Theatre Exile Presents A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, 4/19-5/13

Theatre Exile will present the final show of their 15th season with the Philadelphia premiere of A Behanding in Spokane by Martin McDonagh. Directed by Exile's Artistic Director Joe Canuso and starring Pearce Bunting, Amanda Schoonover, Matt Pfeiffer and Reuben Mitchell, A Behanding in Spokane will be running from April 19th to May 13th , with the official press opening on the 25th of April. Honorary producers for the show are June and Steve Wolfson.

A Behanding in Spokane is a ghastly thrill ride, a hilarious and terrifying journey into the heart of post 9/11 America. In a dead-end town somewhere in Ohio, in a hotel that rivals Hotel California, a stranger comes to rest, relax, and find his hand, the one he’s been perusing for 47 years. Into his cycle of senseless violence and deranged obsession fall a young drug dealing couple and a devious hotel clerk. Seeped in palpable menace and horrific humor, McDonagh’s stark comment on American culture of violence and senseless fixation will leave audiences gasping for breath and begging for more.

Theatre Exile first established themselves as a company unafraid of to confront the desperation that lingers in the human heart. Exile’s fascination with the outsiders, the outliers, the electrifying characters who exist on the fringes of society, cut off from the way “normal” people act, has led the company to some of our most successful productions. From Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe and Bug to Annie Bakers’ The Aliens, from Noah Haidle’s Mr. Marmalade to Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries, Exile’s interest in the margins of society has introduced Philadelphia to some of the most electrifying stories to grace the stage. Now Exile returns once again to the world of Martin McDonagh, author of last year’s smash hit, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Exile’s aesthetic of brutally honest stories filled with rich and complex characters blends perfectly with McDonagh’s razor sharp wit and enthralling narratives. The union of the two is a return to the core principles that govern Theatre Exile, to tell great stories in starkly unadulterated ways. McDonagh’s work holds that rare combination of humor and horror that haunts the human condition and his focus on individuals living on The Edges of everything meshes well with Exile’s own understanding of what is relevant onstage. Theatre Exile makes work that confronts and challenges it’s audience, and A Behanding in Spokane is sure to be a devastatingly exciting union between McDonagh’s style and Exile’s sensibility.

Theatre Exile has long been home to some of Philadelphia’s best actors. This production, directed by Exile founder and producing Artistic Director Joe Canuso, will bring together four actors whose abilities are uniquely appropriate to this story. Pearce Bunting, playing Carmichael, is one of Exile’s best loved actors both for his versatility and his depth. His work with Exile in productions of Killer Joe , Blackbird and The Lieutenant of Inishmore gained the company critical praise and helped influence the direction the company has taken in the last five years. A nationally acclaimed actor, Pearce has been seen in theaters all over the Philadelphia and New York areas, and has appeared in a reoccurring role in HBO’s award-winning series, Boardwalk Empire.

Amanda Schoonover, playing Marilyn, has worked with Theatre Exile for years, winning two Barrymore awards for Exile’s Killer Joe in 2006. That production has sparked a bond between Amanda and Exile, and the continued collaboration has created some of the best works the company has produced. Amanda has worked with many theaters in Philadelphia including Arden Theatre, People's Light, Bristol Riverside, Pig Iron, New City Stage, The Lantern Theater and Azuka Theater.

Matt Pfeiffer, Exile Associate Artistic Director and wildly successful free-lance director, will step onstage as Mervyn for the first time in since his performance in Exile’s Hunter Gatherers in 2008. Matt is a 5-time Barrymore nominee and recipient of the F. Otto Haas Award. His directing credits include six of Theatre Exile’s shows including last year’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and productions at the Arden Theatre Company, 1812 Productions, The Walnut Street Theater, Delaware Theatre Company, Two River Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Brat Productions, Lantern Theatre, and 15 seasons with the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Matt’s unique understanding of McDonagh’s work, having directed one of McDonagh’s pieces himself, will enrich both the creative process and the production as Matt works with director Joe Canuso to create this story.

Theatre Exile is proud to introduce Reuben Mitchell, playing Toby, to its audience as the final actor in this group of extremely talented artists. Reuben, a relative newcomer to Philadelphia, is a transplant from Greenville, North Carolina. In the short time he’s spent in Philadelphia, Reuben has established himself as one of the city’s most exciting young actors, perfoming with the Delaware Shakespeare Festival, 1812 Productions, The South Camden Theatre Company and the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre. He received his BA in Drama from Morehouse College and his MFA in Professional Actor Training from Louisiana State University. Exile has long been committed to showcasing new and rising talents in the Philadelphia community, and the company looks forward to welcoming Reuben into this cast of Exile favorites.

Joe Canuso has assembled an amazing group of designers to help tell this story of desperate people in a dead-end town. Meghan Jones, who last designed with Exile for Hunter Gatherers, will be designing a set that blends desolation with mediocrity to instantly acclimate the audience to the tone of the piece. Rosemarie McKelvey will be designing costumes to suit the mood of shabby decay, and Thom Weaver’s lighting will cast a sickly light on this gripping story, while Mike Kiley’s musical soundscape will invoke the air of desolation in the play. Every aspect of the design will work to support the story and underline this cast of disenfranchised people who have severed their ties with normalcy. The design will let McDonagh’s story take center stage.

Director

Joe Canuso has directed many of Theatre Exile’s shows including Mr. Marmalade, Red Light Winter, Full Figured/Loves to Dance, The Philly Fan, Last Call, The Gin Game, Cryptome, Burkie, Amputation Nation, Big Blonde, Live at the Apollo Diner, The Frankenharry Plays, and Belmont Avenue Social Club and most recently That Pretty Pretty, or The Rape Play. He was nominated by the Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for Killer Joe and was part of the Barrymore Award-winning ensemble of Glengarry Glen Ross. In 2009 he was named Best Director by The Philadelphia Weekly for Blackbird. He has also appeared as an actor in Theatre Exile’s productions of the dreamer examines his pillow, Parking, Rocketman, Princess Ivona, Bug, American Buffalo, and the world premiere of Any Given Monday by Bruce Graham, and most recently the Philadelphia premiere of Saturn Returns by Noah Haidle.

Playwright

Martin McDonagh has written numerous plays including A Behanding in Spokane, The Lonesome West (Tony nominee, Best Play 1999), The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Tony nominee, Best Play 1999) and The Pillowman, which was a Tony nominee for Best Play 2005 and an Olivier Award winner in 2004. Other works include Suicide on Sixth Street, Shit on Illinois, Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges and Six-Shooter (Oscar- Best Short 2006).

Call 215.218.4022 or on the web at www.theatreexile.org.

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