For Immediate Release: February 8, 2007
Media Contact: Azuka Theatre, 215.733.0255

Azuka Theatre and Blue Ridge Theatre Festival presents Two Rooms, written by Lee Blessing and co-directed by Bev Appleton and Deborah Seif. The show opens March 9, 2007 at The Playground, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Performances are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 P.M., Saturday at 2 P.M. running to March 24th.

Two Rooms is a moving and powerful story of a woman’s tug-of-war with the government and the media and the life-or-death decisions she has to make when her husband, an American professor teaching in Beirut, is abducted by Shi’ite militiamen. The two rooms refer to the windowless room in Beirut where Michael Wells is being held by his kidnappers and the room in his home in the United States, which his wife Lainie has stripped to the bare walls so that she can be closer to him. In this room, she imagines she can speak with-and touch-her m issing lover.

This production of Two Rooms will feature Blue Ridge Theatre Festival Artistic Director Bev Appleton, Barrymore Award and F. Otto Haas Emerging Artist winner Catharine Slusar, Julie Czarnecki and Steven Wright.

Two Rooms has previously been produced by Blue Ridge Theatre Festival and they’ve presented it in Hungary, Romania, Switzerland and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. “I’ve always been impressed with the vibrant theater scene here in Philadelphia and the level of talent I’ve seen” says Appleton. ; ; “I thought the time was right for a production of Two Rooms. It’s a piece that sadly is still relevant; as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1988. Lee Blessing’s unique way of focusing large political and social issues in a personal way is timeless.”

“Azuka has never done a co-production”, says Producing Artistic Director Kevin Glaccum. “But when Bev came to me with the project and this amazing Philly cast already in place, I couldn’t say no. Two Rooms is a perfect fit with the type of culturally aware theatre that Azuka aspires to produce.”

CREATIVE TEAM

LEE BLESSING (Playwright) One of America’s premier playwrights, Mr. Blessing’s work includes A Walk In The Woods (Tony, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize nominee) Thief River (Drama Desk nomination, Best Play), Cobb (Drama Desk award, best ensemble), Whores, Going to St. Ives, Chesapeake, Eleemosynary, Down The Road, Fortinbras, Patient A. His awards include The American Theater Critics Circle Award, the L.A. Drama Critics Award, The Grea t American Play Award and The Humanitas Award. Three plays have been cited in Time magazine's list of the year's Ten Best. Blessing heads the graduate playwriting program at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.

Bev Appleton is the Artistic Director of Blue Ridge Theatre Festival. He has directed over 30 productions from Shaw to Shakespeare to Sondheim. As an actor he has appeared locally at The Walnut Street, (Of Mice and Men) and at the Arden Theater (Proof, Pacific Overtures, Twelfth Night, Sweeney Todd).

Deborah Seif has been acting and directing in the Philadelphia area for over ten years. Directing credits include Hearts and Soles (Theatre Exile), Perfectly Marvelous (1812), Trojan Wars and Hands Across Veronica (Eternal Spiral). As an actor she has worked at The Walnut Street Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Theatre Exile, and Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival.

Two Room runs March 7 to March 24, 2007 Wednesday thru Friday at 8:00, Saturday at 2:00, Tuesday March 13 at 8:00 and Monday March 19 at 8:00. Tickets are $15.00-$20.00; Students $10.00 Group rates are available. Contact Azuka Theatre at (215) 733-0255, ext. 1. For more information visit www.azukatheatre.org.

Go to News Releases»