Superior Donuts
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FROM BROADWAY, WITH SPRINKLES SUPERIOR DONUTS By Tracy Letts Directed by Leslie Martinson Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts October 6—October 31, 2010 Regional Premiere From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of August: Osage County comes a fresh-baked tale of friendship and redemption in a crumbling donut shop on Chicago’s North Side. Warm, funny, and deeply moving, it introduces an eager new counterman—an African American kid whose bright ideas mask a cloudy past. Setting out to refurbish the place and its long-stale proprietor, he encounters first a wall of resistance then a well of unexpected heart. Contains mature language. “A soulful play, full of humor and humanity.” –Variety *Visual Voice audio described performances 10/29 8pm, 10/30 8pm, 10/31 2pm Groups of 8 or more save 15%! Contact Elisa Valentine at 650.463.7126 or at [email protected] for more information or to make a reservation. View Audio Slideshow "Exceptionally funny...UPLIFTING...filled with sharp comedy and touching humanity." San Francisco Chronicle "WICKEDLY WITTY...a splendid night of theater that both tickles the funny bone and warms the heart." The Mercury News "Superior Donuts is something special, a high mark for theater...TRULY OUTSTANDING." Daily News "Well written, perfectly performed, immaculately produced…" Palo Alto Weekly "It POSITIVELY SHINES...funny, moving, and perceptively written." KQED “Remarkably HEARTWARMING...you don’t have to be from Chicago to enjoy it.” San Jose Metro "TheatreWorks' SLAM-DUNKIN' Donuts...mightily entertaining." Theater Dogs "EXQUISITE ACTING...amazingly sensitive direction that elevates this drama into a masterpiece." For All Events "PHENOMENAL SCRIPT...Set designer Tom Langguth brought a whole world together that was as rich in detail as the characters themselves." Stark Insider "As Franco, Lance Gardner is simply outstanding...an AWARD-WORTHY HIGH VOLTAGE PERFORMANCE." San Mateo Daily Journal “SUPERIOR PERFORMANCES…Gardner’s exuberance is infectious.” Kedar K. Adour Reviews "INTIMATE …Lance Gardner’s performance as Franco ignites the stage with the vitality of youth.” My Cultural Landscape "Gardner is a revelation…” SF Theatre Blog "Theatrical Nutrition from Tracy Letts: ‘Superior Donuts’” Daily News "Swain dunks into sweet ‘Donuts’ role” SF Examiner "Leslie Martinson a seasoned TheatreWorks star” SFGate “In ‘Superior Donuts,’ opening at TheatreWorks, playwright Tracy Letts’ script is more funny than harrowing” Mercury News "Michael J. Asberry talks about his love of acting” Oakland Post Online Leslie Martinson Helms ‘Superior Donuts’ at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley” Talk2SV MICHAEL J. ASBERRY (James) is excited to be making his TheatreWorks debut. He has performed with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in Waitin’ to End Hell (Larry), which was preceded by roles in Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Godfrey Crump); King Hedley II (Mister); and Seven Guitars(Red Carter). Other favorite roles include All God’s Chillun’ Got Wings (Jim Harris) with The Eugene O’Neill Festival, Danville; Aurora Theatre Company’s Satellites (Reggie); Topdog/Underdog at The 6th Street Playhouse (Linc); The Shotgun Players’ There Will Be No Trojan War (Ulysses), and I’m Not Rappaport(Midge) with the California Conservatory Theatre. His TV and film appearances include Nash Bridges, Parenthood, Trauma, The Californians, and Where’s My Stuff? Voiceover credits include Paramount Pictures, Pixar Animation, General Motors, The Commonwealth Club and Electronic Arts. JULIA BROTHERS (Randy) appeared at TheatreWorks in Theophilus North (Mother/Mrs. Cranston), Ambition Facing West (Marija/ Alma), Nickel and Dimed (Gail/Marge), and Be Aggressive(Judy). Recent credits include Show and Tell(Sharon/ Erin) with Symmetry Theatre; The First Grade (Sydney) at Aurora Theatre Company; Evie’s Waltz (Gloria) at Magic Theatre; Magic Forest Farm (Eleanor) at Marin Theatre Company; and as Carla in George Is Dead (written and directed by Elaine May) at Arizona Theatre Company, where she co-starred with Marlo Thomas. Ms. Brothers is a company member of SF Playground and B Street Theatre. She has won numerous Bay Area theatre awards and was named MVP for Theatre in 2006 by the San Francisco Chronicle. JON DELINE (Kiril) is excited to make his debut at TheatreWorks. He recently finished the show Slices for All (Strongman) with Pi: The Physical Comedy Troupe in the Berkshire Fringe Festival. He also performed in the San Francisco Fringe Festival with Pi: The Physical Comedy Troupe and they won Best Clown Ensemble for their show Afterparty(Strongman). He co-produces The Clown Cabaret in San Francisco with Climate Theater which has performances the first Monday of every month. Before performing professionally he studied at the Clown Conservatory of San Francisco with Jeff Raz and obtained his BA in theater arts from the University of California Santa Cruz. ELIAS ESCOBEDO (Kevin) returns to TheatreWorks where he was last seen in Shakespeare in Hollywood and understudied in The Sisters Rosensweig. Recent credits include Lt. Kaffee in A Few Good Men at Hapgood Theatre, Todd in Afterlife of the Mind at Virago Theatre, and Alvaro in Lydia at Marin Theatre Company. A San Francisco native, Mr. Escobedo has also worked with California Shakespeare Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, SF Playhouse, Marin Shakespeare Company, Livermore Shakespeare Festival, and Brava Theatre among others. Commercial and industrial credits include Oracle, Adobe, Seagate, Transmetrics, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, SaveMart, Longs Drugs, and Romelli Bail Bonds. Mr. Escobedo earned his BA in Dramatic Arts from the University of California, Davis. www.EliasEscobedo.com LANCE GARDNER (Franco) is pleased to return to TheatreWorks, where he appeared in Auctioning the Ainsleys, and understudied Intimate Apparel and Anna in the Tropics, and has performed multiple staged readings for the Young Playwright’s Project. He has appeared on stage in Yellowjackets at Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Equivocation, A Streetcar Named Desire, Lovers & Executioners, and A Brief History of Nearly Everything at Marin Theatre Company; A Midsummer Night’s Dream at California Shakespeare Theatre; Rust at Magic Theatre; T.I.C. with Encore Theatre; Skin at Climate Theatre; Angels in America parts I & II at City Lights Theatre Company, and more. He is a member of San Jose Repertory Theatre’s social outreach and education division, Red Ladder Theatre Company. Mr. Gardner also performs regularly as the drummer for the San Jose based rock band Vie Victus. JOAN MANKIN (Lady) has credits at TheatreWorks including Penny in You Can’t Take it With You and understudying Golda Meir in Golda’s Balcony.Most recent credits include Barbara in Boom at Marin Theater Company, Mrs. Gottlieb in Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and Bell in The Fantasticks at SF Playhouse; Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest at Marin Shakespeare Company; Snug and Philostrate in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at California Shakespeare Theater; Henny in Bosoms and Neglect at the Aurora Theatre Company; Bobchinsky in Government Inspector at American Conservatory Theater; and The Mother in Black Rider at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. She was a clown with the Pickle Family Circus, and is on the faculty of the SF Circus Center, which sent her to China in 2008 to teach clowning to professional acrobats. GABRIEL MARIN (Luther) is delighted to make his TheatreWorks debut. His recent credits include A Number(Bernard) and Noises Off (Garry) at Center REPertory Company, The Creature (Victor) with Black Box Theatre, Jack Goes Boating (Clyde) and The Devil’s Disciple (Richard) at Aurora Theatre Company, Landscape of the Body(Durwood, Raulito) and the regional premiere of Tracy Letts’ Bug (Peter) at SF Playhouse. Locally he has appeared at American Conservatory Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, Bay Area Playwrights Foundation, Center REP, Central Works, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, PlayGround, San Francisco Playhouse, The Jewish Theatre, Thick Description, Word for Word, and Z Space. Mr. Marin was recently named Best Actor by East Bay Express in their Best of The East Bay 2010. He has performed on NBC, CBS, PBS, and the BBC. SØREN OLIVER (Max) has spent the majority of his career acting in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nationally he has appeared at such theatres as The Denver Center Theatre Company, The Huntington Theatre Company, The McCarter Theatre Company, and The Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC Locally he has worked at Magic Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company and in 2007 he was seen playing the role of Hercules in Mary at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Mr. Oliver’s most recent television credit was the recurring role of Baliel the demon, on the WB’s Charmed. He can also be seen as Pastor Paul in the independent film Nominated, due to be released in 2011. HOWARD SWAIN (Arthur) returns to TheatreWorks where he performed in To Kill a Mockingbird, Yellow Face, and On Golden Pond. He recently worked in Oakland at TheatreFIRST, in Laguna Beach at the Laguna Playhouse, and off-Broadway at The New York Theatre Workshop. Bay Area credits include American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley and San Jose Repertory Theatres, Magic Theatre, Marines Memorial Theatre, Eureka Theatre, Theatre-On-The-Square, San Jose Stage Company, Word For Word, SF Playhouse, Center REPertory Company, and Marin Theatre Company as well as Oregon, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Marin, and California Shakespeare Festivals. Television and film credits include Nash Bridges, Midnight Caller, Partners In Crime, Kiss Shot, Bed of Lies, Hill St. Blues, Cherry 2000, Miracle Mile, Golden Gate, Just One Night, Teknolust, Frameup, Night of the Scarecrow, and Valley of the Heart’s Delight. TRACY LETTS (Playwright) received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for August: Osage County, which played on Broadway, as well as a sold-out run at London’s National Theatre and a US National Tour. It also received five Tony Awards (including Best Play), an Olivier Award and six Jeff Awards (including Best Play). Mr.