City Theatre Ends 2016-17 Season with IRONBOUND by Martyna Majok

City Theatre is wrapping up the 2016-17 season that began with the box-office smash-hit Hand to God by Robert Askins, followed by the world premiere of Sharon Washington's Feeding the Dragon, and included critically acclaimed plays by Marco Ramirez, Jessica Dickey, and Colman Domingo. Ironbound, a contemporary drama by Polish-American playwright Martyna Majok, is the final play of the current season, before the South Side company takes a summer hiatus. Directed by City Theatre Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, the play runs May 13 - June 4, 2017 in the Main Stage Theatre; tickets are on sale now.

About Ironbound: So much of Darja's life has been spent waiting: for love, for her break in life, and for the bus she relies on to get to and from cleaning jobs in blue-collar New Jersey. Ironbound is a riveting portrait of an independent Polish immigrant searching for the American Dream. This gritty new play by rising star Martyna Majok depicts life on the economic margins and the hope that sustains us all.

"I was pulled to write Ironbound the way I did, with a working-class immigrant woman as an intelligent and capable but flawed core of a story, because center stage wasn't afforded these types of characters in the stories I had access to growing up," playwright Martyna Majok said in an interview with American Theatre magazine in December 2016. "They were a joke. Their English was a punch line. Or they were some magical janitor that came in for a scene to offer sage advice to the main character about how it's 'best to live a simple life.' It's about who's telling the story and who's seen as the 'other.'"

"Martyna is a groundbreaking talent to watch. Her unique point of view as the child of Polish immigrants ripples throughout her work. Ironbound is a truly American play-raw and alive from the very first words-and so vital to this moment in time. I'm thrilled to end the 2016-17 season with such a thought-provoking and powerful story," said director Tracy Brigden. "I'm also pleased to welcome Rebecca Harris back to City for her tenth play on our stages. Pittsburgh audiences have loved her in everything from The 39 Steps to The Missionary Position, and recently on WGN's Outsiders as Ledda. This play, especially with this outstanding cast, is quintessential City Theatre."

Martyna Majok was born in Bytom, Poland, and raised in Jersey and Chicago. Her plays have been performed and developed at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, LAByrinth Theatre Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Women's Project Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The John F. Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Dorset Theatre Festival, New York Stage & Film, Yale Cabaret, The Playwright and Director Center of Moscow, Round House Theatre, Satori Group, Red Tape Theatre, and The LIDA Project, among others. Awards include the inaugural Women's Invitational Prize at Ashland New Play Festival, The Kennedy Center's Jean Kennedy Smith Award, Marin Theatre's David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize, New York Theatre Workshop's 2050 Fellowship, Aurora Theatre's Global Age Project Prize, National New Play Network's Smith Prize for Political Playwriting, Jane Chambers Student Feminist Playwriting Prize, and The Merage Fellowship for the American Dream.

The cast of Ironbound includes returning artists Rebecca Harris (Hope and Gravity, 2014) as Darja; Rod Brogan (The Night Alive, 2015) as Tommy; JD Taylor (The Last Match, 2016) as Maks; and in his City Theatre debut, Erik Martin as Vic. Anne Mundell is scenic designer, Robert C.T. Steele is costume designer, Andrew David Ostrowski is lighting designer, and Eric Shimelonis is sound designer and composing original music.

City Connects/OPPORTUNITY: A conversation with Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh is Sunday, May 21, following the 2:00 p.m. matinee.

City Theatre will be working in conjunction with Jewish Family and Children's Service of Pittsburgh as a community partner on the production through the theater's recently launched City Connects program, which relates City Theatre plays with relevant community organizations, stimulating conversation and activism through art. Throughout the run, City Theatre will accept donations of Walmart gift cards, bus fare cards, and diapers from patrons to benefit clients of JF&CS's Immigrant Services and Refugee Resettlement program. In addition to the May 21st talkback, they will host pre-show thank you speeches with resettled refugees on Wednesday, May 24th and Tuesday, May 30th. Photographs from Julia Rendleman's The Last Refugees of Bhutan will be displayed in the lobby throughout the run. For more information and to learn how to get involved with JF&CS please visit www.jfcspgh.org.

For a complete listing of show times, please visit CityTheatreCompany.org or call 412-431-2489.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Sipping Sunday - May 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Sample wines specially chosen to complement the production.

Happy Hour - Wednesday, May 17 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy discounted drinks in the Gordon Lounge before the performance, in partnership with the South Side Chamber of Commerce.

Talkback - Wednesday, May 24 at 1:00 p.m.

A conversation with the artists immediately following the performance, moderated by City Theatre artistic staff.

Greenroom Young Professionals Night - Friday, May 26 at 8:00 p.m.

Stay after the performance to mingle with the cast and get some screen time with Steeltown Entertainment Project, who will be on site with an interactive Pittsburgh-themed green screen activity in the lobby. $25 Greenroom ticket includes complimentary post-show snacks, beer, and wine. Authentic Polish food will be provided by Forgotten Taste. Use code GREENROOM when ordering.

Pay-What-You-Want - Saturday, May 27 at 1:00 p.m.

A limited number of tickets are reserved for PWYW and go on sale two hours before curtain, walk up sales only. Call the box office in advance to check on availability.

City Connects/OPPORTUNITY: A Conversation with Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh - Sunday, May 21

Immediately following the 2:00 p.m. performance, a free dialogue with representatives from Jewish Family & Children's Service will take place on the stage.

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCE DATES:

ASL Interpretation: Tuesday, May 30 at 7:00 p.m.

Open Captioning and Audio Description: Sunday, June 4 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE:

City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)

Patron parking is available in the lot across from the City Theatre entrance for $8.

BOX OFFICE:

412.431.CITY (2489) or citytheatrecompany.org

TICKETS:

Single tickets start at $37.50.

DISCOUNTS:

Audiences under 30 may reserve $15 tickets in advance for all performances except Fridays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.; on Fridays and Saturdays, rush tickets are available two hours prior to show time and based on availability. Seniors age 62 and older may purchase $22 rush tickets at the Box Office beginning two hours before show time, based on availability. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for discounts - contact Joel Ambrose at 412.431.4400 x286.

City Theatre is now in its 42nd season. Located in the historic South Side, City Theatre is Pittsburgh's home for bold new plays, commissioning and producing work by playwrights including Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Madeleine George. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director James McNeel, and the Board of Directors, City Theatre's mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience. CityTheatreCompany.org

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