Download ON THE VERGE - New Repertory Theatre

***PRESS RELEASE***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2014
NEW REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES
ON THE VERGE
A CHARMING AND WITTY COMEDY BY ERIC OVERMYER
MAY 3 – 25, 2014
[WATERTOWN, MA] New Repertory Theatre proudly announces ON THE VERGE
by Eric Overmyer. Directed by Jim Petosa, ON THE VERGE performs in the
Charles Mosesian Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street,
in Watertown, MA. Tickets are $28 -$60 and may be purchased by calling the box
office at 617-923-8487 or online at newrep.org. Student, senior, and group
discounts are available. The press performance is Monday, May 5 at 7:30pm.
“The three time-traveling, Victorian-era women in this play do so as a means of
escaping the conventions of their society,” explains Artistic Director, Jim Petosa.
“They each choose a unique path, embarking on a safari through time that leads
them to the possibilities of liberation, empowerment, and beyond.”
“We’re pleased to welcome each of the actors in ON THE VERGE back to New
Repertory Theatre,” says Managing Director, Harriet Sheets. “Benjamin Evett,
Christine Hamel, Adrianne Krstansky, and Paula Langton have performed with us
on numerous occasions, and we’re happy to have them for this wonderfully
inventive comedy from Eric Overmyer.”
About ON THE VERGE
In this hilarious time-travel fantasy, three Victorian-era women set off to explore
“Terra Incognita,” not realizing that they have warped into 1955 American pop
culture. As they tromp through time and the outback of mid-century America,
they recount past travels and face their challenges in language rich with
wordplay, humor, and the vernacular of anthropologists. Playwright Eric
Overmyer’s unique style, thick with lavish wit, made way for his television
writing for acclaimed dramas The Wire, Law and Order, and Treme.
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—
About New Repertory Theatre
New Repertory Theatre is the award-winning, professional theatre company in residence at the Arsenal Center for the
Arts in Watertown, MA. Entering its 30th anniversary season as a leading self-producing theatre in greater Boston, New
Rep produces contemporary and classic dramas, comedies, and musicals in both the 340-seat Charles Mosesian
Theater and the 90-seat Black Box Theater. Annually, New Rep serves 45,000-50,000 patrons, including over 2,200
season Subscribers. In addition to its mainstage productions, the non-profit theatre produces New Rep’s Next Voices,
with four playwrights each season, which develops new plays into three staged readings and one world premiere
production. Under its Lifelong Enrichment Arts Programs (LEAP), New Rep also produces its Classic Repertory
Company, summerSTAGE2, Page To Stage, Insider Experiences, and Spotlight Symposium Series.
New Rep’s Mission
New Repertory Theatre produces plays that speak powerfully to the essential ideas of our time. Through the passion
and electricity of live theater performed to the highest standards of excellence, New Rep expands and challenges the
human spirit of both artists and audience. New Rep presents world premieres, contemporary and classic works in
several intimate settings. We are committed to education and outreach, including special dedication to the creation of
innovative in-school programming and providing access to underserved audiences. New Rep is an active advocate for
the arts and a major voice in the national dialogue defining the role of theater in our culture.
—
ARTISTIC BIOS
Benjamin Evett* (Various) appeared at New Repertory Theatre earlier this season in Camelot (2014 IRNE Award), and
has also been seen in Amadeus, Cherry Docs, Opus, Indulgences, A Christmas Carol, Quills, A Girl’s War, and Jerusalem,
and directed RENT. He was recently seen in Freud’s Last Session and God of Carnage (co-produced with Arizona Theatre
Company and San Jose Rep). He was a member of the ART Resident Acting Company from 1993 to 2003, performing
in over 50 productions including Waiting for Godot, The Bacchae, Phedre, and Six Characters in Search of an Author. He
has performed at Missouri Rep, Virginia Stage Company, Alley Theatre, Taiwan National Theatre, and Moscow Art
Theatre. He is Founding Artistic Director of Actors’ Shakespeare Project, where he played Coriolanus, Hamlet,
Petruchio, Edmund, and Caliban.
Christine Hamel* (Alex) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Ragtime and Sweeney Todd and
dialect/voice coaching many productions, including most recently Tongue of a Bird, Camelot, The Elephant Man,
Amadeus, Holiday Memories, and The Kite Runner. Other area credits include The Penelopiad (Boston University School
of Theatre); Season’s Greetings and Our Town (Wellesley Summer Theatre); and The Glass Menagerie (Boston Center for
American Performance). Regionally, she performed the role of Emma Darwin in Trumpery (Olney Theatre Center). Ms.
Hamel holds an MFA from Boston University School of Theatre where she now serves on the faculty. She is a
designated Linklater Voice teacher, a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and the Michael Chekov
Association. Originally from Bedford, she now lives in Arlington. This fall she will be directing for the all-female
Shakespeare initiative Femina Shakes at Boston University.
Adrianne Krstansky* (Fanny) returns to New Repertory Theater after performing in Imagining Madoff, Holiday
Memories, Three Viewings, afterlife: a ghost story, 2.5 Minute Ride and Frozen. Other area credits include Tribes and Body
Awareness (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Legally Dead (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); Round and Round the Garden
(Gloucester Stage Company); Othello (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Paradise Lost and Britannicus
(American Repertory Theater); among others. New York credits include 365 plays/365 days (Public Theater); and Luck,
Pluck and Virtue (Atlantic Theater Company). Regional work includes performances at Steppenwolf Theater Company
and La Jolla Playhouse. Film credits include Olive Kitteridge (HBO) and The Company Men. Ms. Krstansky earned her
MFA at the University of California, San Diego, is originally from Chicago, and resides in Newtonville. She is an
Associate Professor of Theater Arts at Brandeis University.
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Paula Langton* (Mary) returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Amadeus and Bakersfield Mist. Recent
credits include Love's Labour's Lost and Mother Courage (Shakespeare & Company); The Effect of Gamma Rays on Manin-the-Moon Marigolds, Good, and Monster (Boston Center for American Performance); A Question of Mercy (Potomac
Theatre Project); The Glass Menagerie (Olney Theatre Center); Trojan Barbie and Donnie Darko (American Repertory
Theatre), Walking the Volcano and Daughter of Venus (Boston Playwrights' Theatre); and Romeo and Juliet, Middletown,
Twelfth Night, Othello, The Winter's Tale, King Lear, Measure for Measure, Henry V, All's Well That Ends Well, and Richard III
(Actors’ Shakespeare Project). She has also performed with Boston Theatre Works, Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare
Company, Charles Playhouse, Nora Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company, Coyote Theatre, Hasty Pudding, New York
Theatre Workshop, and others. Ms. Langton serves as Head of Acting at Boston University’s School of Theatre.
Jim Petosa** (Director/Artistic Director) joined New Repertory Theatre as an award-winning theater artist, educator,
and leader in 2012. He has served as Director of the School of Theatre, College of Fine Arts, at Boston University since
2002, and Artistic Director of Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and its National Players educational touring
company (1994-2012). While at BU, he established the Boston Center for American Performance (BCAP), the
professional production extension of the BU School of Theatre, in 2008. Throughout the Northeast, Petosa has
directed for numerous institutions, including, The Elephant Man (IRNE Nomination), Amadeus, Three Viewings, The Last
Five Years, and Opus at New Rep. In Boston, his work was nominated for two IRNE awards for A Question of Mercy
(BCAP). He has served as one of three artistic leaders for the Potomac Theatre Project (PTP/NYC) since 1987. In
Maryland, his work earned over 25 Helen Hayes Award nominations as well as the award for outstanding direction of a
musical for Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well… His production of Look! We Have Come Through! was nominated for the
Charles MacArthur Award for outstanding new play, and he earned the Montgomery County Executive’s Excellence in
the Arts and Humanities Award for Outstanding Artist/Scholar. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, Petosa has
served on the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and currently serves on the Board
of Directors for StageSource. Originally from New Jersey, he was educated at The Catholic University of America and
resides in Quincy.
ON THE VERGE AT A GLANCE
Company:
New Repertory Theatre
Artistic Director:
Jim Petosa
Managing Director:
Harriet Sheets
Production:
ON THE VERGE
Venue:
Charles Mosesian Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472
Author:
Eric Overmyer
Director:
Jim Petosa**
Cast:
Benjamin Evett*
Christine Hamel*
Adrianne Krstansky*
Paula Langton*
Various
Alex
Fanny
Mary
Production Team:
Cristina Todesco***
Nancy Leary
Mary Ellen Stebbins
David Remedios***
Marsha Smith*
Scenic Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Stage Manager
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*Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)
** Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical
labor union
***Member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829
Performance Schedule:
Saturday, May 3, 8pm
Sunday, May 4, 2pm
Monday, May 5, 7:30pm
Preview
Preview
Press Opening
Thursday, May 8, 7:30pm
Friday, May 9, 8pm
Saturday, May 10, 8pm
Sunday, May 11, 2pm
Talkback
Wednesday, May 14, 7:30pm
Thursday, May 15, 7:30pm
Friday, May 16, 8pm
Saturday, May 17, 3pm
Saturday, May 17, 8pm
Sunday, May 18, 2pm
Sneak Peek
Thursday, May 22, 2pm
Thursday, May 22, 7:30pm
Friday, May 23, 8pm
Saturday, May 24, 3pm
Saturday, May 24, 8pm
Sunday, May 25, 2pm
Talkback
Talkback
Talkback
Tickets:
Telephone: 617-923-8487, Online: newrep.org
In Person: 12 noon to 6pm, Arsenal Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472
Parking:
Free, six-level parking garage next to the Arsenal Center for the Arts
Public Transportation:
#70 or #70A bus to the School Street stop from Central Square Station, Red Line
Accessibility:
Wheelchair Accessible, Assistive Listening System,
Large-Print and Braille Programs Available
Season Sponsors:
Massachusetts Cultural Council, WGBH, and NCGIT
For Media Inquiries:
Michael Duncan Smith, Marketing & PR Director, 617-923-7060 x8205 or [email protected]
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