(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati ascends an emotional mountain with the regional premiere of the gripping comedy-drama ANNAPURNA by Sharr White. This powerful story unpacks the tangled history between two ferociously damaged people who battle an avalanche of love, loss, and unanswerable questions. Sharr White’s sharp and poetic writing returns to the ETC stage in this darkly-funny production, playing March 22-April 10, 2016. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers.
What if you had experienced the defining moment of your life—but couldn’t remember it? Twenty years ago Emma walked out on cowboy-poet Ulysses in the middle of the night, taking their young son with her. That’s given Ulysses two decades to write his magnum opus, perfect his naked cooking techniques, and move into a dingy trailer with a phone-eating dog. Now, hearing he’s in dire straits, Emma tracks him down to a trailer park in the wilds of Colorado to hash out the best and worst of their marriage, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her departure. Their reunion, alternately comic and conflicted, is full of razor sharp wit and brutal honesty.
“Sharr White has a magnificently beautiful voice for dealing with very difficult human issues in rather poetic and articulate ways,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “I love that he uses the imagery of this massive mountain to symbolize how we climb in our daily lives. He puts us at the base with people who have a deep and devastating mystery hanging between them, showing us that the longest journey to any relationship, and to the heart of anyone, is more perilous than scaling any mountain range.”
About the Cast
Dennis Parlato (Ulysses) returns to Ensemble Theatre, having last appeared in Other Desert Cities. Mr. Parlato’s other Ensemble Theatre credits include Ghost Writer, Becky’s New Car, Mauritius, The Seafarer, Fiction, The Guys, A Question of Mercy, and Glimmer, Glimmer, and Shine. Mr. Parlato played El Gallo in The Fantasticks in NYC. On Broadway, he’s played Lawrence Jameson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Mr. Robinson in The Graduate, John the Baptist in Salome, and Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Off-Broadway and regional credits include the title roles in Cyrano de Bergerac, Barrymore, The Master Builder, Prospero in The Tempest, Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and Oliver in David Hare’s The Vertical Hour. Mr. Parlato’s film credits include Johnny Suede, Delirious, Dillinger’s Dead, Bury the Evidence, Rick, First Born, Starting Out in the Evening, and Bride Wars.
Regina Pugh (Emma) has appeared at ETC in The Other Place, Next Fall, and My Name is Asher Lev. Her other favorite ETC shows include After the Fall, Buckminster Fuller: In and Out of The Universe, Everything in the Garden, Fragments, and The Water Engine. She appeared at Cincinnati Playhouse in A Christmas Carol (1992-2011) and the world premiere of Invention for Fathers and Sons. Other favorite projects include performing with CCM Drama students in Bury the Dead, as well as performing in Harvey, The Carnegie; Equus, New Edgecliff Theatre; The History Boys, New Stage Collective; Sense and Sensibility and The Crucible, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; The Maids, Performance Gallery; and Wait Until Dark, Downtown Theatre Classics. Ms. Pugh is a founding member of Performance Gallery, an alternative theatre collective that specializes in original work and has participated yearly in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Her most recent directing credit was the University premiere of the new play, Black Fly Spring (Xavier Theatre) and her direction has been seen on the ETC stage in Melancholy Play, Earhart, Vigil, Why We Have a Body, and The Skriker.
Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Jack Murphy (Technical Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Manager & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), Jeremy Lee (Sound Designer), and Reba Senske (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Brandon T. Holmes. Assistant Stage Manager is Elizabeth Freyman.
Performance Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday, 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 pm; and Sunday, 7:00 pm. A complete calendar of performances is available online at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.
Ticket Prices
Ticket prices range from $28 to $44 for adults; student tickets are $25; and children are $18. For the 2015-2016 season, ETC continues its popular $15 student and half-price rush tickets for all performances, which are available two hours prior to show time and may be purchased by phone or in person at the box office.
Available Discounts
Military, Educator, Public Radio Perks Card, ArtsWave FunCard, AAA, Senior, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability.
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ANNAPURNA – At A Glance
What: ANNAPURNA by Sharr White
Where: Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
When: March 22-April 10, 2016 – Opening Night: Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30 pm
Times: Tues-Thurs at 7:30 pm; Fri & Sat at 8:00 pm; Sat & Sun at 2:00 pm; Sun at 7:00 pm
Tickets: $44 for adults; students, $25; children 12 and under, $18
Content advisory: This production contains adult language and may not be suitable for all audiences.
Discounts
- Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount does not apply to senior or children’s tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15
- Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.
- AAA and Military/Educator available.
- Group discounts available for 8+.
- Complete details available at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.
Parking: Surface lot and Gateway Garage, both at the corner of 12th and Vine Streets. Parking also available at the Washington Park Garage and Mercer Commons Garage.
CAST (in alphabetical order)
- Ulysses: Dennis Parlato*
- Emma: Regina Pugh*
PRODUCTION TEAM
- Director: D. Lynn Meyers**
- Production Stage Manager: Brandon T. Holmes*
- Set & Lighting Designer: Brian c. Mehring
- Properties Master & Design Assistant: Shannon Rae Lutz
- Production Manager & Master Electrician: Matthew Hollstegge
- Costume Designer: Reba Senske
- Sound Designer: Jeremy Lee
- Technical Director: Jack Murphy
*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
**Director is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.
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Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.
The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
2015-2016 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Garfield Suites Hotel, the Shubert Foundation, and PNC.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.
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