Boston Theatre Works Presents Eighth Season PULP, Paying Homage to Lesbian Pulp Fiction of the 1950s
Boston (PRWEB) September 10, 2005
Unbound by convention, driven towards discovery, and engaging new audiences, Boston Theatre Works proudly presents the first production of their eighth (2005/6) season, the musical play Pulp, a sexy homage to the sultry world of 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. Directed by Jason Southerland, Pulp opens at the BCA Plaza Black Box September 29th. Seating is cabaret style, and Pulp runs nightly (and with weekend matinees) through October 15th.
“Smart, clever and highly entertaining.” – Chicago Tribune
BTW transforms the BCA Plaza Black Box into a sexy 1950s cabaret for this New England premiere and the company’s musical debut. Pulp, written by Patricia Kane, was developed and world-premiered at About Face Theatre (Chicago). It received five Jefferson nominations, winning Best Original Music for composers Amy Warren and Andre Pluess and lyricist Patricia Kane. “Thanks to smaller regional and off-off Broadway companies, the American musical is experiencing a renaissance,” says director, Jason Southerland. “Musicals like Urinetown and Bat Boy were developed at smaller companies like Boston Theatre Works. I’m proud to be a part of this trend, developing hip new musicals like Pulp and helping shepherd them to New York.” Pulp is slated to open Off-Broadway in spring 2006.
Set in 1956, Pulp is the story of Terry Logan (Dayle Ballentine) a military woman who doesn’t like labels: “I’m a lesbian, plain and simple. I don’t make any bones about it,” she declares. After a close call with the General’s daughter, Terry heads for Chicago where she discovers The Well, a bar for women who love women, and takes up with Bing (Whitney Cohen), a femme fatale who is quick to possess “the new butch in town.” But Terry soon yearns for Vivian (Maureen Keiller), the mysterious, glamorous and seemingly untouchable owner of The Well. Like a noir film of the era, Pulp’s tale is fueled by a jazzy score that speaks to the punchy style of the pulp fiction genre and the lure of lesbian bars, drag kings and the legacy of Barbara Stanwyck. The Boston cast also features Stephanie Carlson as Pepper and Linsday Flathers as Winny.
Tickets range from $20 for students to $30 for adults and may be purchased via Boston Theatre Scene, www. bostontheatrescene. com, or calling 617.933.8600. Tickets are also available in person at the BU Theatre Box Office, 264 Huntington Avenue and the Calderwood Pavilion Box Office, 571 Tremont Street. During performances the box office will remain open 30 minutes after last curtain. Approximate running time is one hour, 25 minutes, no intermission. Pulp is recommended for audiences over the age of thirteen.
The Boston Center for the Arts is located at 539 Tremont Street, between Berkeley and Clarendon Streets. Metered parking is available in the surrounding area. The BCA offers valet parking and garage parking at the Warren Street garage. The BCA is easily accessible via the MBTA Back Bay Station on the Orange Line or Copley Station on the Green Line. BCA is wheelchair accessible.
Boston Theatre Works continues the season with ShakespeareÂ’s Othello, starring Jonathan Epstein, and directed by Jason Slavick February 16th through March 11th (2006). In April, BTW presents the New England premier of The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, by Rebecca Gilman, directed by Jason Southerland, running April 13th through May 6th. And, in July, BTW features Unbound, their festival of new plays of new and cutting edge work. For more information, season ticket subscriptions and group sales visit www. bostontheatreworks. com.
BTW presents socially relevant classical and contemporary productions with a commitment to expanding Boston's theater going audience and redefining the theater experience. Boston Theatre Works produces Boston premieres by known playwrights, develops/commissions new plays by emerging playwrights and pursues community education/outreach wherever possible.
Playwright Patricia Kane, Director Jason Southerland and Pulp cast available for interview. For more information, high resolution images, and scheduling interviews, please contact Ami Bennitt, Marketing Director, 617.728.4321.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON PULP and BTW
PATRICIA KANE is an Artistic Associate at ChicagoÂ’s About Face Theatre where Pulp premiered this spring, garnering After Dark Awards for Best New Work and Outstanding Production and four Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, including Best New Work and Best Original Music. Her previous play Seven Moves (adapted from Carol AnshawÂ’s novel) premiered at About Face in 2002. As an actress, Pat has appeared in numerous productions throughout Chicago, including Seven Moves, Fascination, The Gift, Terrible Girls, Whitman, Dancer from the Dance, Cloud Nine (About Face); Finding the Sun, Dancing at Lughnasa (Goodman Theatre); Hannah Free (Victory Gardens); and All in the Timing (Northlight).
ANDRÉ PLUESS is an associate artist with About Face Theatre, where he has world premiered Pulp and Winesburg, Ohio. Based in Chicago, design and composition credits with collaborator Ben Sussman include projects for Lookingglass Theatre (artistic associate), Court Theatre (1999-02 resident artist), Victory Gardens (resident designers), the Goodman, and many other Chicago theatres. Broadway credits include I Am My Own Wife and Metamorphoses. At Steppenwolf, he has designed Intimate Apparel, One Arm, and Our Lady of 121st Street. He has received eight Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations, an LA Ovation Award, a Drama Critics Circle Award and a Lortel nomination for composition and sound design. Some current projects include The Clean House at Yale Rep., Silk at the Goodman Theatre, Pericles for Washington D. C. Shakespeare, The Day Emily Married for Primary Stages in New York, Alice for Lookingglass, and The Secret in the Wings at Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep and the McCarter Theatre.
JASON SOUTHERLAND has produced seven main stage seasons at BTW and has directed the New England premieres of Homebody/Kabul, Not About Nightingales, The Laramie Project, and the world premiere of Low Flying Aircraft by fellow Artistic Founder Dalyn A. Miller. His additional Boston area credits include Our Town (BTW), Proof (Gloucester Stage Company), the American premiere of Midnight Sun (GSC), the New England premieres of Party (ICA), Anyone Can Whistle (Boston Conservatory), Hedda Gabler and Six Degrees of Separation (ART), and Inside Andrew's Head at the Boston Center for the Arts. He studied directing at the American Repertory Theater Institute. Jason began his career an assistant director at the Mark Taper Forum, the Old Globe Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, and the Women's Project. He served as assistant to Julianne Boyd on A...My Name is Still Alice. He also worked with Jerry Zaks on the world premiere of Assassins and with Hal Price on the revival of Show Boat. Jason has been nominated for two directing awards by the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNEs), winning for his production of Not About Nightingales. As producer, his productions of Not About Nightingales and The Laramie Project have won back-to-back Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Production by a Local Fringe Company. Jason was a 1993 recipient of the Drama League Fellowship and was named by Boston Magazine as one of “40 Bostonians to Watch.”
Pulp Curtain Times/Ticket Prices (additional service charges may apply):
-Wednesday and Thursday Evening, 8 p. m., adults: $27, seniors: $24
-Friday Evening, 8 p. m., adults $30, seniors, $27
-Saturday Matinee, 4 p. m. (except October 1st), adults: $27, seniors: $24
-Saturday Evening, 8:30 p. m., adults $30, seniors, $27
-Sunday Matinee, 3 p. m., adults: $27, seniors: $24
Discounted Prices:
-Senior prices are valid at age 62+
-Student price is $20 with valid student ID
Press Performances:
-Sunday, October 2nd at 3 p. m.
-Monday, October 3rd at 7:30 p. m.
Parking:
-Valet parking at BCA, $15
-Warren Street garage, $12
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