The REP to Stage World Premiere of PRUSSIA: 1866

As we all know, when you think of comedy, you immediately think of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. He is, after all, credited with famously saying, "There's a fine line between gazing long into an abyss and standing at the edge of an abyss looking like an idiot."

The REP, Point Park University's professional theatre company, rings in 2015 with the world premiere of Prussia: 1866, Pittsburgh playwright Gab Cody's hilarious examination of Nietzsche and his proto-feminist friends.

When confronted with a difficult life decision so many have asked, "What would Nietzsche do?" Prussia: 1866 asks this question and finds the answer is a farce. While some of the details of Nietzsche's life may not exactly jive with the details of the play, we do know he was alive, 22 and living in Prussia in 1866, and was, we imagine, a passionate and conniving young man at the time.

Directed by Kim Martin, Prussia: 1866 previews on Thursday, Feb. 5, and runs Feb. 6-22, in the Rauh Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, 222 Craft Ave. Performances are 8 p.m., Thursday - Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets range from $24 to $27; preview tickets are $15. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412.392.8000, or online at www.pittsburghplayhouse.com. Patrons can take advantage of the "Pay what you will" performances at the 2 p.m. shows on Saturday, Feb. 7, 14 and 21, subject to availability. The REP's Talkback series, where the audience is invited to stay after the performance and discuss the show, will be held after the 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, Feb. 14.

The REP's production of Prussia: 1866 features Laura Lee Brautigam, Gab Cody, Drew Palajsa, Hayley Nielsen, Mary Rawson, Sam Turich and Philip Winters. Scenic design is by Stephanie Mayer-Staley, lighting design by Andrew David Ostrowski, costume design by Cathleen Crocker-Perry, sound design by Steve Shapiro, and fight choreography by Sam Turich. Madison DeCoske is stage manager.

Kim Martin has directed The REP's productions of Becky's New Car, The Lonesome West, and Mojo. A graduate of Point Park University, Martin has directed, acted in, and stage-managed more than 150 productions. Some favorites include Glengarry Glen Ross, Guys & Dolls, Drinking in America, Deathtrap, The Dumb Waiter, Annie, La Ronde and Three Sisters. Martin is the Director of Production at the Playhouse, and serves as an adjunct faculty member instructing students pursuing a technical theatre degree.

Classically trained actor, improviser and standup comedienne Gab Cody uses her skills to create hilarious, yet thought provoking works, be they inspired by Commedia Del Arte, Nietzsche, 1930s screwball comedy or 1960s horror films. Her plays have been staged at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York City's Urban Stages, as well as Bricolage Theater Company's 24-Hour play festival B.U.S., and nonameplayers' SWAN Day festival. Her film works include shorts, documentaries and many PSAs, and have screened at Greetings From Pittsburgh: Neighborhood Narratives, the Cleveland International Film Festival, NYC Horror Film Fest, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, San Francisco's Disposable Film Fest, and 11/22 International Comedy Short Film Festival in Vienna, Austria. Her bilingual Franco-English play, Fat Beckett, received a full production in December 2011 at Quantum Theater in Pittsburgh and was named a Top 10 Production of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cody served as lead writer on Bricolage Production Company's immersive urban adventure, STRATA, named best play of 2012 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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