SESAME STREET Meets THE EXORCIST In Dark Comedy HAND TO GOD
By: Julie Musbach Apr. 16, 2018
After the death of his father, meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety at the Christian Puppet Ministry, in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas. Jason's complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door, and-most especially-his mother are thrown into upheaval when Jason's puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own. A devilishly dark, hysterical romp to hell and back, HAND TO GOD explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.
Written in 2011 by playwright Robert Askins, HAND TO GOD has been produced across the United States, in London, and on Broadway where it was named "the most entertaining show of 2014" and received five Tony Award nominations, including Best New Play. Seattle Public Theater's production of HAND TO GOD closes out the company's 2017-18 Season and will be the first time the show has ever been seen in Seattle.
HAND TO GOD is directed by Seattle Public Theater's Gregory Award Winning Co-Artistic Director Kelly Kitchens, and stars actor and puppeteer Ben Burris as Jason and his hand puppet, Tyrone. In addition to stepping into the show's lead roles, Burris will also design and construct all of its puppets, which he crafts by hand. Burris is joined on stage by local actors Sunam Ellis (Margery), Arjun Pande (Timmy), Hannah Mootz (Jessica), and Marty Krouse (Pastor Greg).
The production and design team for HAND TO GOD includes Christopher Mumaw (scenic), Thorn Michaels (lighting), Rob Witmer (sound), Chelsea Cook (costumes), Robin Macartney (props), Emily Cawley (dialect coach), and Ariel Bui (stage management).
PERFORMANCES
- Preview: Thursday, May 10th, 2018 @ 7:30 pm
- Opening Night: May 11th, 2018 @ 7:30 pm
- Saturday, May 12th, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Sunday, May 13th, 2018 @ 2pm
- Thursday, May 17th, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Friday, May 18th, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Saturday, May 19th, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Sunday, May 20th, 2018 @ 2pm
- Thursday, May 24th, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Friday, May 25th, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Saturday, May 26th, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Sunday, May 27th, 2018 @ 2pm
- Thursday, May 31st, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Friday, June 1st, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Saturday, June 2nd, 2018 @ 7:30pm
- Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 @ 2pm
ABOUT Robert Askins (PLAYWRIGHT)
Robert Askins was born in Cypress, Texas. His Tony-nominated, Obie Award-winning play Hand to God enjoyed a run on London's West End (Olivier nominated for Best New Comedy) after it opened on Broadway in April 2015, following two critically-acclaimed runs at Ensemble Studio Theatre and MCC Theater, where it was named a NYTimes Critics' Pick and called "the most entertaining show of 2014." His newest play Permission made its world premiere off-Broadway in spring 2015 at MCC Theater. His play Fish Display was part of the 2012 Ojai Playwrights Conference and Permission was part of the 2014 conference. Rob has received two EST/Sloan grants, the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award, and an Arch and Bruce Davis Award for Playwriting. Rob is an I-73 and Youngblood alum and a graduate of Baylor University. He's currently at work on two feature film projects and an original comedy series for HBO.
ABOUT SEATTLE PUBLIC THEATER
Seattle Public Theater produces compelling and socially relevant theater to spark conversation and ignite empathy in order to foster an intellectually curious and inclusive world. Every year, Seattle Public produces six shows as part of its professional Mainstage season at its location in Green Lake in addition to its robust education program and community events.
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