THE SHORT AND HAPPY LIFE Closes Sleepwalkers 2nd Season

Sleepwalkers Theatre closes its second season of progressive new works with the premiere of THE SHORT AND HAPPY LIFE by Ryan Michael Teller. Who was the real Harvery and exactly why did he explode into a thousand little pieces? Sleepwalkers co-founding Artistic Director Tore Ingersoll-Thorp helms this multi-media theatrical exploration of the abandonment and destruction of youth, featuring Maureen Coyne, Kevin Copps, Andrew Crocker, Damian Lanahan - Kalish, Ari Owens, and Ian Riley. THE SHORT AND HAPPY LIFE plays March 5 through 28  at the Phoenix Theatre (414 Mason at Geary) in San Francisco. For tickets ($14) and information, the public may call 415-913-7272 or visit www.sleepwalkerstheatre.com.

After the incomprehensible death by combustion of his best friend Harvery, Manny Singer tries to navigate the monstrous world of present day Los Angeles, and the monsters looking to capitalize on his story. Everything about the night that Harvery died is frozen in time, and Manny can't seem to move past it. His life post-Harvery is complicated even more when Havery's mother pays him an unexpected visit, bearing a letter her son mailed to Manny weeks after his death. This inexplicable voice from the grave changes Manny's perspective on his loss from a random incident he can't understand to a fated happening he really can't understand. How a tragedy can be twisted and exploited. How no matter how hard you try to move on something scary from the past always waits for you.

Playwright Ryan Michael Teller makes his San Francisco debut with Sleepwalkers Theater and THE SHORT AND HAPPY LIFE, about which he says: "This would be like a buddy comedy and a cheesy rom-com rolled into one - If David Lynch decided to make that movie." Most recently, his play Sucker Fish Messiah, originally developed when Teller was playwright-in-residence at the Abingdon Theater, premiered at the Bouwerie Lane Theater in New York. Other plays include Cruelty to Animals, which was performed at the Vortex Theater in Austin, Habits, a finalist for South Coast Repertory's California Playwriting Competition, and You Are Here, which was presented by ASK Theater Projects in Los Angeles; Teller also participated in the Wordsmiths program at Los Angeles Theater Center.

Comprised of Tore Ingersoll-Thorp, Damian Lanahan-Kalish, Ian Riley, and Jennifer Heller, Sleepwalkers Theatre seeks to produce new works aimed towards gaining fresh perspectives on the human experience. Possessing what SF Weekly dubbed "a refreshing air of youth and vigor," Sleepwalkers Theatre presents works inspired by people and subjects that are important and relevant to generation now. With an emphasis on creating theatre that is vital and cutting edge, the company fosters new works and seeks out first time playwrights, with the goal of changing the way audiences relate to theatre as a live art form.

Sleepwalkers Theatre closes its second season of presenting progressive new works with the premiere of THE SHORT AND HAPPY LIFE by Ryan Michael Teller. Who was the real Harvery and exactly why did he explode into a thousand little pieces? After the incomprehensible death by combustion of his best friend and mentor, Manny Singer tries to navigate the monstrous world of present day Los Angeles and the monsters looking to capitalize on his story. A multi-media extrapolation from that event, THE SHORT AND HAPPY LIFE, featuring Maureen Coyne, Kevin Copps, Andrew Crocker, Damian Lanahan - Kalish, Ari Owens, and Ian Riley, is a surreal examination of the harsh abandonment of youth.

March 5 through 28
Press Opening March 6, 8pm

SHOWS:
Thursday through Saturday; all shows 8pm

WHERE:
Phoenix Theater
414 Mason St. (at Geary), San Francisco

TICKETS:
For tickets ($14) and information, the public may call 415-913-7272 or visit www.sleepwalkerstheatre.com

 

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