MEET THE DRYERS to Receive World Premiere at Brelby Studio

The Brelby Theatre Company located in Historic Downtown Glendale, continues their 8th season with a show devised entirely by the Brelby Ensemble. Meet the Dryers, conceived by ASU Graduate students, Shelby Maticic, Ian Shelanskey, and Jamie Arkansas as a class project, has been written by Brelby Company Members, Shelby Maticic, Megan O'Connor, and Luke Gomez, and produced entirely by the Brelby Ensemble with innovative technology never before seen on the Brelby stage designed by Ian Shelanskey.

Meet the Dryers follows the story of angsty teen blogger, James Dryer, portrayed by Mat Vansen. With the validity of his blog, "Meet the Dryers," questioned by an online troll named CompostKing, James decides to live blog his Thanksgiving and write the "real truth" about the Dryers. Sparing no details, James spins tales of bizarre lies that reveal his inner thoughts of each member of the family. During the course of Thanksgiving Day, the Dryers struggle to communicate with each other, constantly distracted by their smart phones, as James' imagination gets the better of him. "This is a show about how the modern family communicates," explains Artistic Director, Shelby Maticic. "It's an exploration of how technology shapes our lives and our conversations. We see this through live feeds onstage that are controlled by our actors as they're layered with the action onstage. It seems like we're so willing to be brutally honest these days if we have the safety of a screen in front of us, but what does it look like when that unravels?"

Family relationships are tested as social media competes with face to face communication on a day that should be all about family. Social Media interactions are displayed for the audience as is the fantastical world of James' imagination as his stories spin further from his control. "Cell phones have invaded our lives!" Says Media Designer, Ian Shelanskey. "Every character in this show has a cell phone they can use throughout the show--whenever they want. The audience gains this insight into how the character develops through texts, playing games, and immersing the audience in the world of the technology that makes up our everyday lives."

Meet the Dryers features performances by Brelby Company Members; Mat Vansen as James (Windfall, Poseidon's Regret), Devon Mahon as Liam (Windfall, Fools), Mia Passarella as Rena (missing grace, Little Women), Cody Goulder as Mark (The Age of Eibhleann, Poseidon's Regret), Melody Chrispen as Joan (The Age of Eibhleann, Be A Good Little Widow), April Rideout as Maria (Little Women, Angel's Alley), Shelby Maticic as Minnie (Windfall, She Kills Monsters), Megan O'Connor as Grandma Farrah (Windfall, Fangirl), Fernando Perez as Alex (The Age of Eibhleann, She Kills Monsters), David Magadan as Beckett (Windfall, Beyond Musketeers: Utopia Lost!), and Brian Maticic as Hiram Finkel (Poseidon's Regret, The 12 Days of Christmas).

Brelby partners with local downtown Glendale businesses to offer more options for audience members. By showing a digital ticket, audiences can receive 10% off of their bill at the Hop Stop Diner, 10% off of any entrée at Haus Murphy's Restaurant, and 10% off of a customer's bill at the Olde Towne Glendale (OTG) Beer & Wine Bar or the Gaslight Inn, 10% off the bill at Pizza Old Roma, and 10% off the bill (excluding alcoholic beverages) at La Piazza Ail Fornio.

Meet the Dryers performs April 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29 at 7:30pm, and April 9-10, 16-17, 23-24, 30 at 2:00pm. Tickets are available by visiting the official web site at http://brelby.com/meet-the-dryers/. General admission is $20 per performance.

Admission to Meet the Dryers is included in the benefits of Brelby's ShowGO subscription. Visit brelby.com/showgo.

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