THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY

Please Note: CHAD DEITY contains adult language. Performances will be held at The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom Street, Philadelphia.

OVERVIEW:

WHAT: THE ELEBORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY
Written by Kristoffer Diaz
Directed by Seth Rozin
Featuring Juan Pacheco, Donté Bonner, Jeb Kreager, Shalin Agarwal, Nick Martorelli, Samantha Clarke, and Eric ‘The Smoke’ Moran

WHEN: October 23 – November 22, 2009
Tuesdays & Wednesdays @ 7 p.m.; Thursdays - Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Saturday, October 24 @ 2 p.m.

PRICE: $16 Previews
$25 Tuesdays - Thursdays
$29 Fridays - Sundays
Discounts available for groups, seniors and students

WHERE: The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom Street, Philadelphia

INFO / RESERVATIONS: InterAct Theatre Company Box Office
Phone: 215.568.8079
Online: www.InterActTheatre.org

InterAct Theatre Company opens its 2009/2010 Season with THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY by Kristoffer Diaz, which begins performances Friday, October 23, and has its official Opening Night on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. The largest, most visually dazzling production InterAct has ever created, THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY is a smart, fresh, theatrical smack-down that takes a high-octane, comedic look at pro wrestling, geopolitics, racial stereotypes, and superstardom.

ABOUT THE PLAY
InterAct Theatre Company opens its 22nd season with the Philadelphia premiere of THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY. Written by Kristoffer Diaz, an up-and-coming playwright of Puerto Rican descent, CHAD DEITY is the winner of the 2008 National Latino Playwrighting Award, a prize given annually by Arizona Theatre Company to create a greater awareness of the work being created by Latino playwrights. Set in the larger-than-life world of professional wrestling, and fueled by vibrant, hip-hop language, CHAD DEITY pits long-time reigning THE Wrestling champion, Chad Deity, against Vigneshwar Paduar (a.k.a. VP), a trash-talking, India-born athlete recruited from the b-ball courts of Brooklyn. Casting the young upstart as an anti-hero extremist from "over there" who intends to catapult himself to fame by overthrowing the "all-American" Chad Deity, THE Wrestling's CEO plots to play upon wrestling fans' fear of terrorism and globalization in order to mass market an epic battle of Good vs. Evil.

“CHAD DEITY has quickly become one of InterAct’s most sophisticated productions,” says production director Seth Rozin. “Not only have we recruited professional Philadelphia wrestlers Eric “The Smoke” Moran to be in the cast and Tony “Hitman” Stetson to serve as fight co-choreographer, but we’ve purchased a real wrestling ring for the stage – literally making this production ‘theatre in the ring.’ We’ve also moved the production to a larger venue in order to gain the height needed for some of the actual wrestling moves the actors will perform,” refering to the fact that CHAD DEITY will be performed at Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre at 2111 Sansom Street, marking InterAct’s first production away from its artistic home on the Mainstage at The Adrienne since moving there in 1997. “But in between all the music, lights, video and professional wrestling flash (a few power bombs; a few more f-bombs), CHAD DEITY also manages to land a few intelligent punches about America’s views on polticial extremism and racial identity,” Rozin adds. “It also exposes the odd and unique-to-wrestling paradox in which the ‘good guy’ can only win the match with the help of the guy who takes the beat-down.”

Currently playing in its World Premiere production at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre, critics and audiences alike are praising CHAD DEITY’s delicate balance between Spectacle and Smarts. Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune raves, “Brainy slam! … The juicy, knockout new play at Victory Gardens is at once a visceral takedown of the way American media marketers manipulate our jingoistic tendencies, a hilariously savvy exploration of racial and class-based stereotyping, and a full-on, body-slamming theatrical wrestling match… [this is a] hot new play.” NewCityStage.com called CHAD DEITY, “… a vivid world fueled by hip-hop and a slap of testosterone … The play is incredibly well-written.” Hedy Weiss in the Chicago Sun Times declared it, “… big, brash, outrageous, brilliantly written …altogether electric ….”

ABOUT SHOW TIMES, DATES & TICKETS
CHAD DEITY runs for 28 performances, October 23 – November 22, 2009, with preview performances October 23, 24 (matinee & evening), 25, 27, and Opening Night on Wednesday, October 28. Performances during InterAct Theatre Company's 2009/2010 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. New this season, InterAct will also offer a Saturday matinee preview performance on the first Saturday of each run. The Saturday matinee during CHAD DEITY will be held on October 24 at 2:00 p.m. Performances of THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY will be held at The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA.

4-show subscriptions are now availablefor InterAct’s 22nd Season ranging from $58 for preview performances, $90 for weekday performances, to $104 for weekend performances. Individual tickets are also on sale now, and are $16.00 for preview performances; $25.00 for performances Tuesday through Thursday; and $29.00 for performances Friday & Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. Additional discounts on subscriptions and individual tickets are available for groups (of 10 or more), seniors (65 and older), and students (with valid I.D.). Students with valid I.D. may also purchase Student Rush tickets for $10.00 five minutes before curtain (based on availability). Subscriptions and tickets may be purchased by calling InterAct’s box office at 215-568-8079, visiting InterAct’s website at www.InterActTheatre.org or by dropping by InterAct’s offices at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS DURING CHAD DEITY
During the run of CHAD DEITY, InterAct will host several post-performance talk-backs to encourage further discussion on the issues raised by the play. Speaker Sundays, a series featuring invited scholars, community leaders and artists, are scheduled to follow matinee performances on Sunday, November 1, Sunday, November 8, and Sunday, November 15. Following the 2nd and 3rd Tuesday and Wednesday performances of every production, we invite patrons to grab a brownie and a cup of joe, then join us for Coffee Converstaions, informal discussions with company artists. During CHAD DEITY, Coffee Conversations are scheduled on Tuesday, November 3; Wednesday, November 4; Tuesday, November 10; and Wednesday, November 11.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Kristoffer Diaz (Playwright) is a 2009/10 Jerome Fellow, a member of the Ars Nova Play Group, and a playwright-in-residence at Teatro Vista. He was one of six writers of BRINK!, the anthology play presented at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays. His play, THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, will have its World Premiere in September 2009 at Victory Gardens (Chicago), followed by productions at InterAct (Philadelphia), and Mixed Blood (Minneapolis). His play WELCOME TO ARROYO'S will be published in 2009/10 in the first critical anthology of hip-hop theater, and will have its world premiere at American Theater Company in 2010. Mr. Diaz’s plays have been developed and performed at Arielle Tepper's Summer Play Festival, The Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Lark, The Donmar Warehouse, South Coast Repertory, American Theater Company, Teatro Vista, Victory Gardens, Ars Nova, The Orchard Project, The Tank, Manhattan Theatre Source, New York University, Brooklyn College, and New Dramatists. He has also participated in Raw Impressions Music Theater Festival, Rebel Verses Youth Theater Festival, The Prospect Theater Dark Nights series, and the Gallatin Arts Festival at NYU. He has co-created several community-based theater projects at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice, the International Thespian Festival, and NYU. As an educator, he has served as an adjudicator for Florida Thespians, and a workshop presenter/panelist at the International Thespian Festival, Future Aesthetics, Dreaming the Americas (No Passport), and the Latino Playwright Initiative. His play THE TROPHY THIEVES: A HIGH SCHOOL LOVE STORY is published by PlayScripts. Mr. Diaz is a recipient of the Van Lier Fellowship with New Dramatists and a Playwright Residency at London’s Donmar Warehouse. He holds an MFA from New York University’s Department of Dramatic Writing, an MFA from Brooklyn College's Performing Arts Management program, and a BA in Dramatic and Cultural Studies from the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies at NYU.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Seth Rozin (Director) co-founded InterAct Theatre Company in 1988, and has since served as Producing Artistic Director. He has directed over 40 productions for InterAct, including Israel Horovitz's LEBENSRAUM (1999 Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play, Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble), IT'S ALL TRUE (2001 Barrymore nominations for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Overall Production), and PERMANENT COLLECTION (2004 Barrymore nomination for Outstanding Overall Production). He has twice been named "Best Director" by the Philadelphia Inquirer for the world premiere of Thomas Gibbons' 6221 in 1993 and for LEBENSRAUM. Other notable productions with InterAct include the world premieres of Thomas Gibbons' BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE, BLACK RUSSIAN, and A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS; and the Philadelphia premieres of SKIN IN FLAMES, BLUE/ORANGE, NIXON'S NIXON, AUNT DAN AND LEMON, LONELY PLANET, SEASCAPE, and GOD'S COUNTRY. Seth has also directed for the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, Blue Heron Theatre, and the 45th Street Theatre in New York, as well as regionally with Act II Playhouse, Venture Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival, and the University of Pennsylvania. As a playwright, Seth is the recipient of two fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, as well as The Smith Prize for his play BLACK GOLD. MEN OF STONE and MISSING LINK garnered Barrymore Award nominations for Outstanding New Play in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Seth has served on funding and/or award panels for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Theatre Communications Group, and the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist. He has served on the Boards of the Women's Theatre Festival, Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, New Paradise Laboratories, Fresh Visions Youth Theatre, and the National New Play Network (for which he served as Chair from 2002-2006).

ABOUT THE CAST & CREW
Featured in the cast of CHAD DEITY will be:

Juan Pacheco (as Mace) is a native of the West Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, who makes his professional theatre debut in InterAct’s production of CHAD DEITY. Upon graduating from Arcadia University, with a B.F.A. in Acting, Mr. Pacheco relocated to Los Angeles where he began working in television and film. He most recently appeared in the independent film The Take alongside John Leguizamo, Tyrese, and Rosie Perez. He has also appeared in over a dozen national commercials, including BestBuy, McDonalds, AT&T, and General Motors. His stage credits at Arcadia include the title role of OTHELLO, for which he received an A.C.T.F. National Certificate of Merit Award; Brutus in JULIUS CEASAR; Orlando in AS YOU LIKE IT; and Demetrius in A MID-SUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, all of which were under the direction of David Bassuk. Mr. Pacheco’s other favorite productions include ALICE IN WONDERLAND, directed by Janet Pilla; THE CRUCIBLE, directed by Susan Wilder; and THE GLASS MENAGERIE, directed by Ed Gavin.

Donté Bonner (as Chad Deity) makes his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Mr. Bonner traveled to Florida to receive his B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Central Florida. His recent stage appearances include the role of Oswald in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater production of KING LEAR and the Bridegroom in the BRIDEGROOM OF BLOWING ROCK at Florida Stage. His film credits include the major motion picture “Sydney White” starring Amanda Bynes. Mr. Bonner also starred in “Inside A Change”, winner of the Best Film Award at the 2009 HBO: New York International Latino Film Festival, directed by award winning music video director, Rik Cordero.

Jeb Kreager (as Everett K. Olsen) returns to InterAct after having last appeared in FROZEN, for which he won the 2008 Best Lead Actor Barrymore Award. Mr. Kreager’s recent stage work includes SCANDALOUS PEOPLE (Fringe NYC), MR. MARMALADE (Theatre Exile; Barrymore nominated), PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE (Delaware Theatre Co.), RECENT TRAGIC EVENTS (1812 Productions; Barrymore nominated), THE BFG (Arden), and THE FOREIGNER (People's Light; Barrymore nominated), among others. He is a founding member of the Obie Award-winning New Paradise Laboratories, and will co-create and appear in FREEDOM CLUB: PARTS I & II in NYC, Philadelphia, and Princeton, in 2009 and 2010. His film and television credits include “Hack” (CBS), “Z Rock” (IFC), Animal Husbandry (directed by A.R. McElhinney), Flogging Margaret (Warner Bros.), and the festival shorts The Prescotts and Felix Melman. Mr. Kreager is a graduate of Virginia Tech and attended Antonio Fava's Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico (Reggio Emilia, Italy), and Circle in the Square (NYC).

Shalin Agarwal (as VP) makes his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY. Elsewhere, Mr. Agarwal has appeared on stage in THERE OR HERE (Hypothetical Theatre Company), THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST’S WIFE (Penobscot Theatre Company), BREAKROOM (Manhattan Theatre Company), SUBURBIA (Posseble Theatre Company), ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (Hudson Shakespeare Company). His feature film credits include Homeland, Bottom Feeder, Bronx Paradise, and A Dangerous Place. His television credits include a featured role in “30 Rock,” the pilot episode of “Cupid,” and “One Life to Live.” Mr. Agarwal is originally from Miami, Florida, and is a graduate of the B.F.A. Theatre Program at Southern Methodist University.

Nick Martorelli (as Joe Jabroni, etc.) makes his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY. Mr. Martorelli was last seen on stage as Hubby in the World Premiere of DOUBLE AND SMALL with the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Other favorite roles include Lago, Mercutio, and Milo Tindle. He has worked with Flashpoint Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Commonwealth Classic Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, and Enchantment Theatre. Mr. Martorelli is also the founder and artistic director of Radio Hound Productions, which recently produced THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE: A NEW AUDIO DRAMA for the Wilmington Fringe Festival.

Samantha Kristina Clarke (as Ringside Showgirl, etc.) makes her InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY. Ms. Clarke is a recent UArts graduate and was most recently seen on stage as June Summer McCarthy in New Paradise Laboratories’ FATEBOOK with the Philly LiveArts Festival. Other favorite roles include Annabella in ‘TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE, Helen in IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM, and Ado Annie in OKLAHOMA!.

Eric "The Smoke" Moran (as Bodyguard, etc.) is a Philadelphia native who is making his InterAct debut in CHAD DEITY, although he has been making an impact on pop-culture for over a decade. After a time serving in the Marine Corps, Mr. Moran trained as a pro wrestler and refined his image into “The Smoke.” Taking the independent wrestling world by storm, The Smoke has been named Intercontinental, Tag-Team, and World champions, working for companies such as E.C.W., G.L.O.O.W., W.E.W., and N.W.A.Shockwave. Due, in part, to his uncanny likeness to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, The Smoke has been featured on the television shows ”The Jenny Jones Show” and “G.L.O.O.W.;” on Philadelphia’s Sports Radio 610WIP; and in several local celebrity boxing events. He has also appeared in the feature films Leaf, The Black Ninja, and White Men Can’t Rap, as well as many independent film projects. Currently, The Smoke is a cast member of the hit television show “Heavy Sedation” as well as the web series “Fighter’s High” and is a featured character in Big City Comics’ vampire series “Tempest.”

The design team for CHAD DEITY includes Set Design by Adam Riggar, Lighting Design by Peter Whinnery, Costume Design by Rosemarie McKelvey, Sound Design by Mark Valenzuela, Video Design by Steve Organ, and Properties Design by Avista Custom Theatrical Services. The production will be Stage Managed by Tom Helmer, with Rebecca Wright serving as Dramaturg, Britt Plunkett as Technical Director, John Bellomo as Fight Coordinator, and 1993 Eastern Championship Wrestling (E.C.W.) Tag Team Champion, Tony Stetson (a.k.a. "Hitman" Tony Stetson), as Wrestling Consultant.

ABOUT INTERACT’S REMAINING 2009/2010 SEASON

In January 2010, InterAct will present the World Premiere production of CITY OF NUMBERS: MIXTAPE OF A CITY… by Sean Christopher Lewis. Orginating out of a collaboration between InterAct’s education program, InterAction, and the City of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts program (funded by a grant from the Violette de Mazia Foundation), CITY OF NUMBERS was created by playwright Sean Christopher Lewis as part of an outreach effort in which he interviewed lifetime inmates at Graterford prison about their work as mural artists. From its early beginnings, CITY OF NUMBERS has grown into a dynamic one-man tour de force performance that interweaves the stories of dozens of Philadelphians - from convicted murderers to victims' relatives to physicians to artists to community leaders to Mayor Michael Nutter. As a sobering, moving and, ultimately, uplifting portrait of a city gripped by violent crime, CITY OF NUMBERS reveals both the sharp divisions and deep sense of community that define the City of Brotherly Love. Directed by Matt Slaybaugh, CITY OF NUMBERS begins January 22 and runs through February 21, 2010.

The season then continues with the World Premiere of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA, by Tony Award-nominated playwright Lee Blessing, which was commissioned by InterAct in 2008 through its 20/20 New Play Commission program. Set in a high-end hotel room at The Hague, WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA imagines former President George W. Bush on the eve of his trial for international war crimes. Tended to by an inscrutable Dutch butler and an alluring masseuse, the President embarks on a long night of drinking, joking, and ruminating, revealing along the way his most deeply held beliefs – that the American people crave a kind of paternal leadership; that we simultaneously love and fear our leaders, and, ultimately, unintentionally deify them. WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA takes aim at an American populace that has grown strikingly complacent in the wake of extraordinary global challenges, ultimately revealing the world’s most intriguing and influential conflict: the battle between the elected leader of the free world and a democracy of millions. InterAct’s WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA will be directed by Paul Meshejian and will run April 9 – May 9, 2010.

InterAct’s season concludes with the Philadelphia premiere of BLACK PEARL SINGS!, Frank Higgins’ play with music that follows the journey of two extraordinary women – one African American, one Caucasian – each of whom is dependent on the other to gain acceptance in society. In depression-era Texas, Susannah, a song collector for the Library of Congress, tracks down Pearl, a woman imprisoned for murder, hoping to record the treasure trove of spirituals and African folk songs that only Pearl knows. But after Susannah bargains for Pearl’s parole and arranges for her to perform at several public events, the two find themselves walking a delicate line between exposure and exploitation. Featuring beautiful, live a capella renditions of little-known American folk songs, BLACK PEARL SINGS! chronicles a powerful story about being a woman in a man’s world, being Black in a White world, and losing one’s soul in a world where anyone can become a commodity. Directed by Seth Rozin and featuring Catherine Slusar and C. Kelly Wright, BLACK PEARL SINGS! runs May 28 through June 27, 2010.

ABOUT INTERACT THEATRE COMPANY

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. To date, InterAct has presented 67 main stage productions, including 28 world premieres, 2 U.S. premieres, and more than 30 Philadelphia premieres. The company has received 39 Barrymore Award nominations and 13 Awards. InterAct's main stage productions have provided work for over 500 local artists.

In addition to the 4-play mainstage season, InterAct Theatre’s major programming includes InterAction, a program of experiential workshops and residencies in area schools that utilize theatre as a tool to illuminate pressing social problems in the community; the 20/20 New Play Commissioning program, an ambitious new initiative that will award twenty new play commissions over six seasons; New Play Development, working closely with playwrights to develop plays that adhere to the company's mission; 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.

THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY was funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative.

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