THIS IS OUR YOUTH to Play Belrose Theater in San Rafael

THIS IS OUR YOUTH, a comedy by Kenneth Lonergan, opens 2016 for Marin Onstage in San Rafael. The play runs from January 15 to January 30 at the Belrose Theater with performances on Friday and Saturdays at 8pm and matinees on Saturday January 23 and 30 at 2pm. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.marinonstage.org or at the door. Ticket prices are $20 for General, $18 for Seniors, $15 for Students. The play contains adult language and situations and is not recommended for children under 17.

THIS IS OUR YOUTH follows three wayward young people as they navigate New York in 1982, recreating their broken homes in both their dysfunctional friendships and their bungled attempts at finding love. THIS IS OUR YOUTH is a living snapshot of the moment when young people first find themselves on the threshold of adulthood-far more sophisticated than their parents realize, and far less effectual than they themselves can possibly imagine. THIS IS OUR YOUTH reminds us why The New York Times calls Kenneth Lonergan "arguably the most important American playwright of the last 20 years," and why Slate calls him "the most potent dramatic voice of his generation."

Directed by two-time BroadwayWorld SF Best Director Patrick Nims, THIS IS OUR YOUTH stars Fernando Sui, Andrew Pryor-Ramirez and Bessie Zolno. Sui is well known to North bay audiences from performances in LES MISERABLES (JeanVal Jean), NEXT TO NORMAL (Gabe) and IN THE HEIGHTS (Unsavi). Pryor-Ramirez also appeared in IN THE HEIGHTS (Sonny) and Bessie Zolno has been seen in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Chava) and THE REAL THING (Debbie).

"THIS IS OUR YOUTH is one of the funniest and best written plays I've ever encountered and this cast has been a delight to work with", said Nims. "As young people very close in age to the characters they are playing, they understand completely the uncertainty and peril that comes with leaving home at the start of their adult life. For some young people, the transition to adulthood includes college but for these three, college is not part of the equation. In this play we see them at the very moment when they leave the nest, but find themselves struggling to fly."

"THIS IS OUR YOUTH speaks to those who are in their twenties and to those who left their childhood homes long ago", continued Nims. "The play invites us to laugh at ourselves as we remember how passionate and naive we were, and to recognize that the dreams of these young people still live in us."

NY Times critic Peter Marks called the play "a revealing and offbeat dissection of its world. It is not easy to find love and humor in the middle of nowhere. It's sheer relief to celebrate the return of a rambunctious and witty play about wayward teen-agers and post-adolescents that doesn't turn youthful travails into plastic rap." Originally produced Off-Broadway in 1996, THIS IS OUR YOUTH has played in London and Australia in 2002. It was produced on Broadway in 2014 with Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson.

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