For
Immediate Release
SALT
LAKE ACTING COMPANY PRESENTS THE ROLLING WORLD PREMIERE OF ‘THE EXIT
INTERVIEW’ BY WILLIAM MISSOURI DOWNS
AND
DIRECTED BY JOHN CAYWOOD
“The
management is not responsible for: Lost items! Misplaced tickets! Or any
existential uncertainty or metaphysical isolation that may result!”
Salt Lake Acting Company
is pleased to present THE EXIT INTERVIEW
by William Missouri Downs April 10
– May 5, 2013. This arresting comedy is a National New Play Network
Rolling World Premiere that tells the story of Professor Dick Fig who has been
terminated by his university. Through his awkward and bizarre exit interview
with the droll administrator Eunice, Fig is faced with his views on love,
politics, science, religion and death, all while cheerleaders, newscasters,
priests and scientists stroll in and out of the comic Brechtian world of the
play.
Salt Lake City audiences have the chance to see
hilarious, bold and fresh theatre with THE EXIT INTERVIEW. This raucous comedy
explores the major questions of human existence within a staged world of
absurdity. The questions drummed up by THE EXIT INTERVIEW are not easy, but the
play is easily one of the most enjoyable and interesting nights of theatre Utah audiences will
have. No philosophy, religion or belief system is safe from playwright William
Missouri Downs who says, “Expect the unexpected. Wake up. There’s
no slow fade up in this play. No bland expositional scene. No scene where the
characters enter, take off their coats to get comfortable and start talking.
The [opening] scene is designed to wake the audience up! Oh, it’s also
absurdly funny.” From the moment the audience walks into the theatre until
the unexpected ending, this show will keep audiences laughing and thinking.
THE
PLAYWRIGHT
SLAC is excited to offer
the rolling world premiere of the work of the exciting, edgy WILLIAM MISSOURI DOWNS who holds an MFA in
acting from the University
of Illinois and an MFA in
screenwriting from UCLA. He was also trained in playwriting at the Circle
Repertory Theatre in New York
under Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt. Since, he has authored over twenty plays,
including INNOCENT THOUGHTS, the winner of the National Playwright's Award;
JEWISH SPORTS HEROES AND TEXAS INTELLECTUALS, which took first place at the
Mill Mountain Theatre's Festival Of New Plays; SEAGULLS IN A CHERRY TREE, the
winner of the Larry Corse Prize for playwriting; and KABUKI MEDEA, which won
the Bay Area Critics Award for best production in San Francisco and the
Jefferson Award for best production in Chicago. Mr. Downs has had nearly 100
productions from New York to Singapore and from Israel
to South Africa, including
LORT theatres like the Kennedy
Center and the Berkeley
Rep. He is a full voting member of both the Dramatists Guild and the Writers
Guild of America. While in Hollywood,
Mr. Downs wrote for such NBC sitcoms as MY TWO DADS (starring Paul Reiser),
AMEN (starring Sherman Hemsley), and THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIRE (starring Will Smith). He also won the
Jack Nicholson Award for screenwriting and sold the movie EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
to Tri-star.
After many years in Manhattan and Hollywood,
Mr. Downs now enjoys living in the wide-open spaces of Wyoming. As head of the playwriting program
at the University
of Wyoming, Bill has won
over a dozen teaching and research awards. He also teaches in the Religious
Studies Department. His favorite thing to do is to find ancient temples and
theatres - this quest has taken him to Egypt,
France, Turkey, England,
Greece, Italy, and China. Additionally, Mr. Downs is
also the author of a number of books including: THE ART OF THEATRE (Wadsworth)
an introduction to theatre book used at over 100 universities, NAKED
PLAYWRIGHTING (Silman/James) a popular writing guide, and SCREENPLAY: WRITING
THE PICTURE (Silman/James), which is used at top film schools in the United
States and Poland. Samuel French and Playscripts have also published several of
his plays.
DIRECTOR
JOHN
CAYWOOD returns
to SLAC following earlier productions of GOD OF CARNAGE, BATBOY, INCORRUPTIBLE
and six versions of SATURDAY’S VOYEUR. John landed in SLC in 1987
from New York City
for a one season residency at Pioneer Theatre Company. After 13 seasons
with the company, John became Producing Artistic Director at Park City’s
Egyptian Theatre Company. Other Utah
directing assignments include The Grand, Tuacahn, Sundance Summer Theatre and
Utah Musical Theatre. Other memorable projects include BATBOY, THE MUSICAL, and
RUTHLESS, THE MUSICAL. John is the Interim Executive Director of
Kingsbury Hall at the University
of Utah.
CAST
DARRIN
DOMAN (Dick Fig)
once again comes to SLAC having previously been seen as Alan Raleigh in GOD OF CARNAGE, Charlotte von
Mahlsdorf (understudy) in I AM MY
OWN WIFE and appearances in
SLAC’s New Play Sounding Series—Reader, (a man enters); Dad, TRENCH COAT IN COMMON; Bart, THE THUGS; Mike, 14 and Reader, MAMMOTH.
Additionally, Darrin was Musical Director for SLAC’s productions of CLICK CLACK MOO: COWS THAT TYPE and HOW
I BECAME A PIRATE as well as vocal coach for THE CLEAN HOUSE. He was also seen
playing Cosme McMoon in SOUVENIR for Utah Contemporary Theatre.
Joining Darrin is NELL GWYNN (Eunice) who returns to SLAC
after playing Veronica Novak in GOD OF CARNAGE. Other SLAC credits
include THE PERSIAN QUARTER and ANGELS IN AMERICA. She has numerous New York and regional
credits. A short list includes: Tamara in CANDY & DOROTHY (GLAAD Award
Winner), Lauren in KISS & CRY (Innovative Theatre Nomination, Best
Supporting Actress), Regan in KING LEAR, Beatrice in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING,
Celia in AS YOU LIKE IT, Maria in TWELFTH NIGHT and Lady Macbeth for both Frog
& Peach and Theatre 22 companies. She can be seen at Film Festivals around
the country in the short film, RED FLAG, which won the Audience Award for
Comedy at the Palm Springs Film Festival. She most recently completed the
filming of playwright David Johnston's MOTHRA IS WAITING, a short film directed
by Kevin Newbury and hitting film festivals in 2013.
TERENCE GOODMAN (Actor #2)
joins the cast and appeared last year in (a man enters) penned by Elaine Jarvik
and Kate Birch. Other regional credits are CHICAGO (Billy Flynn) at the Pioneer
Theatre Company, ELIOT NESS IN CLEVELAND (Al Capone) at The Denver Center and
GREAT EXPECTATIONS (Joe the blacksmith) at The Goodspeed Opera Company.
Broadway First National Tours include, the original JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR,
DAMN YANKEES 1st revival
with Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston, and as Captain Smith in TITANIC. Goodman has
been seen in films from ODE TO BILLY JOE in 1976 to the soon to be released
this spring, 95ERS:ECHOES. He was a series regular on DAYS OF OUR LIVES and
guest starred on such legendary sitcoms as LAVERN AND SHIRLEY, THREE’S
COMPANY, THE FALL GUY, and HILL ST. BLUES, amongst others.
SLAC’s own CASSANDRA STOKES-WYLIE (Actress #2) was
most recently seen in Pygmalion Production’s, CHEAT, as Roxy,
SLAC’s reading of LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE, as Mrs. Givings in THE
VIBRATOR PLAY with Pygmalion Productions, and Elizabeth Proctor in THE CRUCIBLE
at the Grand Theatre. Other local credits include various characters in THE
GOOD BODY with Pygmalion, the Reader for ANGELS IN AMERICA: PART 2, PERESTROIKA
at SLAC, Shudder and Stella in THE HARVEY GIRLS during SLAC’s Fearless
Fringe Festival, Anna in Utah Theatre Artists Company’s production of
BURN THIS and the Governess in their production of THE TURN OF THE SCREW.
Cassandra is a graduate of the Actor Training Program at the University of Utah
and spent a season with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s acting
internship program where she performed in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, THE CHERRY
ORCHARD, STATE OF THE UNION
and understudied their one woman show THE BLONDE, THE BRUNETTE AND THE VENGEFUL
REDHEAD.
BIJAN HOSSEINI (Actor #1) returns
to SLAC having been previously
seen in TOO MUCH MEMORY, CHARM (understudy), and the NPSS readings of THE PERSIAN QUARTER and DEVIL DOG SIX. He has also worked
with Plan-B, Pygmalion, Sting & Honey, the Babcock, the Classic Greek
Theatre Festival, Pinnacle, Around the Globe, Wasatch, UTAC, Holiday Arts and
SLCC. He is currently touring with Pygmalion and Art Access' production of THE
MYSTERIOUS, HAPPY LIFE OF BROWN BAG.
MARIN
KOHLER (Actress #1) who
will graduate in the spring from the University of Utah with a B.F.A. in
Theatre, and a minor in International Studies, rounds out the cast. She was
last seen at SLAC as Rachel in END DAYS.
Other favorite credits include A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Bottom), STOP KISS (Callie), HAY FEVER (Jackie Coryton), THE AFFAIR (Angela),
and The Classical Greek Theatre Festival’s THE BAKKHAI (Chorus).
ARTISTIC
TEAM
Director John
Caywood
Set Design Keven Myhre
Costume Design Brenda
Van Der Wiel
Lighting Design James
M. Craig
Sound Design Josh
Martin
Dialect Coach Sandra
Shotwell
Choreographer Cynthia
Fleming
Production Stage Manager Janice
Jenson
THE EXIT INTERVIEW
By William
Missouri Downs
Directed by
John Caywood
WHEN:
April 10
– May 5, 2013
Wednesday -
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday,
1:00p.m., 6:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Salt Lake
Acting Company
168 West 500
North, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84103
Box Office:
801-363-7522
Open 10:00
a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mon – Fri
MORE
INFO:
Single
tickets range from $15 – $42, depending on the performance.
Student, Senior and 30
& Under discounts are available.
Discounts are also
available for groups of ten or more.
Subscribers always pay
the lowest price.
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