January 20, 2017
For: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Madeleine Gail Rex
801-581-7222
madeleine.rex@ptc.utah.edu
PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
Women in Jeopardy!
By Wendy MacLeod
Salt Lake City – Pioneer Theatre Company presents Women in Jeopardy! by Wendy MacLeod, a comedy reviewers have described as “Thelma and Louise meets The First Wives Club,” running February 10 – February 25, 2017.
Women in Jeopardy! poses the question, “Can three divorced moms find love and happiness – or at least avoid falling prey to a serial killer – in Salt Lake City and the red rocks of southern Utah?” The Boston Globe wrote, “The laughs in Wendy MacLeod’s play… come fast and furious.”
MacLeod’s Find and Sign was produced at PTC in 2012, and it was her memories of Salt Lake which inspired her to set a play here in the mountain west.
“I wrote the play when I was in residence at the Arden Theater in Philadelphia, but I had recently spent time in rehearsal for Find and Sign at Pioneer,” she explained. “I have to know the place where I set my plays, and see it in my head, and Salt Lake offered the opportunity for cozy domesticity, unfounded Mormon rumors and wilderness adventure. And ,” she added, “the play has introduced audiences to Salt Lake’s unique and initially incomprehensible address system.”
So it is that in Women in Jeopardy!, “the three women begin in the kitchen, but then embark on an adventure that leads them into the remote, starlit canyons of Utah.”
The all-Equity cast of six includes:
ANNE TOLPEGIN, who appeared this fall in PTC’s The Last Ship, plays Mary, whose life of book clubs and fun runs is turned upside down when her best friend starts to date again. Tolpegin’s Broadway and national credits include Kinky Boots, Billy Elliot, A Tale of Two Cities, Ragtime, Mamma Mia! and Les Misèrables, and the regional productions of Little Women and Man of La Mancha. She has also appeared on television in USA’s “Mr. Robot” and ABC’s “All My Children.”
ELIZABETH MEADOWS ROUSE plays Liz, who is venturing giddily into the dating world again, to the consternation of her friends. Her career has taken her across the country and overseas, including performances at Shakespeare’s Globe in A Chaste Maid, at New York’s Theatre for a New Audience and TACT, at regional theatres across the country, and in television, including roles in “30 Rock” and “The Sopranos.” She last appeared at PTC over twenty years ago as Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday.
ROSALYN COLEMAN plays Jo, who observes her friends’ antics with wry amusement. Coleman is an award-winning director, actor and educator, having directed projects for television and film festivals. She is an adjunct at SUNY Purchase and NYU and is currently coaching directors at Sundance Film Festival. Some of her recent television appearances include “Madame Secretary” and “Blue Bloods.” A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, she is the chief creative officer of Red Wall Productions.
JOE GATELY plays Jackson, the new man in Liz’s life who may or may not be a harmless dentist. Gately has performed in New York in Babes in Arms and The Disappeared, in regional productions of Saturday Night Fever, Spamalot and Annie, in films such as The Manchurian Candidate and City Hall, and in television, including “Person of Interest,” “White Collar” and “Spin City.”
Amanda, Liz’s beautiful but not particularly bright 19-year-old daughter, is played by BETSY HELMER, whose theatre credits include Rosalind in As You Like It and Louise in The Fox on the Fairway. She has also appeared on television in “Shadow of Doubt” and “American Supernatural.”
Local actor CJ STRONG completes the Equity cast as Trenner, Amanda’s clueless, snowboarding boyfriend. He was last seen as Tommy in Egyptian Theatre’s production of Carrie The Musical. His other theatrical credits include Sex with Strangers, Circle Mirror Transformation, Godspell and The Tempest, as well as the national premiere of Zorro: The Musical. He has also appeared in film and television.
Playwright WENDY MACLEOD‘s play The House of Yes became a Sundance award-winning Miramax film starring Parker Posey. Her comedy Slow Food premiered at the 2015 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and was featured in PTC’s 2015-2016 Play-by-Play series. Her plays include Find and Sign at PTC, Sin, Schoolgirl Figure and Things Being What They Are, among others. She is the James E. Michael Playwright-in-Residence at Kenyon College and the artistic director of the Kenyon Playwrights Conference.
Pioneer Theater Company Artistic Director KAREN AZENBERG directs the production as part of her fifth season at PTC. She began the season directing the regional premiere of Sting’s The Last Ship, as well as December’s Oliver!. Last season, she directed Fiddler on the Roof, The Rocky Horror Show, and It Happened One Christmas. She began her work in New York, where she worked on Lyrics and Lyricists, Prom Queens Unchained, and Richard Greenberg’s The Dazzle, which she choreographed.
DANIEL MEEKER returns to PTC as scenic designer, having previously designed sets for Outside Mullingar and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. From Portland, Ore., his credits there include set design for The People’s Republic of Portland and Red (which won a Drammy Award), lighting design for Twist Your Dickens, and set and lighting design for numerous other productions. He is a member of the faculty at Portland State University and a member of United Scenic Artists.
Making her PTC debut, ERIN CARIGNAN is a costume designer whose credits include work in theatre, film, shorts, television and print. She has worked at the LA Opera and The Old Globe and is currently a visiting assistant professor of costume design at Weber State University.
Lighting design is by PHIL MONAT, who has designed many of PTC’s productions, including but not limited to An Inspector Calls, Outside Mullingar, Alabama Story, The Crucible, Man of La Mancha, Something’s Afoot, My Fair Lady, A Christmas Carol and Hamlet. He has designed over 500 productions in regional theatres across the country. His Broadway designs include Legends, Sly Fox, Finian’s Rainbow, Sally Marr… and her escorts and Three From Brooklyn.
Hair and makeup design is by PTC resident designer AMANDA FRENCH; sound design is by PTC resident designer JOSHUA C. HIGHT.
* * *
PUBLICITY PHOTO SHOOT: There will be a Publicity Photo Shoot on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. Please call 801-581-7222 to RSVP and for location and time.
MEDIA PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD:
High-resolution color photos of this production will be available for media use on the PTC website beginning Wednesday, February 1, 2017 after 3:00 p.m. Go directly to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/press-room/media-photos/ to view the photos.
TV CAMERA FILMING: Filming a short segment of the production during Preview or Opening Night for press use can be arranged. Call 801-581-7222.
INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the cast and artistic staff are available. Call 801-581-7222.
WHO:
Pioneer Theatre Company
WHAT:
Women in Jeopardy!
By Wendy MacLeod
WHEN:
February 10 – February 25, 2017
TIMES:
New Curtain Times 2016-2017 Season
Mondays – Thursdays, 7:00 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday matinees, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre
300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City
PRICES:
$25 – $44 in advance, and $5 more when purchased on the day of the show
Kids in grades K-12 are half-price on Mondays and Tuesdays
MORE INFO:
Box Office: 801-581-6961
Open 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mon – Fri
www.pioneertheatre.org
CAST:
(In alphabetical order)
ROSALYN COLEMAN*…………………… Jo
JOE GATELY*…………………………… Jackson/Sgt. Kirk Sponsüllar
BETSY HELMER*………………………… Amanda
ELIZABETH MEADOWS-ROUSE*…………. Liz
CJ STRONG*……………………………. Trenner
ANNE TOLPEGIN*………………………. Mary
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Director………………………………………………………. Karen Azenberg**
Scenic Designer………………………………………………. Daniel Meeker
Costume Designer…………………………………………….. Erin Carignan
Lighting Designer……………………………………………… Phil Monat
Sound Designer……………………………………………….. Joshua C. Hight
Hair and Makeup Designer……………………………………. Amanda French
SDCF Observer…………………………………………………Jennifer Curfman**
Stage Manager………………………………………………… Mary P. Costello*
1st Assistant Stage Manager………………………………….. Analysha Mulcock
* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association.
** Denotes a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society