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Immediate Theatre Project presents "The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me…" by Dan Butler at North Carolina Stage Company (Catalyst Series) April 30 – May 11. Since their inaugural production of Tennessee Williams’ "The Glass Menagerie" in 2004, Immediate Theatre Project has carved a niche in local theatre by presenting spare, high-quality productions that re-discover the enormous power of classic American drama, including plays by Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, and their co-production with North Carolina Stage Company of "It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play". The Asheville Citizen-Times says that the results are, “nothing short of amazing, with skilled performances and superb storytelling” (Tony Kiss, reviewing Miller’s "All My Sons", 2006).
After their 2007 success with Michael Frayn’s "Copenhagen", a contemporary piece about the making of the atomic bomb, ITP is again staging a play that expands the range of shows they produce, while remaining true to their passion for simply and expertly told stories. "The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me… " is a one-man play that grapples with growing up gay in contemporary America. “The play doesn’t shy away from some of the real difficulties—coming out to your family, for instance—but it retains that sense of power and hope that we look for when selecting our season,” says Hans Meyer, the play’s director. “In many ways it’s a classic American story of struggle and perseverance.” In the New York Times review of the original production in 1995, critic Ben Brantley wrote, “The common denominator for all the characters is a baffled awareness of how arbitrary and inexplicable love is,” and that the show is, “…somehow both larger than life and ineffably true to it.” It is also a funny, fast-paced tour-de-force for the actor playing all ten roles. According to Meyer and ITP Managing Director Lauren Fortuna, the casting was an obvious choice: New York actor Francis Kelly. “Hans and I have known Francis professionally for ten years, and as soon as we read the script, we both knew we had to do it, and that we had to cast him.” In fact, Mr. Kelly was unavailable for the project in 2007, but the show’s producers were determined, and now, one year later, he will finally be performing the role. “We’re really excited to introduce him to Asheville,” says ITP Producing Director Willie Repoley, “both onstage and off. Francis is going to love this town, and I think he’s really going to be a hit with Asheville audiences. He’s a great actor and a really funny guy, and of course there are certain experiences and perspectives that he is going to bring to the performance that another actor could never replicate.” Mr. Kelly does indeed bring a great deal of acting experience, including work at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and Lincoln Center, and he is a member of Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. ITP has utilized Equity contracts before, but never one this complicated or financially demanding, and they see that as a good thing. “This is the real deal for us: we’re working with his union, negotiating his contract terms; definitely having to step up to a more professional level,” says Repoley. “It’s great for us as a company, and no one else in Asheville, except of course NC Stage, is casting Equity actors, actually paying them a living wage, really helping to make Asheville a viable place to work as a theatre professional. We’re very proud of that.” Also new to Immediate Theatre Project is a limited number of seats actually on the stage. “The actor engages the audience directly for a lot of the show, and we were looking for a way to make that connection a little more tangible and meaningful,” says Meyer. “These seats will be offered at a discounted price, and will be limited to just a dozen per performance, so we’re encouraging people to call to box office early if they’re interested. We hope they will be.” The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me… runs as part of the Catalyst Series at North Carolina Stage Company, April 30- May 11, 2008, at 7:30 Wednesday-Saturday, and 2:00 Sundays. Tickets are $15-20, and are available at the NCSC box office, www.ncstage.org, or by phone at (828)350-9090. There will be one pay-what-you-can preview on April 30; $6 minimum, cash only, exact change only. Reservations highly recommended. A limited number of onstage seats are available at each performance for $10. Please call the box office for more information. Now in its fourth year, the Catalyst Series features performances from local, grassroots theatre companies. NC Stage collaborates with these exciting companies to expand its own programming while providing resources for innovative theatre. For more information, please visit www.immediatetheatre.org. (Images provided by the NC Stage Company)
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