Flashpoint Theatre Company dives head first into the insanity of reality television with Eric Coble’s slapstick satire. L.A. Splash says of The Dead Guy, “Coble’s skillfully woven comedy is a humorous and thoughtful critique on society’s obsession with other people’s realities.” In a society where viewers watch real people risk their relationships, their health, their jobs or their families, all for their fifteen minutes in the spotlight, how far do the networks have to go in order to keep their audience’s attention?

The Dead Guy follows Eldon, a hard-luck twenty-something living in middle America with no job, no girlfriend, and no real future ahead of him. Enter Gina, a television producer desperate for a hit, with a proposition that will make Eldon the star of his own reality show. It seems like an irresistible idea for a nobody like Eldon...until he discovers the catch.

Playwright Eric Coble has received many awards for his work, including the National Theatre Conference Playwriting Award, an NEA Playwright in Residence Grant, Aristophanes Award for Best Off-Broadway Comedy, and First Place in the Southwest Festival of New Plays. His plays, including Bright Ideas, Natural Selection and Virtual Devotion, have been produced at The Kennedy Center, Actors Studio, Playwrights Horizons, Laguna Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville and more.

Michael Osinski, co-founder and Managing Director of Flashpoint Theatre Company, recently directed Caryl Churchill’s Far Away for Flashpoint and a staged reading of Robert Sherwood Anderson’s Adventures in Terror at The Wilma Theater. Previous credits for Flashpoint include the Philadelphia premieres of Wendy MacLeod’s Schoolgirl Figure in 2005 and Neil LaBute’s Autobahn in 2006. A graduate of Drew University , Michael has also directed for the Brick Playhouse in Philadelphia and for Bailiwick Repertory and CollaborAction Theatre Company in Chicago . Michael has also designed sound for multiple productions, most recently Flashpoint’s Memory House.

“I am certainly not an opponent of reality television, as long as I remind myself that what I'm watching is far from reality,” says Osinski. “I enjoy reality television for its entertainment value. But I see ‘reality game shows’ like The Moment of Truth on Fox, and I read about that show in the Netherlands that claimed to feature three patients competing for a dying person's organ, and I wonder just how far the television industry will go for the sake of entertainment. This play provides one possible scenario, where the end result for the contestant isn't just $1 million or a broken marriage - it's the end.”

The cast is led by Nathan Holt (Brat’s The Bald Soprano and Every Christmas Story Ever Told at Act II Playhouse) and former Arden apprentice Mathilda McCommon (Philadelphia Theatre Workshop’s Incoming and 11th Hour Theatre Company’s Austentatious). The cast also features Keith Conallen, returning to the Flashpoint stage for the fifth time. Conallen recently appeared in Flashpoint’s The Faculty Room, Lantern’s The Taming of the Shrew, Mauckingbird’s all-male The Misanthrope, and Brat Productions’ The Bald Soprano. Rounding out the cast are Jess Conda (Flashpoint’s U.S. Drag and Brat’s The Bald Soprano and Eye-95 Retarred), Allison Heishman (Madhouse’s Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead, To the Wall’s drag production of The Rivals, and Flashpoint’s autobahn), and recent Temple grad and Production Manager of HATG Theater Company Chris Morse.

Set design will be provided by Adam Riggar whose recent designs include Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival’s Pericles, Flashpoint’s U.S. Drag and The House of Yes, and Arden Theatre Company’s Ferdinand the Bull. Also returning to Flashpoint’s production team is lighting designer Josh Schulman, who provided lights for Far Away and U.S. Drag. Schulman has also worked with The Wilma Theater, Luna Theater Company, Theatre Exile, West Chester University and many other local companies. Costumes will be designed by Natalia de la Torre, who has designed props and costumes for Flashpoint, Simpatico Theater Project, and Temple University . Meghann Williams, founding member of Flashpoint and hat and props designer for Far Away, will design props. Sound and original music will be provided by John Glaubitz, who has designed sound for BCKSEET Productions. Original video segments will be produced by Azuka Artistic Associate Steve Organ, and additional video elements will be provided by Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston (designed by Tim Thomson).

Information about performance dates and times can be found at www.flashpointtheatre.org. Tickets can be purchased online at Flashpoint's website, or reserved for purchase at the door by calling the box office at 215-563-4330.

Flashpoint Theatre Company is dedicated to the production of socially provocative and emotionally resonant works of theatre in the greater Philadelphia area. Founded in 2003, Flashpoint’s first four seasons have included eight Philadelphia premieres and one world premiere, four holiday productions, and several readings of new plays as part of the High Voltage workshop series. Flashpoint is also an active participant in the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia’s SPARK program. Flashpoint’s 2007-2008 season is sponsored by Zipcar, Image Graphics, Whole Foods Market, and Fergie’s Pub.

WHAT:
The Dead Guy by Eric Coble

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 14 - 8pm – preview
Thursday, May 15 - 8pm - opening
Friday, May 16 - 8pm
Saturday, May 17 - 8pm
Monday, May 19 – 8pm – industry night
Thursday, May 22 - 8pm
Friday, May 23 - 8pm
Saturday, May 24 - 8pm
Wednesday, May 28 - 8pm
Thursday, May 29 - 8pm
Friday, May 30 - 8pm
Saturday, May 31 - 8pm

WHERE:
2nd Stage at the Adrienne
2030 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA

TICKETS:
$18(Adults), $15(Students/Seniors) – Friday and Saturday nights
$15(Adults), $12(Students/Seniors) – Weekdays and Sundays
$10 – industry night
Pay-what-you-can – previews

PHONE:
215-563-4330

WEBSITE:
www.flashpointtheatre.org

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN STAFF:
Director - Michael Osinski
Set Designer - Adam Riggar
Lighting Designer - Joshua Schulman
Costume Designer - Natalia de la Torre
Sound Design/Original Music - John Glaubitz
Video Design - Steve Organ
Props Designer - Meghann Williams
Production Manager - Matthew Miller
Production Stage Manager - Marianne Maloy
Production Dramaturg - Gigi Naglak

THE CAST:
Gina - Mathilda McCommon
Eldon - Nathan Holt
Dougie - Chris Morse
Virgil/Guard/Leon - Keith Conallen
Roberta/Woman/Sheila - Jess Conda
Christy/Woman/Nancy - Allison Heishman