Society Hill Playhouse, in association with BCKSEET Productions brings back its successful holiday run of The Eight: Reindeer Monologues this December as Santa remounts some of his old employees at the North Pole. Written by Jeff Goode, creator of the provocative MTV's "Undressed," this sardonically irreverent black comedy follows eight disgruntled deer as they unpack Santa's baggage: presents, intoxication and leather straps. "Wickedly topical," raves the New York Times.

The show opens Friday, December 7, 2007 at 8:00 PM and runs Thursdays through Saturdays until Saturday, December 29, 2007 with one special Wednesday performance on December 26th At 8:00 PM. All performances will take place at the Society Hill Playhouse's Red Room located at 507 S. 8th Street in Philadelphia. Tickets are $21 and include one complimentary drink. Tickets are now available at the Society Hill Playhouse's box office at 215.923.0210; seating is general.

For mature audiences only. (Leave the fawns at home.)

Special guests comedy troupes for every performance kick-off the evening's festivities: Short form improv group ZombieShark every Thursday and on Wednesday 12/26; long form improv masters The Ninjas will perform Fridays; and the hilarious variety act Johnny Showcase will perform on Saturdays -. See www.bckseet.com for more information on each of these groups.

This holiday production marks a major event for Society Hill Playhouse and BCKSEET Productions: the production this year boasts all of BCKSEET Productions' Company Members. Several actors will reprise their roles with The Eight this year, but the cast will also welcome new Philly favorites to the team. Mark Cairns, Dan Rich, Oscar Dubón, Nicole Venson, and Kate Brennan will jump back in the harness in their original roles as Donner, Cupid, Comet, Vixen, and Dancer respectively. New EIGHT cast members: Adrienne Maitland, TJ Sokso, and Noah Mazaika will join the line as Blitzen, Dasher, and Hollywood.

G DeCandia, Artistic Director of BCKSEET Productions, directs. DeCandia says, "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to remount this piece. It's a particularly attractive holiday piece to BCKSEET because it is both light and dark, and the bittersweet nature of it really resonates with us during the holiday season. The response to produce it another year was overwhelming, so we've expanded our run." As to whether to expect the same production as last year, DeCandia comments, "We pride ourselves on attempting to reinvent theatre here at BCKSEET, and this production will be no different. Our cast has changed significantly, and we think that new audiences will appreciate the new production, and second-timers will probably be amused at how the characters have evolved since last year.

ABOUT SOCIETY HILL PLAYHOUSE
The Society Hill Playhouse has been a pioneering force in Philadelphia's theatre community since its inception in 1960. The theatre is housed in the historic David Garrick Hall. As Philadelphia's first professionally operated theater to bring both American and European premieres to the area, Society Hill Playhouse has laid the groundwork for younger theatres throughout the Delaware Valley. During its forty-seven year history, Society Hill Playhouse has produced hundreds of area premieres on its Main Stage: from Brecht/Weill's Threepenny Opera in 1962 to Rachel Wyatt's Crackpot in 1996. The second stage "Red Room" opened in 1986 with William Gibson's Handy Dandy. Its premieres include Manual Puig's political drama Kiss Of The Spider Woman in 1987 and Christopher Durang's Laughing Wild in 1988. Long-running "popular theatre" pieces include Nunsense and Menopause the Musical.

ABOUT BCKSEET PRODUCTIONS
Founded in 2000 at Emerson College in Boston, BCKSEET Productions burst onto the Philadelphia theatre scene three years ago as the resident theatre company of the Red Room at the historic Society Hill Playhouse. An active member of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, BCKSEET has participated in the Philly Fringe/ Live Arts Festival, Free Night of Theatre, and SPARK Showcase Festival. BCKSEET continually strives to "entertain, educate and enlighten" its audiences with exciting world premieres and innovative explorations of classic works.