Bridget Carpenter's caustically funny play is a hall pass to what happens when you mix gun-toting sophomores, lonely teachers and an unnatural obsession with the Rapture. The play is set at suburban Madison Feury High where we meet Adam, a veteran English teacher who lives vicariously through his students, and his ex-wife Zoe, a burned out drama teacher who redefines the student-teacher relationship. When Carver, an enigmatic new history teacher shows up from the city, the teachers reluctantly invite him into their circle of angst and disillusionment, only to discover he's not who they think he is.

The Faculty Room premiered at the Humana Festival in 2003 and has been called "a rollercoaster ride" (Washington City Paper) and "disturbingly relevant" (The Daily Page). Ms. Carpenter is a 2002-03 Guggenheim Fellow, recipient of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a Princess Grace Award and the 2003 Kesselring Award. Her numerous plays include Fall, Typhoid Mary and The Death of the Father of Psychoanalysis (& Anna.)

Director Meghann Williams directed last year's The House of Yes, by Wendy MacLeod, and Flashpoint's popular holiday production, The Santaland Diaries and Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family, by David Sedaris. Williams also took the helm for Flashpoint's 2005 benefit production of The Vagina Monologues, by Eve Ensler, which featured Madi DiStefano, Cathy Simpson and Mary Lee Bednarek.

"The first thing that struck me about The Faculty Room is Bridget Carpenter's fast, sharp dialogue," says Williams. "Her characters are complex people who aren't afraid to throw their intelligence around. They seem to be in perpetual competition to be the quickest with a joke at someone else's expense. The characters rely on humor to cope with an intense underlying loneliness, a palpable yearning. They are just trying to keep it together, even as chaos looms, just trying to get through the year however they can."

Flashpoint welcomes back a long-time collaborator, set designer Christian Pedone, who previously designed for Far Away, Feed the Hype and The Credeaux Canvas. Lights will be designed by Shon Causer (The Santaland Diaries, The Mystery of Irma Vep - Walnut St.), with sound and original music by Aaron Oster (Mum Puppettheatre's The Wizard of Oz), costumes by Regina Rizzo (Inis Nua's Live Arts hit Trad) and props by Natalia de la Torre (U.S. Drag).

The cast will feature Flashpoint favorite Keith Conallen as Carver. He recently appeared in Fat Boy, The Bald Soprano and Eye-95: Retarred with Brat Productions. Conallen also appeared in Flashpoint's productions of Feed the Hype, Between Us and The Credeaux Canvas. Also taking the stage is Janice Rowland as Zoe, whose many local credits include Arden Theatre Company's A Prayer for Owen Meany and Brat Productions' Grease and Desist. She can be seen currently in BCKSEET Productions Three Tall Women. Rounding out the cast are Mark Cairns as Adam, whose many local credits include Simpatico Theatre Project's Angels Fall and Pros from Dover's Hurlyburly, and Gene D'Alessandro as Bill, who recently appeared in Shakespeare in Clark Park's Romeo and Juliet and shared the stage with Cairns in Edward Albee's The Zoo Story.

All performances will be held at 2nd Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, in Philadelphia. Tickets are $12-18 and can be purchased at 215-563-4330 or www.flashpointtheatre.org. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups of ten or more.

Flashpoint Theatre Company is dedicated to expanding cultural arts awareness in the Greater Philadelphia area through the production of socially provocative and emotionally resonant works of theatre, through the development of educational programming within the community, and through collaboration with new and emerging voices from all artistic disciplines. Founded in 2003, Flashpoint's first three seasons have included seven Philadelphia premieres and one world premiere, and several readings of new plays as part of the High Voltage workshop series. Flashpoint is also an active participant in the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia's SPARK program. Flashpoint's 2007-2008 season is sponsored by Flexcar, Image Graphics, Whole Foods Market and Fergie's Pub.