University of Washington School of Drama And Seattle Repertory Theatre Presents LIDLESS

In a unique collaboration, University of Washington School of Drama in association with Seattle Repertory Theatre will workshop a new play using both professional actors and UW graduate students, under the direction of Seattle Rep Associate Artistic Director Braden Abraham. Part of Seattle Rep's New Play Program and UW School of Drama's New Works Series, four workshop performances of "Lidless" by acclaimed up-and-coming Austin, Texas-based playwright Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig are scheduled for Feb. 4-7, 2010, at the Jones Playhouse.

"This is such an exciting opportunity for us," said Jerry Manning, Seattle Rep producing artistic director and the main force behind the company's renewed New Play Program. "This play is very powerful, and we're proud to help develop a piece from one of the most promising new voices in American theatre. And to do it with the vitality and dedication of the actors in UW's Professional Actor Training Program [MFA, acting] is incredibly special."

Additionally, the UW students will benefit from time in the rehearsal room with seasoned actors, a well-heeled director, and a studied playwright. (Albeit it won't be a stretch for them to relate: Abraham, Cowhig, and the actors are all relatively young).

In the play, a former Guantanamo Bay interrogator has done her best to move on from the brutal relationships she had with detainees at the prison. But when one man shows up in her Minneapolis flower shop, she realizes she can't escape her past. A haunting psychological drama, the play has already earned Cowhig the 2009 David C. Horn Prize in the Yale Drama Series competition for emerging playwrights.

The cast includes Seattle actors John Farrage and Troy Fischnaller and UW students Camille Thornton, Heather Lynn Rash, and Maura Tang.

Performances are Feb. 4, 5, and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Jones Playhouse. Tickets are $6 and are available online through drama.washington.edu or by phone at 206-543-4880 or 1-800-859-5342.

Seattle Repertory Theatre, founded in 1963, is led by Producing Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore. One of America's premier nonprofit resident theatres, Seattle Repertory Theatre has achieved international renown for its consistently high production and artistic standards, and was awarded the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. With an emphasis on entertaining plays of true dramatic and literary worth, Seattle Rep produces a season of plays along with educational programs, new play workshops and special presentations.

UW School of Drama
Considered one of the top ten professional theater training programs in the nation, the UW School of Drama attracts students and faculty of the highest caliber. Through the School and the production season, students (MFA acting, directing, design, Ph.D. and undergraduate students) are able to utilize and apply the lessons learned in our classrooms, nurturing them into artists and scholars of the highest professional quality.

 

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