THE SHAKESPEARE BUG Plays Stage Werx Theatre, Now thru 9/29

San Francisco's premiere sketch comedy group is proud to announce its world premiere production of the comedic play, The Shakespeare Bug, debuting tonight, September 6 - 29, 2013 at Stage Werx Theatre in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District. This original play is written by Ken Slattery, KML Company Member and award-winning author of Truffaldino Says No, which premiered at Shotgun Players in Summer 2012.

Something's rotten in the city of San Francisco. A modern?day Hamlet is forced to play out the story of his namesake when his eccentric family contracts a mysterious illness on Opening Night. Thrust into a world where actions are amplified to Shakespearean proportions, Hamlet finds himself caught in a revolving door of tragedy and comedy. He is forced to answer the question: If all the world's a stage, how does he know what role to play?

The Shakespeare Bug reunites the award winning team that created Truffaldino Says No: Playwright Ken Slattery, Director M. Graham Smith and Costume Designer Maggie Whitaker, all of whom won their respective Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards for their discipline.

Ken Slattery has been a writer for Killing My Lobster since 2007, and is currently the Writing Director. Veteran instructor of KML's popular Writing 1 and Writing 2 classes, Ken has served as Head Writer on multiple KML sketch shows producing some of KML's best sketches for film and stage. Ken Slattery has also been a member of PlayGround's Writing Pool for seven seasons, writing many comic short plays and two full?length comedies during that time. Like his previous hit Truffaldino Says No, this play was originally commissioned and developed under Playground's Artistic Director, Jim Kleinmann.

M. Graham Smith (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle winner, Best Director 'Truffaldino Says No' ), specializes in developing new works, most notably ushering new work to the stage as the leader of Aurora Theater's Global Age Project. He has numerous directing credits in the Bay Area including Truffaldino Says No with Shotgun Players and Jerry Springer: The Musical with Ray of Light Productions. For The Shakespeare Bug Smith directs a group of talented Bay Area actors that include William Dao, Peter Townley, David Cramer*, Erin Carter**, Millie DeBenedet**, Michaela Greeley, and Rosie Hallett. Other standout team members are: Sound Designer Teddy Hulsker, Lighting Designer Heather Basarab, Set Designer Patricia Gillespie and Props Designer Megan Lush. (*Member, Actors' Equity Association** Company Member, Killing My Lobster)

KML has strong history of producing full-length comedic plays to widespread acclaim. In 2009, KML brought Matt Pelfrey's (MTV's Skins) darkly comedic world premiere play Pure Shock Value to the stage. This production was hailed as "Hilarious... The more over?the?top his satire gets, the funnier and more acute it becomes" by SF Chronicle critic Robert Hurwitt. In 2006, their critically acclaimed world premiere production of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's Hunter Gatherers played an extended three?month run at San Francisco's Thick House Theater. In addition to catapulting KML Company Member Nachtrieb to the limelight as a playwright, the show went on to win both the Will Glickman Award for the best new play to premiere in the Bay Area (2006) and the Steinberg Award for the Best New Play produced outside of New York City. With the generous support of the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, Killing My Lobster is able to support the development and production of The Shakespeare Bug, and enable KML to continue its strong history of delivering high-quality new works.

The Shakespeare Bug, directed by M. Graham Smith, starring William Dao, Peter Townley, David Cramer*, Erin Carter, Millie DeBenedet, Michaela Greeley, and Rosie Hallett (*Member, Actors' Equity Association). Runs September 6 - 29, 2013, Thursdays - Sundays; 8PM; Previews: Sept. 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th. All performances run at the Stage Werx Theatre, 446 Valencia Street (at 16th Street). Tickets available now at www.killingmylobster.com.

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