Custom Made Theatre Stages Bay Area Debut of HOW THE WORLD BEGAN, Now thru 3/8

Custom Made Theatre Company presents the Bay Area Premiere of award-winning playwright Catherine Treischmann's How the World Began, focusing on the clash between religion and science in a rural Kansas town.

Trieschmann's play takes no sides, but is focused on the characters of a pregnant New Yorker who has fled her life to start again, a young student who is dealing with tragedy, and the fair-minded guardian who tries to find a middle-ground.

Religion and science collide in this visceral examination of the way in which we navigate interpersonal relationships involving seemingly irreconcilable beliefs-and just how hard it is to truly listen to one another. Looking to rebuild her fractured life, high school biology teacher Susan relocates from New York City to a small Kansas town reeling in the aftermath of a devastating tornado. Ready for more than a little culture shock, Susan finds herself unprepared for the firestorm that engulfs the town after she makes an off-hand comment about the origin of the universe.

The Bay Area Premiere of How the World Began is directed by Custom Made executive director Leah S. Abrams. It plays tonight, February 12 - March 8 at the Gough Street Playhouse, 1620 Gough Street in San Francisco. How the World previews February 12 & 13, and opens Saturday, February 14 (Yes, Valentine's Day!) at 8:00 pm.

Cast: Mary McGloin* (Susan), Malcolm Rodgers (Micah) and Tim Garcia (Gene). *Member, Actor's Equity Association

Creative Staff: Leah S. Abrams (Director), Cat Howser (Stage Management), Erik LaDue (Scenic Design), Brooke Jennings (Costume Design), Liz Ryder (Score, Sound Design), Colin Johnson (Lighting Design), Stewart Lyle (Technical Director).

Insights from the Director, Leah S. Abrams - "How the World Began completely grabbed me upon first read. Catherine Trieschmann has found a way to talk about a fascinating and volatile subject without demonizing either side of the debate. We all know how tone can be hurtful -- we are all prone to being defensive, stubborn, and unintentionally judgmental. What we love about Trieschmann's characters is that they all share these very authentic human qualities.

The playwright has mastered the art of seeing three sides to every story -- your side, his/her side, and the truth, of the reality that the world is full of grey rather than black and white. And on top of it all is Catherine Trieschmann's great sense of humor -- the play is peppered with her signature quips, witticisms and phrasings that make you laugh and think."

Catherine Trieschmann (Playwright) - Trieschmann's plays include The Bridegroom of Blowing Rock, Crooked, How the World Began, Hot Georgia Sunday, and The Most Deserving. Her work has been produced Off-Broadway at the Women's Project, the Bush Theatre (London), Out of Joint at the Arcola Theatre (London), South Coast Repertory, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, American Theatre Company, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, among others. She has received commissions from South Coast Repertory, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the Denver Theatre Center. She is the recipient of the Weissberger Award, the Otis Guernsey New Voices Playwriting Award from the Inge Theatre Festival, and the Edgerton New Play Award. Originally from Athens, Georgia, she now lives in a small town in western Kansas.

Leah S. Abrams (Director) is the co-founder and executive director of Custom Made. For the company, she has directed multiple Beckett plays (Come and Go, Krapp's Last Tape, Footfalls, etc.), Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, Mark Eisman's Dodo for President, and Lee Blessing's Two Rooms. She co-directed Putting It Together and The Water Engine. Recent directing projects have included several staged readings in NYC and SF, and Mark Eisman's Sightlines in NYC (2013) as well as for SF's 2012 Studio Series. She is a graduate of Clark University.

Previews: Feb. 12 & 13 at 8:00 pm. Opens Feb. 14, 8:00 pm. Runs Feb. 12 - Mar. 8; Thurs-Sat 8:00 pm, Sun 7:00 pm. Tickets $20-40 ($50 for opening night - includes afterparty). Learn more and buy tickets at (415) 798-CMTC or online at www.custommade.org.

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