Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 South 6th Avenue, begins the new season with the Tony Award- nominated, Arizona premiere of SHINING CITY by Conor McPherson. Preview is Friday, September 10th with Opening Night on Saturday, September 11th and will run until the 26th. They will be a reception after opening and a post-show discussion on the 12th. General admission tickets are $23 ($14 for preview) at the door and by phone; discounted tickets are available only online at www.beowulfalley.org.
SHINING CITY has been described as a "modern day ghost story about human contact." Set in a therapist's office in Dublin, the play grapples with faith, guilt and redemption, underscoring the failures of language to communicate the truth. A middle-aged man, John, who has recently seen the ghost of his deceased wife seeks professional help from a priest-turned-therapist, Ian. The travails of the guilt- ridden John offer more than professional fodder for Ian and the routine visits become a gripping struggle to survive. The cast of SHINING CITY includes Lucas Gonzales, David Greenwood, Laura Lippman and Jared Stokes.
One of Ireland’s most prominent contemporary playwrights, Conor McPherson has won overwhelming acclaim for his insightful, meditative plays, which focus with a quiet, unblinking eye on the big themes: the crisis of modern masculinity, spirituality, frailty, solitude and – of course – death. In a review of his twice Tony award-nominated 2004 play Shining City, the Daily Telegraph called McPherson, the finest dramatist of his generation. Awards for his theatre work include the Laurence Olivier Award, Evening Standard Award, Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, George Devine Award, Meyer-Whitworth Award and the Stewart Parker Award.
Susan Arnold, Director, works in theatre and film as an actor, director, writer and producer. Her directorial credits include Last of the Boys, Dinner with Friends, and Stones in His Pockets with Beowulf Alley, where she contributes to the Artistic Development Committee. Susan served as Artistic Director for the Attic Theatre in Detroit, MI and is the recipient of several theatre excellence awards for acting and directing. She has appeared on stage in a number of productions including most recently Big 8 in Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage Beowulf Alley Theatre, Cleopatra in Immortal Longings and Claire in the production of The Maids, both at The Rogue Theatre. She is a member of Screen Actors’ Guild and Actors’ Equity Association and currently serves as Artistic Director for C.A.S.T. Clean and Sober Theatre in Tucson.
Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, a 501 (c)(3) organization, is committed to enriching the community and enhancing appreciation of the arts through the production of innovative, invigorating theatre and theatrical education with the highest standards for acting and production.
Photo Credit: Creatista/Scott Griessel; Jared Stokes, facing; Lucas Gonzales, David Greenwood, Laura Lippman
