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Ensemble Theatre Opens 2010-11 Season with the West Coast Premiere of The Housewives of Mannheim The hit Off-Broadway Comic Drama Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara opens its 2010-11 season with the West Coast premiere of Alan Brody’s touching and surprising new play, The Housewives of Mannheim. A memory play set in Brooklyn during the Second World War, Housewives had its world premiere last spring at the New Jersey Repertory Company, followed by a critically acclaimed New York off-Broadway run. A new production opens at the Alhecama Theatre on October 7 and runs through October 31. Opening night is Saturday, October 9, 2010. In a Brooklyn brownstone in 1944, three women are raising their young children while their husbands are overseas. When a beautiful Austrian émigré moves into their building, their yearnings and desires can no longer lie dormant, and their friendship is suddenly put to the test. Called “bright and gorgeous and fun” by The New York Times, The Housewives of Mannheim is an exquisitely drawn and laugh-filled portrait of women on the verge of self-discovery. Jonathan Fox, Ensemble Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director, is pleased to welcome director SuzAnne Barabas, who will be revisiting this play in a new production. Ms. Barabas is a founding member of the New Jersey Repertory Company, and was the co-founder of the Cincinnati Repertory Company and the American Repertory Theater of Philadelphia, where she served as the Artistic Director. “The women in this play have special meaning for me, because these are the people I grew up with in Brooklyn,” said Ms. Barabas. “They represent a sisterhood and community that transcend time, place, ethnicity, and religion.” A professor of theater at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, playwright Alan Brody came to the famed science and engineering school more than 20 years ago to assist in the development of a drama curriculum. His recollections of his childhood during the Second World War serve as the inspiration for The Housewives of Mannheim. “It's a memory play —and what a thrill to see my characters come alive in these four remarkable and gifted actors,” states Brody. He plans to be in attendance at the opening night for the West Coast premiere at Ensemble Theatre. The play takes place in the kitchen of May, a young wife and mother whose world is suddenly expanded to a life of new-found possibilities. May will be played by Pheonix Vaughn, who has worked off-Broadway and west coast regional theatre productions of musicals and plays. Her brassy, sassy, tough-gal neighbor, Billie, will be played by Corey Tazmania, who toured nationally as Rosalind in As You Like It and Caliban in The Tempest with The National Shakespeare Company. She also spent four years as a company member of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, before performing in several shows at New Jersey Repertory Company. In the role of Alice, May’s more conservative friend, is Wendy Peace, who has performed in theaters throughout the United States and Canada, including the Mint Theatre, Centenary Stage, New Jersey Rep, Carolina Shakespeare Festival and Toronto Truck Theatre, playing roles such as Lady Macbeth in Twelfth Night, Adriana in Comedy of Errors, Elmire in Tartuffe, to name a few. The three neighbors’ lives are upended by the arrival of Sophie, a sophisticated Jewish refugee from Europe who brings an alluring view of the world outside Brooklyn, played by Natalie Mosco. Ms. Mosco was one of the original cast members of Hair, and has performed internationally in the West End, Paris, Australia and New Zealand. Her regional work includes Paper Mill Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep., Virginia Stage Co., and Mississippi Rep. She trained at the famed London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. A playwright as well, Ms. Mosco performed the title role in her most recent work, A Brush With Georgia O'Keefe, at The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and Off-Broadway. 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 celebrating its 31st anniversary season, under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox, ETC is Santa Barbara's longest running, award-winning professional resident theatre company. The 2010-11 Season continues with The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam (December 2 to December 26, 2010), Opus by Michael Hollinger (February 3 to February 27, 2010), Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen (March 31 to April 24, 2011) and The Fantasticks, with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones (June 2 to June 26, 2011).
Performances run Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00 pm, with newly-added special Saturday 4:00 pm matinee performances on October 16 and 30, 2010. Single tickets for The Housewives of Mannheim range from $30.00 to $50.00. Subscriptions are now on sale for the 2010-11 season starting at $126.00. Discounts for seniors and students apply. Subscriptions, single tickets and group tickets are available through the Ensemble Theatre Box Office at (805) 965-5400 or online at www. ensembletheatre.com. ### Calendar Listing — STAGEProduction: Dates: Schedule: Producer: Where: Admission: Tickets: ### |