Clifton Players’ DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEES Earns Two LCT Awards for Acting

Buz Davis as Gus, Rachael Christianson as Valentine, Micheal Bath as Lubbock, Adam Marzheuser as Alex & Reggie Willis as Mr. Barcroft.

(CINCINNATI, FEB. 14, 2012) – Cast members Reggie Willis and Buz Davis picked up League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) Awards for their performances in the Clifton Players production of disgruntled employees. A regional premiere by Cincinnati actor/playwright Kevin Crowley, disgruntled employees is a dark comedy set among the mail sorters in a Tornado Alley branch of the United States Post Office.

Both Willis and Davis earned their awards in the category of featured actor in a play. LCT panelists described their performances as “highly individualized portraits, textured, consistent and very funny.”

Willis portrays Mr. Barcroft, the office’s nutty supervisor. “Willis plays damaged authority figures with ease, and he is on his game,” said one panelist. “I liked all his scenes, as he is just fun to watch.”

As Gus, the long-time bureaucrat who’s finally been pushed to the dark side, Davis gives a “strong performance” described as “delightful to watch.” According to one panelist, “He’s intense, an any-second-now-I-will-go-off banana peel personality — violent, philosophical, funny.”

The play was workshopped under Artistic Director Lloyd Richards at the National Playwrights Conference, where it received the Charles MacArthur Fellowship Award for comedy. It has subsequently been performed in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Produced at the Clifton Performance Theatre, disgruntled employees continues through Feb. 26. Details are available at http://cliftonperformancetheatre.com.

The League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT provides its member companies and individual members with education, resources and services to enhance the quality and exposure of the theatre community in Cincinnati and increase community awareness, attendance and involvement. More information about the League can be found at www.leagueofcincytheatres.info.