For Immediate Release: February 17, 2006
Media Contact: Amy Watson Bish, Delaware Theatre Company, 302.594.1104 x228

Delaware Theatre Company's 2005-2006 season continues with the OBIE Award-winning play The Syringa Tree, written by Pamela Gien. Directed by C. Michael Wright, The Syringa Tree begins previews Wednesday, March 8; opens Saturday, March 11; and runs through Sunday, March 26. Tickets are $25-$45 and may be purchased by calling the DTC box office at 302.594.1100 or in person at 200 Water Street, Wilmington. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.delawaretheatre.org.

The Syringa Tree is a vivid, personal account of a white South African family living under one roof with a black family during Apartheid and their abiding love for one another. Pamela Gien's semi-autobiographical play began as an acting exercise. She was to tell the person sitting next to her a story and recounted an incident in her South African childhood that she had repressed. Eventually Gien wrote and staged her piece, playing all 24 of her characters.

While this emotionally powerful tour de force was originally performed with one actor, DTC's production will showcase the versatility of two actresses - one black (Erica Bradshaw), one white (Lia Aprile) - playing all 24 characters. By embodying these characters - white, black, old, young, male, female - the actresses are able to personify Gien's message, which "carries the idea, that we are all the same, so we mustn't be frightened of other people, because really prejudice lives in fear. I hope they will take the play as an invitation to not be afraid, and to be courageous in our contact with one another."

Directing the production is C. Michael Wright, who previously directed The Syringa Tree in January 2005 at Renaissance Theatreworks in Milwaukee to such acclaim that a revival was staged four months later. He assures that audiences ".don't need to know the history of South Africa to understand the universal themes in this play. I guarantee you will relate to the story and to the issues presented here. Possibly even in a deep and primal way."

The artistic team behind Wright is set and lighting designer Shannon Zura; costume designer Devon Painter; sound designer Jorge Cousineau; dialect coach Stanton Davis; and stage manager Sara Tantillo.

The Syringa Tree runs March 8-March 26, 2006. Opening Night is Saturday, March 11. Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8PM (except 3/17); matinee performances are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2PM (except 3/8 and 3/11); and a special Friday Early Show on March 17 at 6:30PM. Tickets are $25-$45, depending on the performance day and time, with special discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. DTC also offers its Bring a Teen program: every adult who purchases a regular ticket can receive one free ticket to bring a teenager (ages 13-19) to the performance. Bring a Teen tickets must be purchased in person at the box office (teenager must be present at time of purchase) one hour prior to the performance.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the DTC Box Office at (302) 594-1100 or visit our website: www.delawaretheatre.org.

DTC's 2005 - 2006 Season. Some things you just gotta see! Delaware Theatre Company's 2005-2006 season is sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. Corporate Co-Producer for The Syringa Tree is AstraZeneca. Artist transportation provided by Amtrak. This program is made possible, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to promoting and supporting the arts in Delaware. The Delaware Division of the Arts provides technical and financial assistance to artists and arts programs and serves as a clearinghouse for information on the arts.

The Syringa Tree is produced through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.

Delaware Theatre Company, Delaware's premier professional theatre, is located at 200 Water Street, on Wilmington's exciting Riverfront. Delaware Theatre Company is a member of the League of Resident Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, the Arts Consortium of Delaware, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, and the Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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