PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: September 18, 2009

PRESS CONTACT:  Dan Berube, 978.654.7595, berube@merrimackrep.org        

BOX OFFICE:  978.654.4MRT (4678)

MERRIMACK REP PRESENTS

THE SEAFARER BY

CONOR MCPHERSON

Cast of MRT Veterans to Bring Tony Nominated Irish Play to Life

Press Opening October 18 at 7PM

Lowell, MA – A mysterious stranger visits four friends for a Christmas Eve poker game in The Seafarer, a Tony-nominated play by leading Irish playwright Conor McPherson at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, October 15 – November 8, 2009; stage direction by Merrimack Rep Artistic Director Charles Towers. Performances begin Thursday, October 15 at 7:30PM, with Opening Night on Sunday, October 18 at 7PM, running through November 8. Subscriptions and individual tickets are on sale now.

The Seafarer currently is one of the Top 10 most produced plays in America. Nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Play, The Seafarer is a hilarious and chilling tale of the sea, Ireland and redemption. James “Sharky” Harkin has returned home to care for his aging brother Richard, who has recently gone blind, and to spend Christmas Eve with old friends Ivan and Nicky. Nicky is accompanied by the mysterious Mr. Lockhart, whose connection to Sharky’s past is slowly revealed as the evening devolves into an all night, liquor-soaked game of poker where the stakes are damningly high. 

“A midnight-black comedy, one that wrenches laughter out of the despair of frustrated men.” – The Wall Street Journal

Speaking about the production, director Charles Towers said “The Seafarer is a fantastic play.  Every theatre-lover should be able to see it, and I wanted to make sure Merrimack Rep's audience had an opportunity to do so.  I have gathered a cast of MRT regulars, each an outstanding actor, to bring this remarkable script to life. Together they will make an exceptional ensemble and an exceptional evening of theatre.” 

Born in Dublin in 1971, Conor McPherson has grown into one of Ireland’s most acclaimed contemporary playwrights. He got his start writing at an early age, finishing his first work, Taking Stock at age 18, and had his first play, Rum and Vodka, professionally produced in 1992.  Since then he has garnered international recognition for his work, receiving the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play for The Weir in 1999, and Tony nominations for The Seafarer in 2006. Longtime Merrimack Rep subscribers may remember the theatre’s production of The Weir in 2002. The London Telegraph summed up McPherson’s talents quite succinctly when it called him “The finest dramatist of his generation.” 

The production’s creative staff includes Charles Towers (director), Deborah Newhall (costume design), Bill Clarke (set design), Matthew Adelson (lighting design) and Julie Nelson (dialect coach). The all-Equity cast features five veterans of the Liberty Hall stage who have made a combined 11 appearances in Merrimack Rep productions. David Adkins (Sharky) and Mark Zeisler (Mr. Lockhart) appeared in last season’s production of Tranced. Zeisler also appeared in the 2005 production of The Homecoming with Allyn Burrows, who won an Elliot Norton award for his role as Teddy. Burrows has previously appeared in Aunt Dan & Lemon, As You Like It, God’s Country, Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 1991 production of A Moon for the Misbegotten, and The Pursuit of Happiness with fellow Seafarer cast-mate Jim Frangione. Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee Gordon Joseph Weiss returns to Merrimack Rep after portraying Phil Hogan in the 2009 production of A Moon for the Misbegotten, which closed out the theatre’s 30th anniversary season to rave reviews.    

Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 2009-2010 season is sponsored by Lowell Cooperative Bank.  The Seafarer is sponsored by Wannalancit Mills, an investment of Farley While Interests.  Merrimack Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

CAST BIOS

David Adkins (James “Sharky” Harkin) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Tranced.  Broadway: Saint Joan, National Actors Theatre.  Off-Broadway: Manhattan Theatre Club, Aquila Theater Company, Primary Stages, The Women’s Project.  Regional: Center Stage, George Street Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, Seattle’s ACT Theatre, American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Old Globe, Long Wharf Theatre, Madison Repertory Theatre, Kennedy Center, The Cleveland Play House, Huntington Theatre Company, Denver Center Theatre Company, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Barrington Stage Company, and Berkshire Theater Festival (14 Seasons). Television: Without a Trace, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU; Chicago Hope, Trinity, As The World Turns, One Life to Live, Another World, and the pilots Benjamin Franklin and Blaq Jaq.  Education: Juilliard.

Allyn Burrows (Nicky Giblin) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: The Pursuit of Happiness, Aunt Dan & Lemon, The Homecoming, As You Like It, A Moon for the Misbegotten, God’s Country.  Off-Broadway: King Lear, Bug, Bonnie, Louis Slotin Sonata, Closetland, Flattering Word, Killer Joe.  Regional: All My Sons, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Colossus of Rhodes, American Conservatory Theatre; Heartbreak House, Berkshire Theatre Festival; Twelfth Night, Long Wharf Theatre; Romeo & Juliet, Denver Center; Hamlet, Elm Shakespeare Company; The Heiress, Walnut Street Theatre; Pericles, King’s County Shakespeare; Hay Fever, Pioneer Theatre.  Recent work in Massachusetts: King Lear, All’s Well That Ends Well, Richard III, Measure for Measure, Actors’ Shakespeare Project; Five by Tenn, SpeakEasy Stage Company; King John, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Shakespeare & Company.  International: The Rivals, Derby Playhouse, England.  Film: The Company Men, Julie & Julia, The Windigo.  Television: Law & Order; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Against the Law.  Awards: 2006 Elliott Norton Award for The Homecoming, King Lear, and Five by Tenn.  Education: Boston University, National Theatre of Great Britain.

Jim Frangione (Ivan Curry) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: The Pursuit of Happiness.  New York: Appeared in several of David Mamet’s plays including Old Neighborhood and Oleanna, as well as the National Tour; The Night Heron, Hobson’s Choice, Edmond, Sea of Tranquility, Hellhound On My Trail and, most recently, Romance at Atlantic Theater Company.  Regional: American Buffalo, Berkshire Theatre Festival; Front Page, Long Wharf Theatre.  He directed Romance at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater and Seriously Funny, an evening of shorts by Mamet, Pinter and Silverstein at American Repertory Theater.  Film: TransAmerica, Spartan, State and Main, Heist, The Spanish Prisoner, Homicide all directed by David Mamet; Claire Dolan, Maryam, Rubout, Suits, Frozen Impact, Little Kings, The Last Days of May.  Television: Appeared in episodes of Brotherhood; The Unit; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Law & Order: SVU; Law & Order; New York Undercover; Another World and All My Children  Other: He is currently co-artistic director of the Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Great Barrington, MA and was a founder of The Stage Company of Boston.

Gordon Joseph Weiss (Richard Harkin) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: A Moon for the Misbegotten.  Broadway: Sly Fox, The Life, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Visit, Ghetto (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations), Raggedy Ann, King of Hearts, Goodtime Charley and Jumpers.  Regional: Tobacco Road (Jeter Lester), Triad Stage; principal roles at Virginia Stage Company, Baltimore’s Center Stage, Goodspeed Opera House, Ford’s Theatre, McCarter Theatre, American Festival Theatre, Pennsylvania Festival Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville.  Film: Imaginary Heroes, Joe Gould’s Secret, Howard Stern’s Private Parts, Awakenings, Reversal of Fortune, Lustre, The Undeserved.  Television: Law & Order, Third Watch, Spin City, Law & Order: SVU, New York Undercover, NYPD Blue.

Mark Zeisler (Mr. Lockhart) Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Tranced, The Homecoming.  Broadway: A View from the Bridge, Brooklyn Boy.  Off-Broadway: Eurydice, Second Stage; The Accomplices, The New Group; Self-Defense, New Georges; Acts of Faith, Mosaic Theatre/92 St Y.  New England: Major Barbara, Road to Nirvana, The King Stag, The Homecoming, Once in a Lifetime, The Caretaker, American Repertory Theater; The Black Dahlia, The King Stag, Eurydice, Yale Repertory Theatre; Big Love, Long Wharf Theatre; Hamlet, The Matchmaker, Elm Shakespeare Company.  Regional: Yankee Tavern, Florida Stage (World Premiere); The Tempest, The Seagull, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Big Love, Louisville, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; BAM Next Wave Festival; Measure for Measure (Helen Hayes nomination), Folger Theatre; A Picasso, City Theatre; A Doll House, McCarter Theatre; Art, Hangar Theatre; Othello, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Arcadia, Alabama Shakespeare; Julius Caesar, Philadelphia Drama Guild; Romeo and Juliet, Baltimore Center Stage.  Film: Random Hearts, Torch Song Trilogy, Shaft, The Thomas Crown Affair, Two Week Notice, Head of State, Revolution #9, After School (2008 NY Film Festival entry).  Television: Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Third Watch, New York Undercover, Rescue Me, many soaps.  Education: BFA, SUNY-Purchase.

SPECIAL EVENT NIGHTS FOR THE SEAFARER: Pay What You Will Night – October 15 at 7:30PM.  Patrons may purchase tickets in cash at the Box Office between 4:30-7:30PM and name their ticket price.  Following the performance, there will also be a Director’s Dialogue, where the directors and designers field audience questions and describe how the play was staged.  Lowell Night – October 17 at 8PM. Lowell residents may purchase tickets for $10 at the box office from 5-8PM. Proper ID required.  Opening Night – October 18 at 7PM. Join Merrimack Rep’s staff and cast after the show in raising a glass of champagne to celebrate the opening of the show.  Cookie Matinee – October 21 at 2PM. Patrons enjoy complimentary cookies and coffee in the lobby before the show, courtesy of Brew’d Awakening Coffeehaus.  Post Show Forum – October 22, 29 and November 5 (Every Thursday) at 7:30PM.  Enjoy this unique opportunity to learn the inside scoop and chat with the actors after the performance.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Don’t miss a single show!  On sale now, Merrimack Rep offers subscription packages to fit every lifestyle and budget.  With season subscription packages ranging from $45-$307, all subscriptions offer deep discounts off the single ticket prices as well as exclusive subscriber-only benefits, including free parking, restaurant and theatre discounts, lost ticket insurance and free, unlimited exchanges.  For a season brochure or subscription information, call 978.654.4MRT (4678), or visit www.MerrimackRep.org.

TICKETS: Single Tickets $26-$56; Student/Senior/Group discounts are available.  Tickets can be purchased at MRT’s Online Box Office at www.merrimackrep.org, or in person at 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, or by calling 978.654.4678.  Groups of 6 or more save 25% off single ticket prices, and can call 978.654.7595 for more information.

For more information, bios, interviews, or photos, please contact Dan Berube at 978.654.7595 or berube@merrimackrep.org.

For MRT show times, tickets, season information, directions, or to request a brochure, please visit www.merrimackrep.org or call the Box Office at 978.654.4MRT (4678).

Merrimack Repertory Theatre is located in beautiful historic downtown Lowell at Liberty Hall, the Company’s 308-seat theatre, 50 E. Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852 (adjacent to Lowell Memorial Auditorium).  Each season, Merrimack Rep presents an eclectic mix of contemporary productions, engaging the best available actors, designers and directors in the country.  Founded in 1979, Merrimack Rep’s mission is “To advance the cause of human understanding by creating theatrical productions at the highest level of artistic excellence and making them affordable to the broadest possible community.”  Its unique artistic vision is shaped by a passion for excellence and a profound commitment to its community.  Merrimack Rep strives to enhance the community’s quality of life while contributing to its economic strength, measuring success by the depth of the Company’s artistic and social contribution to the region.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre's 2009-2010 Season
Flings & Eros by The Flying Karamazov Brothers, September 10 – October 4, 2009; The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, October 15 – November 8, 2009; Heroes by Gerald Sibleyras, adapted by Tom Stoppard, November 19 – December 13, 2009; Fabuloso, A Play by John Kolvenbach, January 7 – January 31, 2010; Black Pearl Sings! by Frank Higgins, February 11 – March 7, 2010; The Last Days of Mickey and Jean by Richard Dresser, March 18 – April 11, 2010; The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewett, April 22 – May 16, 2010.

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