Internationally produced, award-winning playwright Nagle Jackson has written a new comedy, Kafka in the Hedgerows, especially for Hedgerow Theatre, where it will have its world premiere in celebration of Hedgerow's 85th birthday April 24 through May 18 at the theatre on 64 Rose Valley Road, Rose Valley.

For what he calls this "hymn to theatre," Jackson brings together a truly multigenerational cast featuring long-time Hedgerow ensemble pillars Penelope Reed, Zoran Kovcic and Susan Wefel; visiting artist, Michelle Eugene; ensemble favorites, Jared Reed and Paul Kuhn (Curio Theatre's co-artistic directors); and emerging ensemble artists Kevin Meehan and Lena Mucchetti.

A major international director and playwright who joins the Hedgerow ensemble annually, Jackson directs this literate comedy, set in the idyllic Rose Valley of 1923, when Jasper Deeter founded the Hedgerow Theatre. The play is inspired by the events surrounding Hedgerow's history, but Jackson creates new characters with new situations, soaring with imagination as he combines the fledgling theatre's many eccentric personalities with the curious appearance of Franz Kafka. As Kafka pushes the members of this new ensemble to think of their art as the "axe which breaks the frozen sea within us," Jackson and ensemble prove that in theatre, the most outrageous moments often happen behind the scenes.

Returning home to Hedgerow, scores of alumni from around the country and devoted audience members will gather preview weekend to toast Jackson's loving roast of the theatre. Hedgerow Producing Artistic Director Penelope Reed leads the festivities and exclaims, "We have come so far in revitalizing Hedgerow so the next generation of theatre artists can fly! Jasper Deeter in 1923 (remove extra space) formed an art theatre that gained international renown for its resident repertory theatre. Thousands of gifted artists, dynamic leaders and caring community supporters have allowed Hedgerow to survive and thrive for 85 years. Now its contemporary identity celebrates the ensemble in every aspect of our theatre culture. Leadership that embraces the intimate relationship between actors and audiences is at the center of all we do, and Nagle's play brings alive those early roots and stimuli for transforming lives through theatre."

Hedgerow's Managing Director Arin Sullivan states, "What better way to celebrate 85 years as a theatre than to have a play written especially for your company? It's the very best birthday gift a theatre could ask for and we're thrilled to be able to share it with our neighbors in Rose Valley who had such a formative role not only in creating this idyllic theatre, but in sustaining us through the last eight and a half decades."

Hedgerow, a member of Actors' Equity Association, produces Kafka in the Hedgerows as part of our Signature Series. Hedgerow's Signature Series features fine performances as well as complex and intimate shows in agreement with Actor's Equity. Performances of Kafka in the Hedgerows are Thursday through Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, with one Wednesday matinee on May 7 at 2 pm. The show will preview April 24-27 and open May 1 with a complimentary post-show reception.

Tickets to Kafka in the Hedgerows are $22 on Thursday, $28 on Friday and Sunday, and $30 on Saturday. Senior tickets are $20 for all performances and youth tickets for those under the age of 18 are $10 for all performances. Call 610-565-4211 for reservations, or visit www.hedgerowtheatre.org.

Hedgerow Theatre seeks to connect and enrich the lives of actors and audiences through the shared intimate experiences of a theatre of excellence.