West Coast Premiere of Adam Bock's Black Comedy A Life to Open at The Armory, Following Successful Off-Broadway Run

Adam Bock's A Life, commissioned by Portland Center Stage at The Armory, will receive its West Coast debut at The Armory following the success of the play's world premiere in New York. A Life begins preview performances on September 29, opens on October 5, and runs through November 11 in the Ellyn Bye Studio. Associate Artistic Director Rose Riordan, who has frequently partnered with Bock, will direct. Nat DeWolf (Broadway: Take Me Out) will make his company debut as the astrology-loving and hopelessly single Nate Martin. DeWolf is joined by Cycerli Ash, also making her debut at The Armory, as well as returning artists Dana Green (Major Barbara and many others) and Gary Norman (Our Town).

"My feeling when I read any Adam Bock play is always the same. I am enthralled with the sparseness, and with his ability to capture the human experience on such an insightful level," Riordan said. "A Life it precisely that. A Life. What we value, hold dear and treasure. Who we share it with, how we take inventory, and what becomes of it all in the end. With Adam's keen eye and ear for the human journey, he captures it in exactly the right way."

TICKET INFO

Regular tickets start at $25 and are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased at www.pcs.org, 503.445.3700, or in-person from the box office (128 NW Eleventh Avenue, Portland, OR). Rush tickets are $20. Students and patrons who are 30 or younger get 50% off premium tickets. $5 tickets are available for Oregon Trail Card holders through the Arts for All program. Discounts available for groups of 10+. Active duty or veteran military personnel and their immediate families get 50% off premium tickets. Performance times (with a few exceptions noted below) are Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and Thursday matinees at noon. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Contains adult situations and language. For more information visit www.pcs.org/alife.

ABOUT THE PLAY

A Life is Adam Bock's wickedly funny play about the meaning of life. Nate Martin is hopelessly single. When his most recent breakup casts him into a funk, he turns to the only source of wisdom he trusts: the stars. Poring over astrological charts, he obsessively questions his past and his place in the cosmos. The answer he gets is shockingly obvious - and totally unpredictable. A Life was commissioned by Portland Center Stage at The Armory and the Perkins Coie's "Innovative Minds" program in 2013 and featured at JAW: A Playwrights Festival in 2014. It had its world premiere Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons staring David Hyde Pierce. A Life will be Adam Bock's fifth play produced at The Armory, following The Typographer's Dream (2014), A Small Fire (2014), The Receptionist (2010) and The Thugs (2007).

PLAYWRIGHT Adam Bock

Adam Bock's plays include The Colby Sisters (Kiln Theatre, London), Phaedra (Shotgun Players, dir. Rose Riordan), A Small Fire (Playwrights Horizons, Drama Desk nomination), book for We Have Always Lived in the Castle, with music by Todd Almond (Yale Repertory Theatre), The Receptionist (Manhattan Theatre Club, Outer Critics nomination), The Evidence Room with Megan Mullally), The Drunken City (Playwrights Horizons, Outer Critics nomination), The Thugs (Soho Rep, OBIE Award for Playwriting), The Shaker Chair (Humana Festival), Swimming In The Shallows (Second Stage Uptown, Shotgun Players, BATCC Award, Clauder Prize), Five Flights (Encore Theatre and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Glickman Award, ACTA nomination, Osborn nomination) and The Typographer's Dream (Encore Theatre/Shotgun Players). Bock is a Guggenheim fellow, NEA grantee, a three-time resident at Yaddo, a former member of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab and New Dramatists, a NYTW Usual Suspect, a Clubbed Thumb Associate, a TDF Open Doors mentor and a member of the board of Space on Ryder Farm. Bock's plays are published by Samuel French, Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts, Inc.

THE CAST

Nat DeWolf will make his debut at The Armory in the lead role of Nate Martin. His New York credits include Take Me Out on Broadway and at The Public Theater, and Off-Broadway runs of Antlia Pneumatica and Betty's Summer Vacation at Playwrights Horizons. Cycerli Ash (recently Black Nativity and Two Trains Running at PassinArt: A Theatre Company) will also make her debut at The Armory in the roles of Ellen and others. Dana Green (The Armory: Major Barbara, Constellations, Great Expectations, Othello and A Midsummer Night's Dream) will play Jill and others, and Gary Norman (The Armory: Our Town) will play Curtis.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Director Rose Riordan, in her 21st season as associate artistic director of Portland Center Stage at The Armory, has previously directed five Bock plays at The Armory, as well as Bock's Phaedra at Shotgun Players and The Receptionist at CoHo Productions. Rounding out the creative team are Scenic Designer Tony Cisek, who collaborated with Riordan on Bock's A Small Fire at The Armoy, among many others, including Our Town and The Whipping Man; Costume Designer Alison Heryer (whose recent credits with The Armory include Kodachrome and Fun Home); Lighting Designer Diane Ferry Williams (who most recently designed Astoria: Part One and Two at The Armory); Sound Designer Casi Pacilio (whose recent credits at The Armory include Kodachrome and A Christmas Memory/Winter Song); Stage Manager Mark Tynan; and Production Assistant Sarah Stark.

TICKET AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

When: Sept. 29 - Nov. 11, 2018*
*Opening Night/Press Night: Friday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Preview Performances: Sept. 29, 30, and Oct. 2, 3, 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: In the Ellyn Bye Studio at The Armory

128 NW Eleventh Ave., Portland, Ore., 97209

To Purchase: Regular tickets range from $25 to $57. Rush tickets are $20. Students and patrons who are 30 or younger get 50% off premium tickets. $5 tickets are available for Oregon Trail Card holders through the Arts for All program. Discounts available for groups of 10+. Active duty or veteran military personnel and their immediate families get 50% off premium tickets. Prices vary by date and time, and are subject to change.

Online: www.pcs.org

By Phone: 503.445.3700, 12-6 p.m.

In Person: The box office is at 128 NW Eleventh Avenue

12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on performance days

12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on non-performance days

Groups: Discounts available for groups of 10+ by calling 503.445.3794.

More Info: www.pcs.org/alife

Showtimes: Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (excluding Oct. 14. 28, 30 and Nov. 6, 11); Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. (excluding Sept. 29, 30, and Oct. 6, 20, and Nov. 3); and Thursday matinees at noon (excluding Oct. 4).

Please Note: Recommended for ages 13 and up. Contains adult situations and language.

Accessibility: Learn about our accessibility options at www.pcs.org/access.

PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY

Portland Center Stage at The Armory is the largest theater company in Portland and among the top 20 regional theaters in the country. Established in 1988 as a branch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the company became independent in 1994. Around 150,000 visitors attend The Armory annually to enjoy a mix of classic, contemporary and world premiere productions, along with a variety of high quality education and community programs. Eleven productions are offered each season, in addition to roughly 400 community events created - in partnership with 170+ local organizations and individuals - to serve the diverse populations in the city. As part of its dedication to new play development, the company has produced 26 world premieres and presents an annual new works festival, JAW: A Playwrights Festival. Home to two theaters, The Armory, which was originally built in 1891, opened its doors in 2006 as the first building on the National Register of Historic Places, and the first performing arts venue in the country, to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.

THE 2018-2019 SEASON

The 2018-2019 season is funded in part by Season Superstars Tim and Mary Boyle, and Lead Corporate Champion Umpqua Bank. Further support comes from: Women Playwrights' Series Sponsors Ronni Lacroute, Brigid Flanigan and Diana Gerding; Studio Season Sponsors Mary and Don Blair; and the Regional Arts and Culture Council and Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the state of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts. Support for A Life comes from Doug and Teresa Smith. The Mark Spencer Hotel is the official hotel partner. Portland Center Stage at The Armory was selected as a participant of The Wallace Foundation's

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