THE NEW ELECTRIC BALLROOM by Enda Walsh Begins Today at Third Rail Rep

Enda Walsh's THE NEW ELECTRIC BALLROOM, starring Lorraine Bahr, Diane Kondrat, Maureen Porter*, and Todd Van Voris, plays Third Rail Repertory Theatre, begins today, Apr 8 - 30, 2016.

Performances run Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2pm at Third Rail @ Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave. Portland, OR 97214. Tickets available by phone at 503-235-1101 or online at thirdrailrep.org.

Single tickets $24 - $47 (plus online service fees). Admission included for Third Rail Members (monthly fee of $29.33).

Meet Breda, Clara, and Ada, three sisters trapped in a remote Irish town filled with gossip and fish. Breda and Clara obsessively relive the time when, as 17-year-olds, they were nearly seduced at the New Electric Ballroom by Roller Royle, the hearthrob singer in a touring band. Meanwhile Ada, the youngest, tries her best to fend off the romantic overtures of the local fishmonger. Funny, tender-hearted and at times pitch dark, The New Electric Ballroom is a coiled, glitter-dusted fable about the stories that come to define us.

Enda Walsh is a playwright and screenwriter who shot to fame when he won both the George Devine Award and the Stewart Parker Award in 1997 with his play Disco Pigs. In 2007 and 2008 Enda won Fringe First Awards at two consecutive Edinburgh Festivals for his plays The Walworth Farce and The New Electric Ballroom. The former led the Guardian to name him "one of the most dazzling wordsmiths of contemporary theatre." In 2011 Once, Enda's adaptation of the film by John Carney, opened off-broadway. Critically acclaimed, it moved to Broadway in 2012, where it picked up eight Tony Awards, including Best Book for Enda. The West End run of Once opened in April 2013. Since his initial success as a playwright, Enda has gone on to write for the screen. His 2008 biopic, Hunger, told the story of the final days of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and won a host of awards, including the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Heartbeat Award at the Dinard International Film Festival. It was nominated for seven BIFAs (including Best Screenplay), six British Film and Television Awards (including Best Screenplay and Best Independent Film) and BAFTA's Outstanding British Film Award 2009. Enda's opera The Last Hotel had its world premiere at the Lyceum Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival and will transfer to Dublin, London and New York. He recently worked on the new musical, Lazarus, with David Bowie, which opened at New York Theatre Workshop in December 2015.

Third Rail is an artist-driven theatre company whose vitality is defined by its audience's sharp appetite for groundbreaking, innovative work. We promote new plays while exploring the edges of theatrical style. Third Rail exists to provide a home for artists and theatergoers alike, offering a range of experiences to be shared by the audience and the community. More information about Third Rail can be found at thirdrailrep.org.

* Denotes Third Rail Company Member

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