Jobsite Theater Stages Sharr White's ANNAPURNA, Now thru 5/24

Jobsite Theater is proud to offer the southeastern United States premiere of Sharr White's hilarious and heartfelt meditation on love and loss, Annapurna, which plays tonight, April 29 - May 24, 2015, in the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center where Jobsite is resident theater company.

Annapurna is a moving and explosive new play by critically-acclaimed emerging playwright Sharr White, who had two plays running on Broadway in 2014. Driven by the emotionally-charged relationship between an estranged husband and wife, Jobsite's production stars Bay area stage icons Paul Potenza and Angela Bond as Ulysses and Emma.

Wearing nothing but an apron and an oxygen tank Ulysses unexpectedly finds his wife Emma knocking on his trailer door as he's making his dog dollar-store sausage on the stove. It's been 20 years since their marriage was torn apart by an event that Ulysses can't remember and Emma can't forget. In the spirit of some of the greatest American dramas, Annapurna is built upon the hopefulness of reconciliation and the simplest of setups - two people alone in a room. Passionate, funny, fierce - "For anyone who has ever loved and lost, or attempted to reconcile with a loved one or member of the family, this play speaks loud and clear in both its humor and pathos. That's a very hard line to walk and this play handles it with an unbelievable deft touch" notes co-director David M. Jenkins. "Not to mention, this is truly an incredible showpiece for two actors and Paul and Angela will, I guarantee, light that stage on fire. I cannot wait to share this with Tampa Bay, it's easily one of the best plays I've read in years and I am honored that Jobsite is the first in the area to produce it."

Annapurna's world premiere took place at The Magic Theatre in San Francisco in 2011, and ran in New York last April starring real-life married couple Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman. The Huffington Post said of the production, "Sharr White has created two fine and ferociously damaged people caught in the emotional whirlpool of not being able to live with or without each other." Among White's other plays, two have opened on Broadway: The Other Place in 2012 and The Snow Geese (starring Mary Louise Parker) in 2013. For the Tampa premier, the play is co-directed by real-life husband and wife David M. Jenkins and Summer Bohnenkamp.

Angela Bond (Emma) relocated to St. Petersburg from NYC in 1999. Recent roles: Mary in East Lansing (named Best Play of the 2014 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival); Barb in Motherhood the Musical at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts; Judge Carly A. Wray in Nashville (ABC-TV); Paige Gillespie in Sleepy Hollow (FoxTV); Lisa Flynn in Revolution (NBC-TV). Other credits: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Goodspeed Opera House and Broadway); Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera (European tour);The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Barbara Eden; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Loni Anderson; and The Student Prince with legendary opera star Jerome Hines (Kenley Players). Local credits: Eva Peron in Evita (Players Theatre); Lilli Vanessi/Kate in Kiss Me Kate, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Elvira in High Spirits (Golden Apple), Aldonza in Man of La Mancha (Show Palace); Hermione in The Winter's Tale, featured performer in It's a Grand Night for Singing, My Way and Tapestry (American Stage). She originated the role of Aretta Webb in the world premiere of Webb's City: The Musical (Mahaffey Theater and Ruth Eckerd Hall). She has directed several shows in the area, including Rumors at St. Petersburg City Theatre, Grace at Studio@620 and Dinosaur Limbo at American Stage, and has taught acting both at the Patel Conservatory and American Stage.

This marks Paul Potenza's (Ulysses) 14th year with Jobsite Theater, both as an actor and a board member. He christened this stage back in 1995 with Eric Bogosian's one-man tour-de-force Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll. Since then, he has succeeded in playing many "dream" roles, which include Jack in Race, The Player in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Michal in The Pillowman, Nick the Fire Captain in The Guys, Johnny in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Arnold in The Boys Next Door, and Renfield in Dracula. Over almost thirty years of acting in the Bay Area, Potenza has collaborated with many of the Bay areas finest theater companies including Eckerd Theater Company, The Loft Theater, Tampa Players, Stageworks, freeFall and American Stage. He is happiest about his continued collaboration and artistic relationship with Jobsite Theater. Potenza has directed Jobsite's productions of All New People, The Lonesome West, Topdog/Underdog, subUrbia and Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane. In 2011, Paul was honored to win best actor in the first annual Jeff Norton awards and also named Best Of The Bay's Best Actor by Creative Loafing. Both awards were for his portrayal of Felix Unger in Jobsite's production of The Odd Couple. He is a goldsmith by trade and has owned and operated Design One Jewelers in Clearwater, now in its 35th year in business. Potenza shares his life with his wife Roz (the artist in the family), and their dogs Ida and Bean, who own all the furniture in the house.

Annapurna officially opens to the general public on May 1 and runs through May 24, 2015. All tickets to public performances are $28. Rush tickets for students, seniors, military and Theatre Tampa Bay members are $14 and are available as of 30 minutes prior to curtain with cash and valid ID at the Straz Ticket Office window. Rush tickets are subject to availability. Special preview performances will be held on Apr. 29-30 at 8p with all tickets available in advance for $14. Jobsite also has 2014-15 season tickets on sale now at a substantially reduced price than that of individual tickets, which gets patrons into the remaining mainstage shows in the season as well as all side projects at no extra charge.

Jobsite is offering special buyout rates which we are making available to certain groups such as caregiving facilities, not-for-profits, and other support groups. These performances may then be used as a private fundraiser for that organization. Please write to tickets@jobsitetheater.org to learn more.

Jobsite is funded in part by The State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, The Arts Council of Hillsborough County, The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, The Gobioff Foundation, Creative Loafing, and Illumination Advertising. Jobsite is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization and all gifts made to Jobsite are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

To post a comment, you must register and login.