Signature Theatre to Host No Rules Theater Company Through 2015

Commencing this summer, Northern Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre will be the new home to the emerging No Rules Theater Company (NRTC) through 2015. The partnership between the two companies will provide NRTC with use of the Theatre's facilities, including office and rehearsal space. NRTC's 2012/13 season, the company's 4th, will be presented in Signature's 115-seat ARK Theatre. Brian Sutow and Joshua Morgan, the company's Co-Artistic Directors, have today announced their upcoming season, which includes Black Comedy from award-winning playwright Peter Shaffer, the world premiere of The Personal(s), and the anything-goes revue, The No Rules Show. Signature, in its new building in Shirlington since 2007, will assist in mentoring the young and quickly growing company as it remains in residence.

Eric Schaeffer, Signature's Artistic Director stated, "When Joshua (NRTC Co-Artistic Director) approached me about searching for a new home for his theatre company, it proved to be perfect timing. No Rules reminds me so much of Signature in our early years with their creative spirit and gutsy attitude. I'm looking forward to working with them on this special partnership as they continue to grow and become a force in Washington's theatrical community."

"I am thrilled and inspired by Signature helping to mentor No Rules Theatre Company through this residency," said Brian Sutow. "This is a model I hope other companies around the country will adopt, as it seems like a brilliant, mutually beneficial way to help nurture future generations of theater artists and producers. We are incredibly grateful to have the trust and belief of Eric and Maggie. Being in residence at Signature is bound to be a major step forward for No Rules as we continue to try to reach greater heights of creative excellence."

Prior to calling Signature their home, NRTC resided at H Street Playhouse, which announced its plans to close earlier this year. The company still has a base in Winston-Salem, NC at the Hanesbrands Theatre. NRTC just completed their 2011/12 season with the Washington DC premiere of the tragicomedy Suicide, Incorporated. Signature completed their 22nd season with the musical comedy Xanadu and will open their new season on August 14th with the musical comedy favorite The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Maggie Boland, Managing Director of Signature Theatre said, "Everyone at Signature is looking forward to working with the No Rules staff and artists to assist them in managing their growth responsibly and to provide them with the opportunity to reach a broader audience. In turn, we are thrilled with the chance to introduce Signature's work to the No Rules audience. This is certainly an auspicious time for both theatres – and the beginning of what is sure to be an extraordinary relationship."

NO RULES THEATRE COMPANY'S 2012/2013 SEASON

Black Comedy
By Peter Shaffer
Directed by Matt Cowart
February 6, 2013 - March 2, 2013

A power-outage causes endless hilarity in this classic farce from famed playwright Peter Shaffer (Equus, Amadeus). Young Sculptor Brindsley Miller's schemes to impress his fiancée's father and a millionaire art collector are plunged into chaos when a fuse blows inside of his London apartment. Hilarious hijinks ensue in what is widely regarded to be one of the funniest farces of all-time.

World Premiere
The Personal(s)
Adapted By Brian Sutow
From the Films Blind Date by Stanley Tucci and Theo Van Gogh
Directed by Josh Hecht
April 24, 2013 - May 18, 2013

After surviving a tragedy, estranged husband and wife Don and Janna go on a series of "blind dates" to try and save their marriage. Based on the critically acclaimed film directed by Stanley Tucci that was in turn based on the 1996 Dutch film by Theo Van Gogh, The Personal(s) is the third incarnation of a story that is often compared to the classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Both heartbreaking and hilarious, The Personal(s) is a moving inquiry into humor, compassion and our ability to endure.

The No Rules Show
July 10, 2013 – July 28, 2013
Half Revue. Half talk show. All No Rules.
A new DC celebrity guest will join host Joshua Morgan every single night in this wild and crazy madcap variety show. Grab a drink and strap in because this going to be a one-of-a-kind experience every single performance. From stage stars to politicians you never know who might show up or what might happen.

SIGNATURE'S 2012/13 SEASON
Signature Theatre's 23rd season is a season of reinvention. The 2012/13 line-up features four legendary Broadway favorites, including The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Dreamgirls, Hello, Dolly! (a co-production with Ford's Theatre), and for the first time in twenty years, Stephen Sondheim's Company. Rounding out the season will be three celebrated dramatic works, including Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning Crimes of the Heart, the Washington premiere of Dying City, and a rare in-the-round staging of Shakespeare's R&J.

Assorted subscription packages (starting at 3 shows) are available by calling Signature's Box Office at (703) 820-9771. For more information on the 2012/13 season or to order tickets, please visit www.signature-theatre.org.

ABOUT Signature Theatre
Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company in Arlington, Virginia dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 38 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces.

In addition to hosting the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been home to such theatre luminaries as Chita Rivera, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Ann Reinking, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 77 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 305 nominations.

Signature is partially supported by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and by a gift from the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts.

ABOUT NO RULES THEATRE COMPANY
No Rules Theatre Company was founded by a new generation of theatre artists looking to create, collaborate and challenge themselves. Working in both Washington, DC and Winston-Salem, NC presents them with the opportunity to help transform two cities with immense artistic passion into cities defined by their artistic excellence. The mission is to present the broadest spectrum of high quality, accessible, truthful theatre that will open the minds and expand the expectations of a diverse audience. Other than this, there are no rules. No Rules Theatre Company is the recipient of the 2011 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company.

SIGNATURE CONTACT INFORMATION
Subscriptions/Groups: (703) 820-9771
Single Tickets: Ticketmaster (703) 573-SEAT (7328)
Signature Administration (571) 527-1860
Signature Theatre • 4200 Campbell Avenue • Arlington, VA 22206
http://www.signature-theatre.org

NO RULES THEATER CO. CONTACT INFORMATION
No Rules Administration: (336) 462-9182
No Rules Theatre Company • PO Box 15332 • Washington, DC 20003
www.norulestheatre.org

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