THE BULLET ROUND Runs 8/7-8/23 at the Arena Stage of Theater!Theatre!

Portland adds another jewel to its glittering collection of nationally relevant world premieres with this new production of Stephen Drukman's The Bullet Round, presented by The David Mamet School for Boys at the Arena Stage of Theater!Theatre! (3430 SE Belmont). Another Fine Mess, the last play produced in Portland by Steven Drukman, was workshopped at Portland Center Stage's JAW festival, premiered the following season at PCS and went on to garner a Pulitzer Prize nomination. The Bullet Round is Drukman's newest project, and will premiere in Portland thanks to the tireless effort of former PCS Literary Assistant and artist-on-the-rise Megan Kate Ward. The Bullet Round opens on Friday, August 7th and runs through August 23rd, 2009. Tickets are $15 for all performances and can be purchased in advance online at www.bulletround.com. Show times are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 pm, with a 2:00 pm Sunday matinee.

The Bullet Round explores the ways in which violence passes between six unrelated characters over a six-day period, starting with a white rapper, his violently racist and homophobic lyrics and his rise to the top. In the course of an a round robin chain reaction, he gains and loses a gun that continues to change hands, scene by scene, on its way to fulfilling an unexpected destiny.
Similar to the 1950 film La Ronde, The Bullet Round takes its characters full circle, revealing the ways in which violence propagates through chance encounters and seemingly small events, exploding along unexpected vectors and leaving all of us culpable.

The Bullet Round will be directed by Megan Kate Ward and will feature some of the best and brightest of young Portland acting talent, including Chris Murray as Joey, Paul Glazier as Kevin, Nasir Najieb as Arthur, Gary Norman as Professor, Dainichia Sullwold as Jeanette and Kurt Conroyd as the Waiter.

Scenic and Lighting design is by Chris Rousseau, with construction by Chad Bianche, sound design by Cecil Averett and props and costumes designed by Kim Morris and Megan Ward.

Megan Ward (Director) Megan has a BS in Theatre, with an emphasis in directing from Goldsmiths College, University of London and was the Artistic/Literary Assistant at Portland Center Stage from August 2006-March 2009, where she was one of the festival producers for JAW; a playwrights festival. She was the assistant director on The Thugs by Adam Bock and The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh for PCS. She also founded, produced, and directed PCS's monthly reading series Now Hear This. Her most recent project was Dutchman by LeRoi Jones, which she directed and produced. She directed Krishna's Folly, a concert reading of a new work by Eugenia Woods for the Fertile Ground Festival and was the dramaturge for the American Premiere of How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found by Finn Kennedy at Portland Center Stage.

Steven Drukman (Playwright) Steven Drukman holds a Ph.D. from New York University where he is an Associate Arts Professor. His play Another Fine Mess was workshopped at JAW 2002, premiered at Portland Center Stage in 2003 (the same year it was nominated for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Drama). His newest play In This Corner was commissioned by The Old Globe in San Diego and premiered in January 2008. His other scripts include, Going Native, Flattery Will Get You, Collateral Damage, Snowmaiden and Truth and Beauty. He is a recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Award and the Paul Green Foundation Award. As a critic and journalist, his writing has been featured in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Village Voice, The Nation and many magazines. He is a former Associate Editor of American Theatre magazine.

The Bullet Round was commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theater and has been workshopped at Playwrights Horizons and New York Theater Workshop. This world premiere production of The Bullet Round is funded in part by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

The David Mamet School for Boys is a not for profit theater company dedicated to producing work that challenges conventional playwrighting, takes bold risks and exposes audiences to new ideas.

 

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