InterAct Theatre Company presents Frozen by Bryony Lavery April 4- May 4, 2008

INTERACT CONTINUES 20th ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE OF AWARD-WINNING DRAMA FROM BROADWAY FROZEN

Written by Bryony Lavery
Directed by Whit MacLaughlin
April 4 – May 4, 2008

Philadelphia, PA - Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 7:00 p.m., marks Opening Night of InterAct Theatre Company’s Philadelphia premiere of FROZEN, British playwright Bryony Lavery’s award-winning drama that took Broadway and London’s West End by storm in 2002 and 2004. Nominated for 4 Tony Awards, including Best Play, FROZEN is a play of stunning emotion and sensitivity that explores the limits of human regret and the power of forgiveness.

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ABOUT THE PLAY
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One of the biggest hits from Broadway and London’s West End in recent years, FROZEN is the gripping psychological journey of three people whose lives are chillingly connected. Nancy, whose ten year-old daughter, Rhona, went missing 20 years ago, continues the daily balance between keeping hope alive and accepting the unthinkable. Ralph, convicted of Rhona’s murder, struggles with loneliness, unnatural urges and the possibility of remorse. Agnetha, a psychologist studying serial killers, attempts to understand the criminal mind, its motivations and total absence of personal responsibility. At once angry and compassionate, this eloquent drama ponders several complex and searing questions: What causes someone to commit horrific acts? Can understanding lead to absolution? Is it even possible to forgive that which seems unforgivable? As each character searches for a thaw in their frozen emotional lives, they strike a dark and hypnotic course that eventually leads them toward a common humanity. Nominated for 4 Tony Awards, including Best Play, FROZEN is a play of stunning emotion and sensitivity that explores the limits of human regret and the power of forgiveness.

The notion of forgiveness is a predominate theme throughout FROZEN. In a 2006 interview with Catherine Foster for the Boston Globe, playwright Bryony Lavery said that when she began writing would eventually become the play FROZEN, she had intented to explore the banality of evil, but that during the process, she watched a television program about serial child murders and was fascinated when she noticed, “…none of the parents seemed to be able to move on at all. I thought if they could forgive they wouldn't be so frozen. … I began to think whether you can actually practice forgiveness or whether it happens to you. I think you're lucky if forgiveness visits you. And you're in agony if it doesn't.” In 2004, when she was interviewed by Caridad Svich for HotReview.org, Lavery explained her inspiration in this way, “FROZEN presents both forgiveness and revenge as options…and I think it is fairly clear that the two roads have difficulties…but I think if we can encourage our audiences to rehearse the act of mercy…it feels good in our fiber and bones and guts.”

Everywhere it has been produced, FROZEN has left audiences and critics mesmerized. The New York Times called FROZEN a, "humane and intelligent drama…Ms. Lavery has slyly established an essential theme…how people channel and compartmentalize their most violent and troublesome feelings so that they can lead their everyday lives." The New Yorker agreed, calling it an, “extremely well-crafted play." London critics also raved, "a truly outstanding play" (Daily Telegraph), "remarkable…a play that genuinely enlarges one’s understanding” (The Guardian), "[written with] vivid eloquence" (Evening Standard), "an absorbing play. At its heart is a debate about moral responsibility" (Daily Mail), "A major play…Thrilling, humane, and timely.…make[s] you see the complexity of the issue, clinical as well as moral." (The Times).

Excerpts of the script of FROZEN are available online: www.interacttheatre.org.

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DATES & TICKETS
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FROZEN runs for 27 performances, April 4 – May 4, 2008, with preview performances April 4, 5, 6 and 8 and Opening Night on Wednesday, April 9. Performances during InterAct Theatre Company's 2007/2008 Season are Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. All performances are held on the Mainstage of The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA.

2-Show subscriptions for InterAct’s 20th Anniversary Season are available ranging from $27.00 to $49.00. Subscription information is available by calling 215-568-8079; by dropping by InterAct’s box office at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA; or by visiting InterAct’s website at www.InterActTheatre.org.

Tickets for individual performances, which are on sale now, are $15.00 for preview performances; $23.00 for performances Tuesdays through Thursdays; and $27.00 for performances Friday & Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. InterAct offers discounts for senior citizens and full-time students (with valid I.D.). Group rates are available, and students with proper I.D. may purchase Rush Tickets for $10.00 five minutes before curtain (based on availability). All performances take place at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Reservations or more information can be obtained by calling 215-568-8079, by dropping by the InterAct Theatre Company box office at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA, or by visiting InterAct Theatre Company's website at www.InterActTheatre.org.

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ABOUT THE ISSUES
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During the run of FROZEN, InterAct will host several post-performance talk-backs to encourage further discussion on the issues raised. Speaker Sundays, a series featuring invited scholars, community leaders and artists, are scheduled to follow matinee performances on Sunday, April 13, 20 and 27. On Sunday, April 13, the guest will Dr. Salman Akhtar, Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson University. Coffee Conversations, an informal discussion with the production's artists and designers, are scheduled to follow performances on Tuesday, April 15, Wednesday, April 16, Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23. For a complete schedule of talk-back speakers, visit www.InterActTheatre.org.

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RELEVENT BIOGRAPHIES
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Bryony Lavery (Playwright), although a rounded theatre professional, is probably best known as the British playwright of FROZEN, the four-time Tony Award nominee, including Best Play, and winner of the TMA Best New Play Award and Eileen Anderson Central Television Award for Best Play. FROZEN premiered at Britain’s Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1998, was revised for production at London’s National Theatre in 2002, and made its American debut at the Off-Broadway Manhattan Class Company before transferring to Broadway’s Circle in the Square in 2004. FROZEN opened in February 2004 at off-Broadway's Manhattan Class Company Theatre. It transferred to Broadway in May and closed in August 2004. In addition to FROZEN, Lavery’s plays include HELEN AND HER FRIENDS(1978), BAG (1979), FAMILY ALBUM (1980), MISSING (1981), CALAMITY (1983), ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES (1984), WITCHCRAZE (1985), TWO MARIAS (1989), HER ACHING HEART (1990), WICKED (1990), NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU (1995), OPHELIA (1996) A WEDDING STORY (2000), LAST EASTER (2004), SMOKE (2006), STOCKHOLM (2007) and RED SKY, which was featured in the National Theatre Connection Festival and was performed at The Lowry and the National Theatre in 2007. Lavery has written many dramas for BBC Radio, as well as stage adaptations of Angela Carter’s THE MAGIC TOYSHOP (2002), Mary Webb’s PRECIOUS BANE (2003) and Ibsen’s A DOLL'S HOUSE (2004) for theatres throughout Great Britain. Lavery has served as artistic director of London’s Gay Sweatshop and Female Trouble as well as her own company, Les Oeufs Malades. For two years she was also writer-in-residence for the Unicorn Theatre for Children. She has been she was Tutor-Lecturer on the M.A. Playwriting Course at Birmingham University and holds an honorary Doctor of Arts of De Montfort University.

Whit MacLaughlin (Director) returns to InterAct, where he last directed DRINK ME, for which he won a Barrymore Award for Sound Design. Whit is the Obie award-winning artistic director of Philadelphia’s experimentalist New Paradise Laboratories where he conceived, directed and designed ten original works. New Paradise Laboratories recently produced BATCH: AN AMERICAN BACHELOR/ETTE PARTY SPECTACLE by Alice Tuan, which was commissioned by the Humana Festival where new Paradise premiered the show at the 2007 festival. Whit has performed at Ontological Theatre and PS 122 in New York City, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Past works include GOLD RUSSIAN FINGER LOVE, a metaphysical look at the James Bond myth; THE FAB 4 REACH THE PEARLY GATES, depicting the Beatles at the end of time; THIS MANSION IS A HOLE, a deconstruction of philosopher Hugh Hefner; ROSE SELAVY TAKES A LOVE IN PHILADELPHIA, an examination of Philadelphia’s utopian history; and PROM, a work of fake anthropology for young adults, which premiered at The Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis.

Catharine Slusar (in the role of Agnetha) returns to InterAct after starring in their previous productions of FEAST OF THE FLYING COW… AND OTHER STORIES OF WAR, MISSING LINK, LEBENSRAUM, SEASCAPE, GOING TO ST. IVES, DRINK ME, BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE, and BLACK RUSSIAN. She was last seen at the Walnut St Theatre, playing Margo in MR. BAILEY’S MINDER. Favorite roles include Mrs. Meany and Mitzy Lish in OWEN MEANY, all 24 characters in THE SYRINGA TREE (The Arden), multiple characters in LEBENSRAUM and Gloria in MISSING LINK (InterAct) and Tamara in TAKING SIDES (Act II Playhouse). She's performed on many Philadelphia and national stages winning a Barrymore Award, the Haas Award for an Emerging Artist, and an Independence Fellowship, which took her to France and Russia. She's a graduate of Yale. Catharine teaches at Bryn Mawr, Rowan, and privately.

Jeb Kreager (Ralph) makes his InterAct debut with FROZEN. Jeb is a founding member of New Paradise Laboratories and has co-created and performed all of their work, most recently BATCH (Humana Festival and 2007 Philadelphia Live Arts Festival). He is also the founder of BrownSquad, premiering CONTEST, his first work as director and choreographer, at the 2006 Live Arts Festival. In his time in Philadelphia, Jeb has also created new work with Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental, Headlong Dance Theater, and Early Morning Opera. Jeb's recent performance work includes MR. MARMALADE (Exile), THE FOUR OF US and RECENT TRAGIC EVENTS (1812 Productions), MR. BAILEY'S MINDER (Walnut Street), THE BFG (Arden), THE FOREIGNER (People's Light) and HIPPIE ELEGY (Headlong). A 2006 Independence Fellow and five-time Barrymore nominee, Jeb attended Virginia Tech, Antonio Fava's Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico (Reggio Emilia, Italy) and Circle in the Square (New York).

Mary Martello (Nancy) returns to InterAct, where she was last seen in THE RETURN TO MORALITY. In addition to InterAct, Mary has worked for most of the Philadelphia area theatres: WST, Arden, Wilma, Prince, Azuka, PLTC, Lenape and to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra as a guest artist three times. Last fall, she performed her cabaret, IN THE STYLE OF WEILL, at the Philadelphia Art Institute. Mary has been nominated for six Barrymore Awards and won three for her performances as Hesione in TRIUMPH OF LOVE at WST, the Baroness in CAF? PUTTANESCA and Mrs. Lovett in SWEENY TODD both at the Arden. Most recently she was seen at the Wilma as Mary Barfoot in the American premiere of AGE OF AROUSAL. She spent many seasons at McCarter Theatre with Nagle Jackson, Foundation Theatre with Julie Ellen Pruzinowski and the Passage Theatre in Trenton. In New York, Mary has performed at Light Opera of Manhattan, Synchronicity Space (a piece by Larry Kirwan of Black 47), the Irish Rep and the Public Theatre. Other regional theatres include BoarsHead, TheatreVirginia, Maine State Music Theatre and Denver Center Theater.

Kyle Green (Prison Guard) marks his InterAct debut with FROZEN, as well as his debut performance in Philadelphia Theatre. Kyle is a recent transplant from northern California, where he worked as an actor, director and designer in local theatre for 32 years. Recent credits include Lennie in OF MICE AND MEN at the Douglas Morrison Theatre, Gooper in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Altarena Theatre, where he won a Bravo Award for best supporting actor, and Inspector Rough in ANGEL STREET for the San Leandro Players. Here in Philadelphia, Kyle has been taking classes at the Walnut Street Theatre and working with a local Improv company.

The design team for FROZEN includes Set Design by Matt Saunders, Costume Design by Rosemarie McKelvey, and Lighting & Sound Design by Jorge Cousineau. Joe Gates will serve as Assistant Director, Andy Campbell will serve as Technical Director and Michele Traub will Stage Manage the production.

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CONTINUING THE 2007/2008 SEASON

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InterAct Theatre Company’s 20^th Anniversary Season concludes with the World Premiere production of HOUSE, DIVIDED, written by Philadelphia playwright Larry Loebell. In HOUSE, DIVIDED, the Goldstein family is torn apart when older brother Louis decides to embrace Jewish orthodoxy and move to Israel to join the Israeli army while younger brother Douglas builds his life around peace activism. HOUSE, DIVIDED is a challenging and timely examination of family, faith and politics, and how the desire to distance ourselves from our past may only bring it closer to home in the future. Directed by Seth Rozin, HOUSE, DIVIDED begins May 23 and runs through June 22, 2008.

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ABOUT INTERACT THEATRE COMPANY

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Founded in 1988, InterAct is a theatre for today's world, producing new and contemporary plays that explore the social, political, and cultural issues of our time. InterAct's aim is to educate, as well as entertain, its audiences, by producing world-class, thought-provoking productions, and by using theatre as a tool to foster positive social change. Through its artistic and educational programs, InterAct seeks to make a significant contribution to the cultural life of Philadelphia and to the American theatre.

In addition to the 4-play mainstage season, InterAct Theatre’s major programming includes InterAction, an award-winning program of experiential workshops and residencies in area schools that utilize theatre as a tool to illuminate pressing social problems in the community; New Play Development, working closely with playwrights to develop plays that adhere to the company's mission; Writing Aloud, an award-winning series of Monday evening events in which short fiction by the region's best writers is read aloud by professional actors; and the Kaki Marshall Arts and Community Award, an annual fundraising event that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the lively arts in Philadelphia.

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Due to the nature of live theatre, play selection, performance and casting are subject to change.

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