Rebel and Misfits Brings SEX WITH STRANGERS to St. Louis

Rebel and Misfits Productions is thrilled to announce "Sex with Strangers," its first project in a new series called "An Intimate Theatre Project." The provocative and timely play comes from Laura Eason (House of Cards) and will be directed by New York City's Michelle Bossy. The event runs March 30 through April 15 at a private home in the Central West End (4632 McPherson Avenue). Starting nightly at 8pm, each performance will seat a small, intimate audience of approximately 50 people.

"With 'An Intimate Theatre Project,' I'm sourcing some of the most honest and raw plays out there right now, beginning with 'Sex with Strangers,' and looking to set them amongst a very small audience," said Kelly Hummert, Artistic Director of Rebel and Misfits. "I want those in attendance to feel like voyeurs, flies on the wall, and totally overwhelmed by the content and proximity to the players. The atmosphere is intimate, and the acting isn't presentation but rather subtle with a focus on total realism. We want attendees to feel that this subject matter is difficult to watch, sexy and voyeuristic in nature. If you don't feel a little uncomfortable, we aren't doing it right."

"Sex with Strangers" incubated at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in 2009 and had successful runs at Second Stage Theatre in New York, Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and The Hampstead in London. It was one of the top 10 produced plays in 2015 and 2016, receiving more than 30 productions in the United States and also internationally. Rebel and Misfit's production will be the St Louis premier of the show.

As Laura Eason explains her play, "How far will you go to get what you want? Will you be the same person if you do? When twenty-something star sex blogger and memoirist Ethan tracks down his idol, the gifted but obscure novelist Olivia, he finds they crave what the other possesses. As attraction turns to sex, and they inch closer to getting what they want, both most confront the dark side of ambition and the trouble of reinventing oneself when the past is only a click away."

The small two-person cast features New York's Christopher Tipp at Ethan and Kelly Hummert as Olivia. Both were recently featured in Rebel and Misfit's immersive theatre production of "Hamlet: See What I See" (there, they played loving siblings, Laertes and Ophelia, whereas now they play complicated lovers).

"Sex with Strangers" is directed by Michelle Bossy, a Mexican-American theatre director and filmmaker dedicated to bringing original, new work to stage and screen. She recently directed short films 18, She Grinds Her Own Coffee, and The New 35; as well as collaborated on a new web series, TeleMAMAS. Michelle's theatre productions include Every Good Girl Deserves Fun, Un Plugged In, South Beach Rapture and Sarajevo's Child, among many other new plays. Michelle was the Associate Artistic Director of Primary Stages in New York, where she worked for 13 years. While there, she ran the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, where she worked with more than 25 emerging writers on the creation of new plays. Michelle holds the first undergraduate directing degree from Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts. She teaches acting and playwriting for the Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) and directing for Syracuse University's Tepper Semester.

Tickets for "Sex with Strangers" are currently on sale via Metrotix (http://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/strangers). Admission is $25 (reduced to $10 for college students with valid photo ID). Doors open at 7:30pm with a hard start at 8:00pm. The performance takes place at a private home in the Central West End (4632 McPherson Avenue). All attendees in the play's small, intimate audience of 50 people, must be age 18+. More information is available at www.anintimatetheatreproject.com.

More about REBEL AND MISFITS PRODUCTIONS

Rebel and Misfits Productions is a St Louis-based theatre company founded by actor, artistic director and producer Kelly Hummert. Fall 2016's "Hamlet: See What I See" was its inaugural production and the first show in a series of true immersive theatre experiences - which create no line between the actors and spectators - called jointly "The Immersive Theatre Project." Hoping to provide St Louis audiences with personal theatre experiences in unique formats, "The Immersive Theatre Project" and "An Intimate Theatre Project" will run in tandem throughout 2017 and 2018. The name of Rebel and Misfits Productions is derived from the Steve Jobs quote, "Here's to crazy ones. The rebels. The misfits. Because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Kelly Hummert is originally from Illinois and attended Webster University. She returned to St Louis in 2011 after spending eight years doing theatre in New York including playing Viola in Twelfth Night at Brooklyn Shakespeare Experience, Maggie in After The Fall with Stage 15 Productions, Medea in Medea Redux in The 24 Hour Plays at the Public, the New York Premiere of Kato McNickle's Swimming In The Ocean, and Helen in the workshop of Warning: Adult Content at MCC. Other roles: Jack in Lord of the Flies, Hermione in The Winters Tale, Lula in The Dutchman, and Antony in Julius Ceasar. Film Credits: The Devil Wears Prada, The Marconi Brothers, The Good Shepard, and Across the Universe.

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