For Immediate Release: March 15, 2005
Media Contact: Tyler Melchior, 1812 Productions, 215.592.9560

"Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning." -Psalms 30:5

1812 Productions presents the Philadelphia premiere of a most unexpected comedy. Juliette Dunn, Chris Faith, Jennifer Childs, and Jeb Kreager star in Recent Tragic Events, which will run from April 15th to May 15th at The Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom Street. Tickets range from $10 to $30 and can be purchased by calling 1812 Productions' Box Office at (215) 592-9560 or by visiting www.1812productions.org.

Recent Tragic Events takes place on September 12th, 2001. Andrew has just met Waverly for a blind date. Together, they run head-first into the question that always follows an incomprehensible ending and, of its nature, radiates a desire to live: What now? Andrew and Waverly navigate what it means to walk through the rubble and what to expect when (and if) you come out on the other side. Waiting for a call from her missing sister, Waverly must decide what she will do with the grief that, may or may not, await her.

Although the action in Recent Tragic Events takes place immediately following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the show is not one of politics. Recent Tragic Events is not about war. It is not about political regimes or shifts in power. It is not about religion, patriotism, or protests. Recent Tragic Events is a comedy of acceptance, compassion, the choices that are made from day to day, and the willingness to move forward. One of the continuing themes in the play is that of "staying awake" and re-learning what makes us up from the inside. The play is a comedy in that it uses humor to create openness. The laughter does not come at anyone's expense; rather, it comes from the refusal to be done in by the catastrophe. The laughter is a celebration of community and survival.

Pete Pryor, 1812's Producing Artistic Director and Recent Tragic Events' director, says of the shows importance, "What drew me to the show, first and foremost, was each character's desire for laughter and release. The play is built around the ambivalence and complexity of life, which is nothing new to anyone. But what Recent Tragic Events accomplishes is that it takes all of that fear and insecurity and shows us, in no uncertain terms, that we are not alone in feeling what we feel. And, like the characters in the play, everyone has the choice whether or not to fight the anxiety and join his or her own community, or to give in and be consumed by the world. One of the primary aspects of 1812 Productions' mission is that laughter creates openness, and openness leads to community. This is exactly the point of this comedy called Recent Tragic Events."

Cast & Crew

Pete Pryor (Director) is a Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director of 1812 Productions. He is a three- time nominee for the F. Otto Haas Emerging Artist Award and received a Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work with The Wilma Theatre. He has worked with The Philadelphia Theatre Company, People's Light and Theatre Company, The New Freedom Theatre, Festival Theatre for New Plays, The Young Playwrights Festival, The Boarshead Theatre, The Philadelphia Drama Guild, Cape May Stage, The O'Casey Theatre of Northern Ireland, Brat Productions, The Arden Theatre Company and 1812 Productions among others. Next up he will be working on the Wilma's production of Outrage by Itamar Moses. Recent film projects include The Starship Akuno, which can be viewed online at www.atomfilms.com and the Philadelphia Film Festival's local premiere of Cellar. He is a past recipient of an Independence Foundation Fellowship to observe at the National Theatre Workshop for the Handicapped. He has been on faculty at The University of the Arts since 1998 and he recently completed a theatre residency at the Pathway School in Norristown.

Jennifer Childs (Nancy/Joyce) is a Co-Founder and Artistic Director of 1812 Productions for whom she has created The Big Time, Another Big Time, Something Wonderful Right Away and this season's Always a Lady. For the past twelve years she has been performing, directing and teaching in the Philadelphia area. She is a ten time Barrymore nominee winning the Outstanding Supporting Actress Award in 1996 for her work in the Wilma's Escape From Happiness and the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theatre Artist in 1999. In 2000 she received an Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts to attend the School of Physical Theatre in London.

Juliette Dunn (Waverly) was last seen in The Lake at The Walnut Street Theater Studio Series. She has performed with the Arden Theatre Company, The Wilma Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Festival and The West End Theatre among others. She has also been seen on the stages of The Academy of Music and The Kennedy Center. Recent Tragic Events marks Juliette's first time performing with 1812 Productions.

Chris Faith (Andrew) has appeared Off Broadway at the Promenade Theatre in New York City in The Secret Garden for Theatreworks USA. Also in New York, Chris played The Man in Like It Is at the York Theatre. Locally, he has portrayed Nathaniel in Kiss Me Kate for Bristol Riverside Theatre, Tom in The Prince and the Pauper for Storybook Musical Theatre, and Jinx in Forever Plaid for DMK Productions. Other regional credits include; original cast member of Professional Skepticism for the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, which was published in Smith & Kraus' Best New Plays of 2002, Hero in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the American Stage Festival in New Hampshire, Huck Finn in Big River, Finch in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying for the Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre in New Orleans, and Greater Tuna, Merton of the Movies, and The Boys Next Door for the Missouri Summer Rep. Most recently, Chris was seen in The Uneasy Chair with 1812 Productions. Chris holds an MFA in Acting from Brandeis University.

1812 History
Artistic Director Jennifer Childs and Producing Artistic Director Pete Pryor founded 1812 Productions in the spring of 1998 with a goal to entertain and educate audiences through comedy, and to support and hire local artists. Philadelphia Weekly named 1812 Productions the "Theatre Company of the Year 2002-2003". At the close of the 2002-2003 season, 1812 Productions was the recipient of eight nominations and two wins at the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. Most recently, 1812 Productions received three Barrymore Award nominations for its 2003-2004 season. Their education program, 1812 Outreach, has received four consecutive nominations and been awarded once the Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. 1812 Productions, while continually on the search for a permanent home, continues to perform at various locations around Philadelphia.

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