No Rules Theatre Begins Signature Theatre Residency with BLACK COMEDY, 2/7-3/2

No Rules Theatre Company, now in their 4th Season, will begin residency at Signature Theatre with Peter Shaffer's "Black Comedy" February 7 - March 2, 2013.

A power-outage causes endless hilarity in this classic farce from famed playwright Peter Shaffer ("Equus", "Amadeus"). Young sculptor Brindsley Miller's schemes to impress his fiancée's father and a millionaire art collector are plunged into chaos when a fuse blows inside of his London apartment. Hilarious hijinks ensue in what is widely regarded to be one of the funniest farces of all time.

Press opening will be Saturday, February 9 at Signature Theatre 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA.

"I am thrilled to be able to bring 'Black Comedy' to life during our first season at Signature," said director Matt Cowart. "This play is funny, unique and inventive and the script provides both elements of slapstick comedy and character-driven wit."

"This is the centerpiece around which we built our season," said Producing Artistic Director Brian Sutow. "For [Co-Artistic Director] Joshua Morgan and I, humor has always been such a huge part of our lives, and yet No Rules has never before done a full out farce. We wanted to start our time at Signature with what we believe is one of the absolute funniest plays of all time."

Tickets for "Black Comedy" will go on sale Monday, January 7 and can be purchased online at www.NoRulesTheatre.org or by calling 703-820-9771. Tickets are $30 and performances are Thursdays - Sunday at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. through March 2.

25% tickets will be available for one day only on November 26 through the Box Office at the Signature Theatre. Preview performances are February 7and 8 at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10. $15 student rush tickets are available at the box office one hour before the performance. Subscriptions to No Rules Theatre Company's 4th season are available.

"Black Comedy" is written by Peter Shaffer and Directed by No Rules Theatre Company Member Matt Cowart. The play features Company Member Lisa Hodsoll, Producing Artistic Director Brian Sutow as well as Jerzy Gwiazdowski, Mandy Nicole Moore, Matthew R. Wilson, Ryan Mitchell and Dorea Schmidt. The Assistant Director is Kelly Wetherald with Scenic and Props Design by John Bowhers, Costume Design by Chelsey Schuller, Lighting Design by Travis McHale and Sound Design by Derek Knoderer

Playwright Peter Shaffer was born in Liverpool, England, on May 15, 1926, along with his twin brother, Anthony, who would also become a writer. Shaffer studied history on a scholarship from Cambridge University, and worked a number of odd jobs including coal miner, bookstore clerk, and assistant at the New York Public Library, before discovering his dramatic talents. Shaffer's first play, "The Salt Land" (1954) was presented on the BBC. Encouraged by this success, Shaffer continued to write and established his reputation as a playwright in 1958 with the production of "Five Finger Exercise" which opened in London under the direction of John Gielgud and won the Evening Standard Drama Award. When Five Finger Exercises moved to New York in 1959, it was equally well-received and landed Shaffer the Drama Critics Award.

Shaffer's canon contains a unique mix of philosophical dramas and satirical comedies such as "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" (1964) and "Black Comedy" (1965). As well as "Equus" (1973) which won Shaffer the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play as well as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and ran for over 1000 performances on Broadway. Shaffer followed this success with "Amadeus" (1979) which won the Evening Standard Drama Award and the Theatre Critics Award for the London production.

Director Matt Cowart most recently co-directed "Kiki Baby" at the New York Musical Theater Festival with long-time collaborator, Lonny Price. In April of last year, he produced and associate directed "Company" with the New York Philharmonic, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton, Jon Cryer, Patti LuPone, and Christina Hendricks, which played in movie theaters across the country. Other directing credits include: "Camp Wanatachi", a new electro-musical that premiered Off-Broadway at La MaMa ETC; "Sondheim: the birthday concert", which aired on PBS Great Performances [Producer and Associate Director], "Annie Get Your Gun" at Ravinia in Chicago, starring Patti LuPone [Associate Director]; Broadway: "Three Generations" [Kennedy Center, Co-directed with Lonny Price]; "Camelot" with the New York Philharmonic starring Gabriel Byrne [Associate Director]; "My Favorite Things", a Rodgers and Hammerstein revue starring Shirley Jones [Associate Director]; "Beautiful Girls", starring Zoe Caldwell, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Donna McKechnie, and Jenn Colella [Associate Director]; the Broadway revival of "110 in the Shade" starring Audra McDonald [Assistant Director]; "Kiki Baby" at the Eugene O'Neill Music Theater Conference, the world premiere of "We Three" [Clark Studio Theater, Lincoln Center], and the critically acclaimed "Salacious Uncle Baldrick".

More Articles by This Author...