Contact: Selene Faer, 202 256-1721, selene@opencircletheatre.org
Date: October 14, 2005
OPEN CIRCLE THEATRE ANNOUNCES THE DC PREMIERE
OF CLARE MCINTYRE’S AWARD-WINNING PLAY “LOW LEVEL PANIC”
OPENING / PRESS NIGHT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2005
“Breast for breast, ball for ball, breasts will come out on top.”
WASHINGTON - Three women, one bathtub, an emotionally overcrowded bathroom, and a dearth of good men, create the environment in which Low Level Panic erupts in its Washington, DC premiere, presented at 1409 Playbill Café, by Open Circle Theatre. Hard-hitting and explicit, award winning British playwright Clare McIntyre’s exploration into the private thoughts and self-images of women delves into our society’s fascination with pornography and the affect of popular female portrayals on three very different women.
Commissioned and presented by The Women's Playhouse Trust, Low Level Panic was first performed in London in February 1988. It won Ms. McIntyre the Samuel Beckett Theatre Award of 1989. In 1990, Ms. McIntyre was recognized as Most Promising Playwright for My Heart’s A Suitcase, with, both, a Critics' Circle Theatre Award and an Evening Standard Theatre Award.
This classic of neo-feminism looks at the consequence of sexual fantasy and the reality sexual assault in a witty and incisive exploration of young women in search of their identities. The story's drama comes less from conflict than from contrasts among the characters, as first illuminated by their readings of excerpts from a pornographic magazine. By casting in one role a woman with a physical disability, hence a member of a population that often is assumed to have negligible or markedly different relationship to mainstream sexuality, Open Circle Theatre explores the universality of these self-images.
Directed by 2004 Helen Hayes Outstanding Director Nominee Suzanne Richard, Low Level Panic opens November 7 and runs through November 29. Performances are at 8pm, Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, and Tuesdays; 2pm on Sundays. The three person cast is Selene Faer as Jo, Jessica Lynn Rodriguez as Mary, and K. Clare Johnson as Celia. Contains partial nudity and adult themes and language.
Showing in Washington, DC, at The 1409 Playbill Café – a theatre bar and restaurant - at 1409 14th St. NW, between O and P Sts., near the Dupont Circle Metro station (Red Line) and the U Street/Cardozo station (Green Line). Phone: 202-265-3055
Tickets: $15. For credit card purchases, please go to boxofficetickets.com or call 800-494-8497. To make a reservation and pay at the door (cash or check only), email director@opencircletheatre.org or call 240-683-0305. Reservations will be taken until 5:30 PM the day of the performance you wish to attend. Reserving wheelchair accessible seating in advance is recommended and wheelchair users should be aware that there are no accessible bathrooms on site. Selected performances will offer audio description and sign language interpretation. Check www.opencircletheatre.org for dates and times.