that define our lives. Schellhardt, an up-and-coming powerhouse in contemporary theatre, recently won a NYC Fringe Festival Best New Play Award, earned three Jeff Award nominations in Chicago, and appeared on the lauded Kilroys List of Best Plays by Female and Trans Authors for 2014. AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS marks the regional debut of Schellhardt's work, and features acclaimed local actor and People's Light company member Carla Belver as Alice Ainsley, matriarch of a highly unusual family.

The fast-talking Ainsleys can auction off an estate in a heartbeat. It's been the family business since the siblings were kids. But mother Alice is losing her memory, and when she decides it's time to sell the auction house they call home, the family's emotional antiques start to get in the way. This fast-moving dark comedy begs the question, "If you sell off your past, are you finally free of it, forever?"

Schellhardt's play springs in part from a childhood tradition of attending small town, Midwestern auctions with her family over summer breaks, events that she found inherently theatrical and utterly captivating. She pondered the objects up for bid and the human habit of making the ordinary precious. "We all have keepsakes that have no value to anyone but us, and we value them for the memories they hold," she observes. "But what happens when those memories go? What happens when the object remains but the memory locked in it disappears?"

Director Abigail Adams appreciates the play's offbeat humor, unpredictable family dynamics, and meaty roles for seasoned female actors. "We're constantly seeking challenging work for our company members, many of whom are women over 35 years of age," she says. "Laura creates intriguing, eccentric characters, then throws them into a pressure cooker situation where they have to make decisions they don't want to make, with people they don't want to talk to, in a house they must sell but aren't ready to leave."

"It's rich terrain for actors," she notes.

Fellow resident artists in the cast include Mary Elizabeth Scallen as eldest daughter Avery, auctioneer; Teri Lamm as middle daughter Annalee, acquirer of auction items; and Julianna Zinkel as youngest daughter Amelia, assembler of auction lots. Guest artists include a pair of People's Light newcomers: Jesse Pennington as brother Aiden Ainsley, restorer of auction objects; and Brian Lee Huynh as Arthur, newly hired to help Alice prepare the estate for sale.

Returning guest artist Luke Hegel-Cantarella (Row After Row) designs the set. Anne Kennedy comes to People's Light for the first time to create costumes. Company member Dennis Parichy designs lights. Karin Graybash (Ghosts) returns to design sound for the production, and frequent guest artist Audrey Brown stage manages.

People's Light continues its Scoop program on Wednesdays. Scoop on Wednesdays: History, Context, and Gossip is a lively discussion before Wednesday 7:30 pm performances (October 21, 28, and November 4). Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale will join Mary Elizabeth Scallen from the production and get the inside scoop about such things as the rehearsal and production process, design choices, and the world of the play. The program begins at 6 pm in The Farmhouse Bistro. Cost of $15 includes light fare. Call the Box Office at 610.644.3500.

Join us for Thursday Talkbacks following Thursday 7:30 pm performances (October 22, 29, and November 5) for an informal Q & A with the cast! Free with your ticket purchase.

Enjoy a prix fixe dinner and a show package for $75 (Wed, Thurs, Sat matinee, Sun eve) and $84 (Fri, Sat eve, Sun matinee) at The Farmhouse Bistro prior to Wed-Sun evening performances. That's a savings of up to 15% off the single ticket price! If you already have tickets, you can add dinner for just $39. Dinner and a show packages are available through the Box Office or online at PeoplesLight.org.

AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS previews on Wednesday, October 14 at 7:30pm, Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm, and Friday, October 16 at 8 pm. The play opens on Saturday, October 17 at 8 pm and runs through Sunday, November 8 at 7pm. Single tickets start at $27. 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 benedict@peopleslight.org.

6-play subscription packages for the 2015-2016 Season are available for purchase and start at $132. Productions include AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS (October 14-November 8, 2015), The Three Musketeers (The Later Years): A Musical Panto (November 18, 2015-January 10, 2016), Sense and Sensibility (February 10- March 20, 2016), Richard III (March 16-April 24, 2016), A Single Shard (April 27-May 29, 2016), and The Harassment of Iris Malloy (June 15-July 10, 2016). The Discovery Series package for children ages 5-12 start at $54 and include The Three Musketeers (The Later Years): A Musical Panto (November 18, 2015- January 10, 2016), and A Single Shard (April 27-May 29, 2016). The Teen Series for children ages 12-19 includes The Three Musketeers (The Later Years): A Musical Panto, Sense and Sensibility, Richard III, and A Single Shard. You can also add Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash (July 20-August 14, 2016) to your subscription series. 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.

Now in its 41st season, 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 eight 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 7-Play, Discovery, and Teen Series.

BIOS:

Abigail Adams Director
Company Member since 1975. People's Light: Artistic Director & CEO. During her 39-year association with the Theatre, Abbey has directed more than sixty plays, including How to Write a New Book for the Bible, The Cherry Orchard, The Rainmaker, The Trip to Bountiful, Dividing the Estate, Nathan the Wise, and In the Blood. Theatre Includes: Directed readings and workshops of new plays for Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Circle Rep, New York Stage and Film, and the Public Theatre. Teaching: Swarthmore College, New York University, Bryn Mawr College, Carnegie Mellon University, and The Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario. Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Ursinus College.

Carla Belver Alice Ainsley
Company Member. People's Light: Over 40 productions including The Trip to Bountiful, Dividing the Estate, The Day of the Picnic, The O'Connor Girls, Toys in the Attic, A Lesson from Aloes, Talking With, The Workroom, Three Hotels, and A Lovely Sunday at Creve Coeur. Theatre Includes: The Philadelphia Company, The Walnut Street Theatre, Arden Theatre, Act II Playhouse, City Theatre in Pittsburgh. Carla has been an actor for over 40 years. She has been nominated twice for a Barrymore Award, once for The Last Yankee and then for All My Sons at the Arden Theatre. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Barrymore Awards.

Brian Lee Huynh Arthur
People's Light debut. Theater Includes: War Horse, original Broadway Lincoln Center Theater cast; Measure for Measure, Epic Theatre Ensemble; The Light Years, The Debate Society/NYSAF; The 39 Steps, Triad Stage. Film/Television Includes: Elementary, The Witches of Oz. Training: BFA and MFA from Ithaca College and The Old Globe/USD, respectively.

Teri Lamm Annalee Ainsley
Company Member since 2015. People's Light: Varya in The Cherry Orchard, Leah in Row After Row, Jessie Mae in The Trip to Bountiful, Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice. Theatre Includes: The Iceman Cometh (Broadway), Cyrano de Bergerac (Roundabout), Palace of the End, Hannah and Martin, Habitat, Little Eyolf, Time and the Conways (Epic Theater Ensemble), Midsummer, Equus, Flea in Her Ear, Devil's Disciple (The Alley Theater), How I Learned to Drive (Dallas Theater Center). Film/Television Includes: Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, Third Watch, Trifling With Fate. Training: MFA from NYU.

Jesse Pennington Aiden Ainsley
People's Light debut. Theatre Includes: Recently completed the European tour of the Public Theater's production of Richard Nelson's The Apple Family Plays (Berlin, Vienna, Brighton Festivals). Off Broadway:Bootycandy (Obie Award; Lucille Lortel nomination), Franny's Way, Rodney's Wife (Playwrights Horizons); The General from America (Theatre for a New Audience); A Place at the Table (MCC);The Winter's Tale, The Taming of the Shrew (Public Theater); The False Servant, Richard II (Classic Stage Company). Regional: Adolphus Cusins in Major Barbara (Guthrie); Goodnight Children Everywhere (A.C.T.); James Joyce's The Dead (A.C.T., Huntington); Maple and Vine (Humana Festival); Vera Laughed (New York Stage and Film); Moving Picture (Williamstown Theater Festival). Film/Television Includes: American Gun, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. Training: NYU's Graduate School of Acting.

Mary Elizabeth Scallen Avery Ainsley and Dramaturgical Support
Company Member since 1991. People's Light: Has acted in over 60 plays, recently The Cherry Orchard, Pride and Prejudice, The Winter's Tale, Fallow, Legacy of Light. Theatre Includes: Angels in America (The Wilma), Happy Days (Lantern Theatre), Sleeping Beauty (Arden Theatre), Pride and Prejudice (Bristol Riverside Theatre), PlayPenn, Interact, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, NC Shakespeare Festival, Gretna Theatre, Weston Playhouse (VT). Dramaturgy includes: How to Write a New Book for the Bible, Noises Off, Barcelona. Training: MFA from Temple University.

Julianna Zinkel Amelia Ainsley
Company Member since 2007. People's Light: Biloxi Blues, Pride and Prejudice, Barcelona, The Trip to Bountiful, The Miser, The Crucible, A Tale of Two Cities, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theophilus North. Theatre Includes: Off Broadway/NYC: Three Men on a Horse (TACT), The Lover (SoHo Playhouse). Regional: Blackbird (Theatre Exile), Under The Skin, Stick Fly, Rabbit Hole, As You Like It, Crime and Punishment (Arden Theatre); The Eclectic Society (Walnut Street); From Prague (CATF), Big Love, Wintertime (Wilma Theater); Love and Communication (Passage Theatre).

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