Arena Stage's THE QUALITY OF LIFE Opens 9/17

Arena Stage production of The Quality of Life, newly rewritten by Emmy Award-winning Jane Anderson (TV's Mad Men and Normal) and directed by Lisa Peterson (Arena's The Rainmaker) stars Academy Award-nominated songwriter, TV and film actress Annette O'Toole is joined by JohAnna Day (Broadway's August: Osage County and Proof and Helen Hayes Award-winner for The Rainmaker at Arena Stage), Kevin O'Rourke (Broadway's revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Kathleen Turner) and Stephen Schnetzer (recently Voltaire in Arena's Legacy of Light and Broadway and Arena's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?). 

Press Opening Night is this evening September 17, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

With the prospect of including an additional new production in Arena Restaged Part Two, Arena Stage has made the decision to shorten the run length of The Quality of Life to accommodate this possible addition. The Quality of Life will run from September 11 to October 18, 2009 at Arena Stage in Crystal City. Two additional performances will be added to the previously announced schedule: Tuesday, October 13 at noon and Wednesday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m.

The Quality of Life is produced by Arena Stage in association with Jonathan Reinis Productions and Stephen Eich.

Cast of The Quality of Life: Jeannette JohAnna Day, Bill Kevin O'Rourke, Dinah Annette O'Toole and
Neil Stephen Schnetzer.

Set Designer is Neil Patel, Costume Designer is Ilona Somogyi, Lighting Designer is Alexander V. Nichols, Sound Designer is John Gromada and Stage Manager is Susan R. White.

From Emmy Award-winning writer Jane Anderson (Mad Men, Normal) comes this "magnetic work of theater" (San Francisco Chronicle) filled with compassion, honesty and humor. In the wake of devastating personal tragedies, two cousins meet one weekend in an attempt to forge a friendship out of distant familial bonds. Steady, gentle Dinah and husband Bill, reeling from the loss of their daughter, find comfort in spirituality. Meanwhile, rebellious, energetic Jeanette and her ailing husband Neil mitigate illness and the destruction of their home through alternative practices. Can these couples from widely different political and religious backgrounds join together to confront their physical and emotional challenges of loss and survival? This "remarkable and completely engrossing new play" (TheaterMania) harnesses spirit and fortitude while exploring the promise of love, the pride of endurance and the quality of life.

Arena Stage in Crystal City, 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202

Runs September 11 - October 18, 2009

Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (6:00 p.m. curtain on 9/27)
Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. (no matinee 9/12)
Weekday matinees at noon on 10/7 & 10/13

Tickets for The Quality of Life range from $25-$66 plus applicable fees. Discount tickets are available for patrons purchasing tickets for multiple shows, students and groups. A limited number of $10 tickets for patrons ages 30 and under go on sale beginning each Monday for performances that week. (All patrons must present valid ID.) HOTTIX, a limited number of half-price, day-of-performance tickets, are available 90-30 minutes before curtain prior to every performance. Tickets may be purchased online at www.arenastage.org, by phone at (202) 488-3300 or at the Arena Stage Sales Office at 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Managing Director Edgar Dobie, Washington, D.C.-based Arena Stage has become the largest theater in the country dedicated to American plays and playwrights. Founded in 1950 by Zelda Fichandler, Thomas Fichandler and Edward Mangum, Arena Stage was one of the nation's original resident theaters and has a distinguished record of leadership and innovation in the field. With the opening of the new Mead Center for American Theater in 2010, Arena Stage will be a leading center for the production, presentation, development and study of American theater. Now in its sixth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 200,000. For more information please visit www.arenastage.org.

Photo credit Walter McBride