For Immediate Release: April 20, 2006
Media Contact: Amy Masterman, Allens Lane Theater, 215.248.0546

Allens Lane Theater will close its 52nd season with its production of Tom Donaghy's The Beginning of August. USA Today said of August that author Donaghy, "blends black comedy, social satire, farce and pathos into a hearty brew." This will be the Philadelphia premiere of the play by the local playwright who also penned Minutes for the Blue Route, Northeast Local and Down the Shore. Directed by Mindy A. Beers of Chestnut Hill, the play opens April 28.

The cast features Matt Dell'Olio, who was in last season's production of SubUrbia, playing the main character Jackie. With his wife Pam, played by Lorraine Delgado Amador, Jackie has the suburban dream: a new house, a steady job and a newborn baby girl. When Pam suddenly disappears, Jackie finds himself in an increasingly confusing situation. The involvement of his babysitting stepmother, a lonely neighbor with a secret and a housepainter who finds countless excuses not to finish the job compound his devastation. Mike Lucek, Ann Gundersheimer and Ed Salek round out the cast.

Donaghy was the oldest of four sons born to an Irish-Catholic father and an Italian-Catholic mother in suburban Philadelphia. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and the recipient of many honors, including play commissions from The Goodman Theater, Playwrights Horizons and Manhattan Theater Club; as well as fellowship and production support from the National Endowment of the Arts. His work has been produced by theaters nationwide including Lincoln Center, Seattle Repertory Theater and Philadelphia Theater Company.

Director Mindy A. Beers is Artistic Director of The Cardboard Box Collaborative, and has directed and assistant directed productions in Philadelphia and Miami. Most recently Beers was Assistant Director on the world premiere musical, Christopher Durang's Adrift in Macao at the Philadelphia Theater Company, where she was also Assistant Director on the Barrymore Award-Winning productions of Take Me Out and The Story.

Beers reflects on how the concepts of family and community are lost and built anew after Pam's unexpected departure in August. "In the old days, communities were interlocked and people offered each other support. Today, the notion of keeping up with the Joneses has instilled a sense of separation and competition among neighbors. Is that how we're supposed to live?" asks Beers. "Jackie is a poster child for the evolution of the suburban neighborhood, where boundaries are challenged and roles reexamined under the blinding presence of 'eyes and eyes'."

The Beginning of August runs at Allens Lane Theater April 28 - May13. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 6pm. There will be an opening reception following the performance on April 28. Tickets are $15 for general admission ($13 for students and seniors on Sundays only). Reservations are encouraged.

Audience members are invited to bring food and beverages to enjoy before the show. Allens Lane Theater is located at Allens Lane and McCallum Street in the West Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. Free off-street parking is available. For more information or to make reservations, go to www.allenslane.org or call 215-248-0546.

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