For Immediate Release: August 15, 2005
Media Contact: Erin Lucas, Flashpoint Theatre Company, 215.514.8965

Flashpoint Theatre Company continues its mission of producing thought-provoking work with their 2005-2006 Season debut of Joe Hortua’s Between Us. This Philadelphia premiere is directed by Producing Artistic Director Erin Lucas and runs September 28-October 16, 2005 at the 2nd Stage Theater at the Adrienne (2030 Sansom St.).

The New York Post said of Hortua’s play, "As an anatomy of the compromises life exacts, Between Us is sharp as a tack.” After a workshop production at Manhattan Theatre Club, Flashpoint snatched up the rights for this edgy new drama. Reminiscent of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hortua’s script captures the essence of two couples on the brink, exploring how we handle the compromises life presents and how the choices we make can jeopardize even the strongest of friendships. Grad school buddies Carlo and Joel are living the American dream – one is newly married and pursuing a career as an art photographer in Manhattan, while the other is a new father climbing the corporate ladder in suburbia. When these old friends reunite for a visit, however, they learn how quickly the American dream can turn into a nightmare.

The production is directed by Flashpoint’s Producing Artistic Director Erin Lucas. “Joe Hortua has a unique ability to convey crumbling relationships with a raw honesty,” says Lucas. “Our audience will identify with the universality of the life changing events dealt with in this beautifully written, genuine and thought-provoking story.” Erin Lucas recently directed Matt Pelfrey’s Drive Angry for the SPARK 10-for-10 Festival in July, and Flashpoint’s debut production of The Credeaux Canvas by Keith Bunin. She also appeared in Flashpoint’s production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues in February, and has directed in festivals in New York City and San Diego.

The outstanding cast of this production includes Keith Conallen as Joel. A writer, actor and filmmaker, Conallen can be seen in The Maya Projects Balm in Gilead as part of the Philly Fringe. He also recently appeared in the SPARK 10-for-10 Festival and starred in Flashpoint’s debut production of Keith Bunin’s The Credeaux Canvas. Playing Joel’s wife, Sharyl, is up-and-comer Sara Pauley. Sara has been featured on television and film and has performed on Philadelphia stages for the past five years. Other stage credits include: Ethel Voysey in Walnut Street Theatre’s The Voysey Inheritance, Mrs. Jones in Un-American at the Lantern Theater, Hedgerow Theatre’s Glass Menagerie and Noises Off and Sky Girls at Iron Age Theater.

The other couple featured in Between Us will be played by Gregg Pica and Kate Bailey. Gregg Pica is a recent graduate of the Villanova Graduate Theatre program. Most recently he appeared in Madhouse Theater Company’s Two Minute Warning at the 10-for-10 Festival, and in The Drawer Theatre production of The Band of Mercy at the Philly Fringe. Kate Bailey received high praise for her portrayal of Cynthia Allison in The Ballad of John Wesley Reed with Theatre Catalyst. She also appeared as the Translator in Wheels on the Bus Go with Brat Productions. Kate received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Boston College and completed an acting apprenticeship at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

The production will also feature a sound design by Michael Oskinski, costumes by Kristin Snyder, lights by Joshua Schulman, set by Andrea Cibelli and props by Melissa Cristaldi.

Performances are at 2nd Stage (2030 Sansom St.) and dates and times are as follows:

Wed, 9/28 – 8pm (preview)
Thu, 9/29 – 8pm (opening)
Fri, 9/30 – 8pm
Sat, 10/1 – 8pm
Thu, 10/6 – 8pm
Fri, 10/7 – 8pm
Sat, 10/8 – 8pm
Sun, 10/9 – 7pm
Thu, 10/13 – 8pm
Fri, 10/14 – 8pm
Sat, 10/15 – 8pm
Sun, 10/16 – 2:30pm

More information can be found at www.flashpointtheatre.org. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at Flashpoint's website. They can also be reserved for purchase at the door by calling the box office at 215-514-0361. Discounted group tickets and season subscriptions are also available.

Flashpoint Theatre Company is dedicated to expanding cultural arts awareness in the greater Philadelphia area through the production of socially provocative and emotionally resonant works of theatre, through the development of educational programming within the community, and through collaboration with new and emerging voices from all artistic disciplines. Flashpoint’s season is sponsored by Philadelphia City Paper.

Photos available upon request – erin@flashpointtheatre.org, 215-514-8965

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