PlayMakers to Close Season with 4000 MILES, 4/1-19

PlayMakers Repertory Company will conclude its Mainstage Season with Pulitzer Prize finalist "4000 Miles" by Amy Herzog, onstage April 1 through 19. PlayMakers is the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Special events associated with the show begin March 16.

An elderly grandmother with a fading memory opens her door - and her life - to her wayward grandson. As an overnight couch-surf turns into an extended stay, "4000 Miles" unearths surprising commonality across generations in this emotionally compelling and humor-filled story that proves the adage - all roads lead home.

"4000 Miles" won the Obie Award for Best New American Play and was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The New York Times called the dramatic comedy "funny, moving, altogether wonderful." Time Magazine chose it as the "No. 1 Play or Musical of 2012," describing "4000 Miles" as a work of "humor, honesty and narrative subtlety ... easily the best play of the season."

"4000 Miles" will be directed by Seattle/San Francisco-based director Desdemona Chiang. Chiang has directed for Seattle Shakespeare Company, Aurora Theatre Company, Crowded Fire Theatre Company, FringeNYC and Washington Ensemble Theatre, among others. Chiang worked with producing artistic director Joseph Haj on PlayMakers' production of "The Making of a King: Henry IV & V" (2012) and directed "Hairspray" for the 2014 PlayMakers Summer Youth Conservatory.

Dee Maaske appears in the role of the grandmother, Vera. Her credits include 21 seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as well as acting on stages across the United States, in Europe and the Middle East. In 2004, she was selected by Horton Foote to play Carrie Watts for his 50th anniversary production of "The Trip to Bountiful" at Hartford Stage Company (Connecticut) and the Alley Theatre in Houston.

Performances will be in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC's Department of Dramatic Art on Country Club Road. Show times will be 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays and Saturday, April 11.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (919) 962-7529 or visit www.playmakersrep.org. Ticket prices start at $15.

In conjunction with "4000 Miles," PlayMakers will host "The Vision Series-Directors in Conversation," a behind-the-scenes preview with director Desdemona Chiang, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the Paul Green Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. Participants share coffee and hors d'oeuvres provided by series sponsor Jujube Restaurant, learn about the vision for the show and get a sneak peek at the sets and costumes in progress. Reservations are appreciated. Call PlayMakers' box office at (919) 962-7529 to RSVP.

Other special events will include:

• March 16, 6 p.m.: a discussion with the director and cast at McIntyre's Books, Fearrington Village, Pittsboro;
• April 1, 2 and 3, 7:30 p.m.: preview performances;
• April 4, 7:30 p.m.: opening night performance;
• April 7: an all-access performance for attendees with special needs, with sign language interpretation and audio description;
• April 8 and 12: free post-show discussions with members of the creative team;
• April 10, 6 p.m.: An Evening at PlayMakers: pre-show reception and conversation with artistic staff hosted by UNC's General Alumni Association, followed by the 7:30 p.m. performance of "4000 Miles." $60, general public; $40, GAA members. Register at http://alumni.unc.edu/article.aspx?sid=10606.
• April 11, 2 p.m.: open captioned performance;

· April 18, 7:30 p.m. and April 19, 2 p.m.: free post-show "Mindplay" discussions sponsored by the North Carolina Psychoanalytic Society.

PlayMakers concludes its 2014-15 Season with a tale of young love on the eve of World War I, PRC2 production "Mary's Wedding" by Stephen Massicote (April 29-May 3).

Subscription packages are also available for PlayMakers' 2015-16 Season. Renewing subscribers can secure their current seats for the new season through May 1. Call (919) 962-7529 or visit http://www.playmakersrep.org for information.

Based in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, PlayMakers has been named by The Drama League as one of the "best regional theatre companies in America."

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