FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11/1/2019 CONTACT: Lesley Greene, [email protected] / (607) 272-0403 ​ ​ PHOTOS AND OTHER MEDIA: https://www.kitchentheatre.org/proof

OPENING: TUESDAY, November 26, 7:30pm. RSVP to [email protected]

‘WHY DON’T WE BELIEVE HER?’ ​ ​ THE PULITZER AND TONY AWARD WINNING CLASSIC, PROOF, STILL ​ ​ RESONATES TODAY ON STAGE AT THE KITCHEN THEATRE COMPANY NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 15, 2019

“An exhilarating and assured new play by David Auburn that turns the esoteric world of ​ higher mathematics literally into a back porch drama, one that is as accessible and compelling as a detective story.”― The New York Times ​ ​

(ITHACA) - Next up at Kitchen Theatre Company is Proof, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award ​ ​ winning play by David Auburn that explores what we inherit from our parents and what it takes to believe a woman when she doesn’t have the physical proof to back up her words. Performances of Proof begin at the Kitchen Theatre Company in the Percy Browning ​ ​ Performance Space on Saturday, November 23 and will run through Sunday, December 15. Thanks to the support of two sponsors and an anonymous donor, all three preview performances (11/23, 11/24, 11/25) will offer patrons the opportunity to “Pay What You Want,” attending the performance for any price.

Following the death of her father, a famous mathematician, Catherine must grapple with what she may or may not have inherited from him—from brilliance to madness. With the appearance of Catherine’s estranged sister, an unexpected suitor, and a notebook containing a groundbreaking proof, Catherine’s life and the future of the field change forever. Proof is a ​ ​ poignant portrayal of genius and the complexity of love and reconciliation.

Director and Producing Artistic Director M. Bevin O’Gara says, “When we choose the titles you ​ ​ experience at the Kitchen we ask, ‘Why this play now?’ With Proof, the question the play asks ​ ​ ​ ​ has evolved and has a different resonance in 2019. In 2000, Proof asked, ‘Did Catherine write ​ ​ the proof?’ Now we must ask, ‘Why don’t we believe that Catherine wrote the proof?’ Catherine ​ ​ encounters so much doubt in the play. Why is that, and is it something we will be able to see her overcome?”

Proof will feature the return of Aila Peck, who was previously seen on stage at Kitchen Theatre ​ ​ ​ Company in Brahman/i: A One-Hijra Stand-Up Comedy Show. Peck will play Catherine, a young ​ ​ woman seeking solace after her father’s death. The rest of the company will consist of Rom ​ Barkhordar as Robert, Joseph Marella as Hal and Turna Mete as Claire. The four actors all ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ worked with O’Gara on a production of Ayad Akhtar’s The Who & The What at Huntington ​ ​ Theatre Company. “Getting the chance to bring this family back together again and to share their joy and talent with Ithaca is one of the aspects of the 2019-20 season I have been looking the most forward to,” says O’Gara .

The creative team will consist of a mix of returning and new designers to Kitchen Theatre Company. Returning designers include Scenic Design by Kent Goetz (Hand to God, Heroes, ​ ​ ​ Private Lives and many others), Lighting Design by Daisy Long (2.5 Minute Ride), and Sound ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Design by Associate Producer, Lesley Greene (The Roommate, Ironbound, among others), ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ featuring original music composed by Tanya K. Palit Husain. Costume Design will be by KTC ​ ​ newcomer, Mary Lauve. The Technical Director is Brendan Komala and the Production Stage ​ ​ ​ ​ Manager is Jennifer Schilansky. ​

Special events for Proof include Pay What You Want Nights featuring post-show discussions ​ ​ with Producing Artistic Director, M. Bevin O’Gara on November 23, 24, and 25, and Actors’ Forums on December 6 and 13. Opening Night is on Tuesday, November 26 and includes a post-show reception with delicious food and drinks. Proof has an adjusted performance run to ​ ​ accommodate Thanksgiving Day and will feature an added 2:00 PM matinee performance on Saturday, November 30th and a 10:00 AM Student matinee for high school students on December 12. For more events and information, visit kitchentheatre.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

David Auburn (Playwright): Plays include Proof ​ ​ ​ ​ (Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, New York Drama Critics Circle Award), An Upset and Amateurs (EST ​ ​ ​ ​ Marathons), and Skyscraper. Films include “The Girl in ​ ​ the Park” (writer/director) and “The Lake House.” Recent directing credits include A Delicate Balance for ​ ​ BTF. His short plays have been collected in the volume Fifth Planet and Other Plays (DPS). His work ​ ​ has been published in Harper's, New England Review, ​ and Guilt and Pleasure, and he was a contributing ​ ​ editor to the Oxford American Writers Thesaurus. A former Guggenheim Fellow, he lives in New York City.

M. BEVIN O'GARA (Director) is Producing Artistic Director ​ ​ ​ at the Kitchen Theatre Company, where she directed Tribes, Grounded, Ironbound, Girlfriend, Brawler, and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Brahamn/i. Other credits include: The Who & The What by ​ ​ ​ Ayad Ahktar, Milk Like Sugar by Kirsten Greenidge (Elliot ​ ​ Norton Award nomination for Best Production) and Becoming Cuba by Melinda Lopez at the Huntington ​ Theatre Company; Small Mouth Sounds (Elliot Norton for ​ ​ Best Ensemble), The Bridges of Madison County, ​ ​ appropriate, A Future Perfect, Tribes (Elliot Norton and ​ ​ ​ IRNE Awards for Best Production), and Clybourne Park ​ with SpeakEasy Stage Company; Brahman/i, Chronicles of ​ ​ ​ Kalki, You for Me for You, Love Person, and The Pain and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

the Itch with Company One Theatre; Phedre with Actors’ Shakespeare Project; Fast Company ​ ​ ​ ​ with the Lyric Stage Company, Marjorie Prime with the Nora Theatre Company, How Soft the ​ ​ ​ Lining and Translations with Bad Habit Productions, Two Wives in India and Gary with Boston ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Playwrights’ Theatre, 2.5 Minute Ride with New Repertory Theatre, and Melancholy Play with ​ ​ ​ ​ Holland Productions.

ROM BARKHORDAR* (Robert) has called Chicago home for ​ ​ the last 20 years, where his credits include: Act(s) of God ​ (Lookingglass Theatre), The Nutcracker (House Theatre of ​ ​ Chicago), Yasmina's Necklace (Goodman Theatre), Vanya (Or, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ‘That's Life!’) (Rasaka Theatre), Mosque Alert (Silk Road ​ ​ ​ ​ Rising), The Who & The What (Victory Gardens Theatre), In a ​ ​ ​ Garden (A Red Orchid Theatre, Jeff Award nomination for best ​ actor), and The Elephant Man (Steppenwolf Theatre ​ ​ Company), to name a few. Regional credits: Pulitzer Prize winner, Disgraced (Virginia Stage Co.), The Who & The What ​ ​ ​ (Huntington Theatre, IRNE nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Around the World in 80 Days (Centerstage Baltimore ​ ​ and Kansas City Repertory Theatre). Television credits: Proven ​ Innocent, Chicago Justice, Chicago Fire, Mind Games, Boss ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ and The Beast. Film: Canal Street. He is represented by Gray Talent Group. ​ ​ ​

JOSEPH MARRELLA* (Hal) is excited to be making his ​ ​ ​ Kitchen debut. Joseph is a current cast member of Shear ​ Madness in Boston, the longest running play in American ​ Theater History. Other credits include The Who & The What ​ (Huntington Theatre Company), Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric ​ Play; Death of a Salesman; Big River; The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Lyric Stage Co.), Twelfth ​ ​ Night (Summer Festival Theater), Story Time Preservation ​ ​ Hour (New Exhibition Room), and Tales of Poe (NewRep ​ ​ ​ On Tour). Joseph has appeared in commercials and corporate videos for Hewlett Packard, Hasbro Inc., BJ’s Wholesale Club, Thumbtack.com, Pinnacle Golf, Staples ​ ​ ​ and W.B. Mason, among others. He has also directed and choreographed several projects including Tape (Bremen ​ ​ Town Entertainment), Zombie Double Feature (New ​ ​

Exhibition Room), and multiple productions for The Lyric First Stage program. Joseph is a proud graduate of Emerson College (BA Theatre Education, Acting Emphasis). He also serves as a Monologue Coach for My College Audition, providing one on one coaching for the competitive college audition process (mycollegeaudition.com). Love and thanks to Mandy and Lily. Visit him ​ ​ online at josephmarrella.com ​ ​

TURNA METE* (Clare) NEW YORK: Off-Broadway: BAM: ​ ​ ​ The Parable Conference; Ma-Yi Theater Company: Soldier ​ ​ X; The Flea: Office Hours, Looking at Christmas, The Great ​ ​ Recession; Ensemble Studio Theater: Asking For Trouble. ​ ​ ​ REGIONAL: Shakespeare Theatre Co.: The Panties, The ​ Partner and The Profit; The Huntington Theatre Company: ​ The Who & the What; American Theater Group: The Way ​ ​ We Get By; Tantrum Theater: Into the West; Theater ​ ​ ​ Workshop of Nantucket: The 39 Steps, Time Stands Still. ​ ​ FILM: Hiding in the Open, How He Fell In Love, Completely ​ Normal. Television: Small Miracles, Deadbeat. ​ ​ ​ turnamete.com

AILA PECK is thrilled to be returning to her artistic home at ​ Kitchen Theatre. She is a Chicago-based actor and an artistic associate of Shattered Globe Theatre. Theatre credits include: Twelfth Night, Doll’s House, Macbeth (American ​ Players Theatre), The Who & The What (Huntington Theatre), ​ Brahman/i: A One Hijra Stand Up Show (Kitchen Theatre, ​ CompanyOne, Logan Festival of Solo Performance), Julius ​ Caesar, Macbeth, You Never Can Tell (Montana ​ ​ ​ Shakespeare), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley ​ ​ (Northlight Theatre), 1984 (Steppenwolf for Young Adults), ​ ​ Birdland (Steep Theatre), Five Mile Lake (Shattered Globe), ​ ​ ​ Royal Society of Antarctica (The Gift). Aila received her BFA ​ in Acting from North Carolina School of the Arts and is a proud graduate of the School at Steppenwolf. She is represented by Gray Talent Group.

KENT GOETZ (Scenic Design) is a Professor Emeritus at ​ ​ Cornell’s Department of Performing and Media Arts and was the Resident Scene Designer at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts from 1991-2019. Previous designs for KTC include sets for Hand to God, Lonely Planet, Heroes, Frankie ​ and Johnny at the Clair de Lune, Red Light Winter, Private Lives, Chesapeake, Secret Order, I Become a Guitar, STRANGERHORSE, A Marriage Minuet, and Drunken City. ​ ​ ​ Other institutions for which he has designed include: TheatreSquared, Asolo Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Florida Stage, Geva Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Madison Repertory Theatre, Madison Opera, Skylight Opera, Body Politic Theatre, American Musical Theatre, Maine State Musical Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and Hangar Theatre. He has also served as a scenic artist at the Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, Goodspeed Opera and the Julliard School. Prior to Cornell Kent taught theatre design at Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University.

LESLEY LISA GREENE (Sound Designer) is the Kitchen ​ Theatre's Associate Producing Director. Sound & projection designs at the Kitchen include The Roommate, Ironbound, ​ ​ ​ Hand to God, Mary's Wedding, The Brothers Size, The Whipping Man, and many others. She has composed ten ​ musicals for family audiences with collaborator Rachel Lampert, including Emmett & Ella: The Puppy Plot, Physics ​ Fair, and Winter Tales, and she has been an actor and ​ ​ ​ musician for many Theatre for All Ages productions. She is a co-founder and organizer of Porchfest, a music festival held on the porches of the Fall Creek and Northside neighborhoods since 2007.

TANYA K. PALIT HUSAIN (Original Music) is a composer, ​ ​ ​ musician and community organizer currently based in Tempe, Arizona. She has played and toured with Boston area bands for nearly a decade and is a passionate organizer with the Girls Rock Camp movement. In addition to Kitchen Theatre ​ Company, she has composed original music for Huntington ​ ​ Theatre Company and the experimental company Liars & ​ ​ Believers, both in Boston. Jones was a 2019 Helene Wurlitzer ​ ​ ​ Foundation artist-in-residence in Taos, New Mexico and is ​ currently part of the Tempe Creatives Cohort for 2019-2020. ​ ​ ​ ​ Whenever possible, she performs solo and with her South Asian punk band Awaaz Do. More at: ​ ​ ​ www.saraswathijones.com

*member, Actors’ Equity Association

SPONSORS

● Co-Producer: Tompkins Trust Company ​ ● Sponsors: Stacia Zabusky and Don Spector ​ ● Media Sponsor: WSKG ​

PRODUCTION INFORMATION AND CALENDAR

WHEN

November 23 - December 15

Tuesday preview performance at 7:00 PM Wednesday & Thursday evening performances at 7:30 PM Friday & Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM Sunday matinee performances at 4:00 PM Thursday & Saturday matinee performance at 2:00 PM Thursday student matinee performance at 10:00 AM

Opening: Tuesday, November 26, 7:30pm. RSVP to Lesley Greene at [email protected] ​ ​ Pay What You Want Nights: Saturday, November23, Sunday, November 24 and Monday, November 25. ​ Preview Talkbacks: Led by members of the Kitchen Theatre staff after Preview performances on ​ November 23, 24, 25. Free with a ticket to the show.

Actors’ Forum: Participating cast members answer questions from the audience. Friday, December 6 and ​ 13 following the performance.

WHERE

Kitchen Theatre Company 417 W. State/MLK, Jr. St. Ithaca, NY 14850

HOW

Single Tickets Available from $15 to $45. ​ ​ ​ $20 Student Tickets available at every performance. $15 Student Rush tickets are available for purchase day of performance, availability permitting. $20 Spontaneous Senior Tickets available for purchase day of performance, Thursday,

December 5 at 2:00pm

● Online at kitchentheatre.org ​ ● By phone at (607) 272-0570 ● In person Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM at the Kitchen offices (409 W. State St.) and Saturday-Sunday, 12:00-4:00 PM at the theater (417 W. State St.)

Subscriptions Available from $99. More information online at kitchentheatre.org/subscriptions ​

ABOUT THE KITCHEN THEATRE COMPANY

Bold, intimate, engaging... Kitchen Theatre Company (KTC), now in its 29th season, is downtown ​ Ithaca's critically acclaimed and nationally recognized year-round professional theater company, specializing in regional and world premiere plays. KTC's intimate 99-seat theater is in a beautifully renovated, LEED-certified building in the West End neighborhood of downtown Ithaca, New York. KTC was voted “Best Cultural Asset” in the Ithaca Times Best of Ithaca poll, 2018. KTC is the first not-for-profit ​ ​ recipient of the David R. Strong Memorial "Small Business of the Year" Award from the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and receives public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the Tompkins County Tourism Program. The Kitchen Theatre Company also receives general operating support from the Shubert Foundation.

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