NCTC Announces Martin Sherman's Sweeping Tale Of A May-December Romance, GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM

In December, New Conservatory Theatre Center closes out 2021 with a bang with the premiere of iconic playwright Martin Sherman's Gently Down the Stream. Touchingly earnest and deeply witty, this epic play is a surprising and constantly evolving love story that crosses generations.

Beau has spent decades of his life trying to blend into a world that told him to be invisible. Enter Rufus, who lives his life openly and becomes fascinated with the much older Beau. When these two very different men fall into a whirlwind romance, they're left to navigate a relationship neither expect, but both depend on. Spanning over a decade, Gently Down the Stream is a bittersweet, brilliantly funny tale about being a gay man in the 21st century and finding love along the way.

In our continued dedication to keeping our audiences and artists safe, this is a performance with a small cast of three people and limited seat capacity. All guests will be required to present proof of vaccination and wear masks while at the theatre. NCTC also requires all actors, staff, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated, and all front of house staff will be masked during performances. There are limited exemptions to vaccination requirements (such as religious beliefs and qualifying medical reasons, and those under 12 years old) and those guests must present a negative COVID-19 test that was taken no more than 72 hours prior to the performance date.

Playing December 3, 2021 - January 9, 2022, Gently Down the Stream's Opening Night is Saturday, December 11 at 8pm. Tickets are $25-65 and are available at nctcsf.org, by emailing boxoffice@nctcsf.org or by calling (415) 861-8972. Pay-what-you-wish tickets are available for preview performances, December 3 - 10, and can be reserved starting one week before the first performance through the box office.

Audiences can enjoy these special events during the run of the show:

• Low-cost Previews: Friday, Dec 3- Friday, Dec. 10

• Opening Night will take place on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 at 8pm.

• Onstage Insight, Post-Show Discussion featuring the cast, and moderated by the director will take place after the performance on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2pm.

• Additional special events to be announced!

Playwright Martin Sherman is an acclaimed dramatist and screenwriter best known for his 20 stage plays which have been produced in over 55 countries. He rose to fame in 1979 with the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play Bent (Tony nominee for Best Play and Dramatists Guild's Hull-Warriner Award in 1980), which explores the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust. Bent has been produced in 35 countries, been adapted into a major motion picture in 1997, and was voted one of the NT2000 One Hundred Plays of the Century. His other plays include Messiah, When She Danced, A Madhouse in Gthe oa, Some Sunny Day and Rose (Laurence Olivier Award nominee for Best New Play in 2000) and book for The Boy From Oz, a musical based on Peter Allen's life and career, earning him a second Tony nomination. Sherman's screenplays include The Summer House, Alive and Kicking, Bent, Callas Forever and The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone.

Director Arturo Catricala has directed numerous shows at New Conservatory Theatre Center over the last several years. His most recent productions include The Gentleman Caller, Rights of Passage and Leaving the Blues. He has also directed The Homosexuals, Other Desert Cities, Master Class, A Perfect Ganesh and It's Only a Play. Mr. Catricala subscribes to, and is an advocate of the safe practices and policies set forth by the Intimacy Directors International (IDI), a non-profit organization setting standards and protocols concerning intimacy on the stage and screen. He has completed current intensive training in this method from founder Tonia Sina and associate Intimacy Director Claire Warden. More information about this organization can be found at teamIDI.org. Mr. Catricala is a member of SDC, the national union of stage directors and choreographers.

The cast of Gently Down the Stream includes Donald Currie (Beau), Sal Mattos (Harry), and Daniel Redmond (Rufus). The creative team includes technical direction by Carlos Aceves, production management & casting coordination by Stephanie Desnoyers, sound design by Daniel Hall, costume design by Jorge R. Hernández, stage Management by Kit Lanthier, set design by Kuo-Hao Lo, props design by Tom O'Brien, and dialect coaching by Patricia Reynoso.

New Conservatory Theatre Center has been San Francisco's premier LGBTQ+ and Allied performing arts institution and progressive arts education conservatory since 1981. NCTC is renowned for its diverse range of innovative, high-quality productions, touring productions and shows for young audiences; its foundational anti-bullying work with youth and educators through YouthAware; and its commitment to developing new plays to continue expanding the canon of queer and allied dramatic work.

Supported in part by The Bernard Osher Foundation, Horizons Foundation, Grants for the Arts and the generosity of NCTC's individual donors.

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