Ensemble Theater Company Presents In The Continuum
A Powerful and Inspirational Story.

(Santa Barbara, CA) Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara presents the award-winning, critically acclaimed play, In The Continuum, by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter. "Moving, smart, spirited and powerfully funny," raved The New York Times. This inspirational, poetic story, which depicts the connection between the fates of two total strangers living worlds apart, plays from March 26 to April 19, 2009. Opening night is Saturday, March 28, 2009.

The play takes place over a 48-hour period. The lives of two women – one a poor yet promising teenager facing adulthood and living in South Central Los Angeles, the other a married and successful Zimbabwean woman – are suddenly transformed when they discover they've been infected with HIV. In this tour de force, two actresses play a multitude of characters in stories of courage continents apart.

In The Continuum was developed by the authors Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter while students in NYU's Graduate Acting Program. After opening in a small theatre in The Bronx and winning a Global Tolerance Award from the United Nations, the show moved to a successful run off-Broadway and was named one the "One of the 10 Best Plays of the Year" by The New York Times in 2005.

ETC's Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox is pleased to welcome Saundra McClain as guest director for In The Continuum. "I was amazed by the raw realism, humor and craftsmanship of the script," states Ms. McClain. "This is a grand achievement for two actors and we have cast two experienced professionals ready to embrace these challenging characters."

Ms. McClain is an accomplished actor, writer and director, having performed all these endeavors with great success, critical praise and numerous awards. She has acted on and off Broadway, in films and on television. She received rave reviews for her direction of Ain't Misbehavin' and Spunk and high praise for her work at the Kennedy Center's Youth and Family Programs, in addition to work at Cherry Lane Theatre. She has taught acting at Queens College in New York. As an author, Ms. McClain is recipient of an NEA Grant for her musical, Storm Warning.

Performing Nia, the young teenager from Los Angeles, is Julia Pace Mitchell. She studied both classical theatre at Oxford University and improvisational comedy with The Groundlings. Ms. Mitchell has worked on stages across the country, from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to New York's Hip-Hop Theatre Festival. She has worked with Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Arena Stage, Denver Center Theatre Company, The Classical Theater of Harlem, The Kansas City Repertory, and the Arizona Repertory. Ms. Mitchell was also featured in The McCarter Theatre's production of Stick Fly, and in The Ohio State Murders at The Duke on New York City's famed 42nd Street.

Tiffany Adams plays Abigail, an ambitious television journalist in Zimbabwe. She has performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, and toured in Theatre Works production of Charlotte's Web. She has appeared in numerous television and film projects, most recently in Spike Lee's Inside Man.

The Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara was founded in 1979 and is housed at the intimate Alhecama Theatre located in the historic Presidio District in downtown Santa Barbara at 914 Santa Barbara Street. Now in its 29th season, ETC is Santa Barbara's longest running, most award-winning professional resident theatre company. Under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox, the 2008-09 season will close out with The Scene by Theresa Rebeck (5/28/09 - 6/21/09).

Performances run Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00 pm. Single tickets for In The Continuum range from $29.00 to $42.00. Discounts available for seniors and students. Low cost previews are Thursday and Friday, March 26 and 27, 2009. Subscriptions, single tickets and group tickets are available through the Ensemble Theatre Box Office at (805) 965-5400 or online at www.ensembletheatre.com.

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Calendar Listing — STAGE

Production:
In The Continuum, by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter

Dates:
Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, April 19, 2009
Opening Night Saturday, March 28 at 8:00 pm

Schedule:
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm.
and Sundays at 2:00 & 7:00 pm.
(no evening shows Sunday, March 29, 2009)

Producer:
Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) of Santa Barbara.
Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director

Director:
Saundra McClain

Where:
Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara
at the Alhecama Theatre
914 Santa Barbara Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Admission:
$29.00 – $42.00. Discounts are available to seniors, students and groups of 10 or more.

Tickets:
For reservations and information call the Ensemble
Box Office at (805) 965-5400. VISA/MC.
Box office hours are: Performance days 1:00 pm. to curtain,
non-performance days 1:00 pm. to 5:00 pm. Group Sales: (805) 965-5400.

Description:
In the Continuum is a powerful, funny and spirited award-winning drama by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter. Two actresses play a multitude of characters living continents apart – one in Zimbabwe and one in South Central Los Angeles Their personal journeys mirror each other in this beautiful, uplifting and joyous story.

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