Directed by Bill Dow, THIS stars Loretta Walsh, Benjamin Ratner, Zak Santiago, Karen Holness and Brad Dryborough.
For Immediate Release: Kindred Entertainment is pleased to present THIS, an original play written by Vancouver raised Playwright and House of Cards Showrunner Melissa James Gibson. The production will run from April 26th (Opening night) to May 5th, 2018 at Studio 16, 1555 West 7th Ave, Vancouver. THIS is directed by Bill Dow, with Barbara Pollard as his Assistant Director and stars some of Canada’s most in demand actors, including Loretta Walsh, Benjamin Ratner, Zak Santiago, Karen Holness and Brad Dryborough.
Loretta Walsh (When Calls the Heart) plays Jane, award-winning actor Benjamin Ratner (Wonder, Travelers) plays Alan, Zak Santiago (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The X-Files) plays Jean Pierre, Brad Dryborough (Prodigal Dad, A Christmas to Remember) plays Tom, and Karen Holness (Make It Pop, Chicago) plays Marrell.
An ‘un-romantic comedy’, THIS, by Canadian-born playwright Melissa James Gibson, is an unapologetic and fiercely intelligent glimpse into the lives of five friends approaching middle-age and grappling with where they’ve found themselves and what could, or should, come next. Funny and honest, Gibson’s script rides the edge between comedic and deeply painful, revealing the grit underneath the surface of her characters and their relationships, and lying bare the imperfections and insecurities that make them (and us) human. THIS examines urban existence in midlife, including parenthood, loneliness, loss and adultery. In the play, Jane is a widowed mother whose witty and well-meaning friends try to fix her up with an eligible bachelor.
THIS is a smart, sexy play with crackling humor about contemporary and complicated people. THIS is a thrilling ride about the messiness of heading face first into middle age. THIS rides the edge between comedic and deeply painful. “It’s the best new comedy I’ve seen in many a season……They’re us.” The New York Observer
Melissa James Gibson is the current show runner on the hit Netflix series House of Cards. Born in Ottawa, Melissa grew up in North Vancouver and is now based in New York. “For me, the best writing comes from grappling with something – often on a very unconscious level – grappling with something on the page,” Gibson told the Globe and Mail in August 2012. “I’m definitely attracted to writing that really sits on the edge of comic and deeply painful. That, to me, is where life exists most fully. So that’s the edge I’m most attracted to exploring.”
Kindred Entertainment is an ensemble theatre company in Vancouver BC, where great plays meet fresh design ideas. Our passion is to tell stories about how we live today. Our mission is to engage with our audiences, keeping them on the edge of their seats – to make them think, laugh and feel, sometimes all at once.
THIS runs from April 26th (Opening night) to May 5th, 2018 at Studio 16, 1555 West 7th Ave, Vancouver. Tickets here: https://kindredpresentsthis.bpt.me
For more information, interviews, media attendance and photographs please contact:
Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575
Tickets and info: www.kindredentertainment.com
Twitter: @kindredent
Facebook: @kindredentertainment
Press quotes:
“Gibson graduates into the theatrical big leagues with this beautifully conceived, confidently executed and wholly accessible work.” New York Times
” . . . not just her finest to date, but also the best new play to open Off Broadway this fall.”—The New York Times
“As a title, “This” may sound disconcertingly vague. But it actually evokes something that feels quite right about the characters Gibson so intelligently conjures, and their belief that their own mess is the only one that matters.” – Washington Post
“It’s the best new comedy I’ve seen in many a season…… They’re us.” The New York Observer
“I thought I wanted to write a play about adultery,” Gibson says, “but then really discovered that I was writing about mortality and grief and, yes, middle age, and what we all live with.” – Globe and Mail
The Promotion People
Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @promotion.people