Deep Dish Theater Presents THE CHERRY ORCHARD and OUTSIDE MULLINGAR in Rep This Fall

The Deep Dish Theater will conclude its 15-year residency at University Mall with a special presentation of two acclaimed plays in rotating repertory, opening tonight, October 2, and playing through November 14.

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR, the hit Broadway comedy by John Patrick Shanley, will play in conjunction with THE CHERRY ORCHARD, Anton Chekhov's dramatic masterwork. The rotating repertory schedule will allow patrons the opportunity to see both shows in the same week or even on the same day.

"These two plays about life, love, and real estate have much to say to us and to each other," said Artistic Director Paul Frellick. "We're excited to bring all that we've learned these last 15 years to this tremendous challenge."

The two plays will rehearse simultaneously and open on consecutive Fridays: THE CHERRY ORCHARD on October 2, OUTSIDE MULLINGAR on October 9. The plays will then perform for two to three nights at a time, and patrons can arrange to see the two productions in the same or consecutive weeks, on two adjacent evenings, or even in a single day. Two Saturdays (October 24 and November 7) have been designated as two-production days, and a special dinner package can be reserved that includes a meal at City Kitchen and a chance to meet and talk with some of the cast and crew for both shows.

THE CHERRY ORCHARD, Chekhov's last play and perhaps his best known, follows the inhabitants of a Russian country estate in the early years of the last century. A cast of 15 and director Frellick will negotiate the playwright's signature blend of comic and tragic strains, as Chekhov's characters come to individual and mutual crossroads, all tied to an aging manor and the beautiful but unprofitable orchard that adorns it.

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Play of the 2013-2014 Broadway season. A romantic comedy about two middle-aged Irish farmers trying desperately to hold on to their land and to keep from falling in love, the play calls to mind Shanley's 1987 Oscar-winning film Moonstruck. It will be directed by Tony Lea, Deep Dish Resident Director, who has directed such memorable Deep Dish productions as Nathan the Wise, Superior Donuts, Good People, and most recently, A Kid Like Jake.

The acting company includes Rebecca Bossen, Lexie Braverman, Dorothy Recasner Brown, Fred Corlett, John Rogers Harris, Maryanne Henderson, David Hudson, Danielle Koppel, Matthew Hager, Austin Lord, Tom Marriott, Chris Milner, Holmes Morrison, Roman Pearah, Kevin Poole and Nan Stephenson.

Pictured: (top) Rebekah Vaisey, Dorothy Recasner Brown and Maryanne Henderson in THE CHERRY ORCHARD; Chris Milner and Rebecca Bossen in OUTSIDE MULLINGAR. Photos by Jonathan Young.

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