Theatre Exile announces our 12th season; a season that invites our audiences to delve into the darker side of desire. Over the years Exile has earned a reputation for producing cutting edge theater that casts a unflinching eye on the grit and passion of the human spirit. This year, we present three plays that question the boundaries we place on our passion and the salvation that lies within those limits. Whether it is the desire to live out our deepest fantasies, to taste the forbidden or the primal desire to dominate, Theatre Exile explores what drives those desires, offering a rare and honest insight into the complex needs of the human soul.

Theatre Exile will open our season with the Philadelphia premiere of dark play or stories for boys by Carlos Murillo, directed by Deborah Block, dark play is a psychosexual cyberspace drama that explores the search for human connection in our disconnected world. Based on a true story, dark play ensnares the audience in the web of fantasy and deceit between two adolescent boys. When Adam looks to make a real connection online, he meets Nick, who brings him into an intricate online world filled with flirtatious girls, sex-crazed jocks and covert government agents. But when the stakes are raised, Nick creates the ultimate blurring of fantasy and truth where the consequences are all too real. dark play premiered in 2007 in the Humana Festival and quickly developed a cult following. Following in the footsteps of Red Light Winter and Mr. Marmalade, Exile’s season opener dissects the heart of loneliness with razor-edged comedy. Robert DaPonte returns from Exile’s celebrated Mr. Marmalade to lead another ensemble of Philadelphia’s best young actors.

Leaving the cruel world of adolescence and moving into the treachery of adulthood, Theatre Exile brings the Philadelphia premiere of David Harrower’s Blackbird directed by Joe Canuso as our second show of the season. Blackbird redefines the power struggle between desire and innocence, and the consequences that lie in the aftermath. One of the most poignant and raw plays written in the past decade, Blackbird pushes through our preconceptions of predators and victims to find the human need that lies beneath. Fifteen years ago, 41 year-old Ray and the prepubescent Una began an affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. A chance picture in a trade magazine has led Una back to Ray, meeting face-to-face for the first time since his arrest. But is it for answers, reconciliation or revenge? Blackbird was the winner of the 2007 Olivier Award in London for Best Play. Pearce Bunting returns from Exile’s Barrymore Award-winning Killer Joe to join Exile new comer Julianna Zinkel to take on what promises to be two of the season’s most daring performances.

Keeping with our tradition of an all-star, all-Philly powerhouse final production, Exile closes our season with American Buffalo directed by Matt Pfeiffer. David Mamet’s classic American Buffalo pries apart the American Dream to see what has fallen between the cracks. American Buffalo immerses the audience into a dusty pawn shop, crammed full of bits and pieces of forgotten artifacts from times long past. Lording over the memorabilia is Don, who has enlisted his ex-junkie protégé Bobby, and long time associate and veteran grifter, Teach, to help him steal a valuable buffalo head nickel. The heist acts as a catalyst to bring into question the hustlers’ loyalties as well as their status in their imagined crime world. We become witness to the impossibility of success for these men who believe enterprise is equivalent to scam. American Buffalo was the winner of the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award in 1977. Exile’s own Joe Canuso takes the stage as Don with long-time Exile friend and Philadelphia favorite, Pete Pryor, as Teach.

Theatre Exile has proven to be a place where local artists can take their biggest risks. We match challenging scripts with Philadelphia’s top talent, continually bringing immediate and dangerous performances to our audiences. Theatre Exile approaches our craft with a no-nonsense, no-holds-barred approach to acting. The stories that Exile brings to our audiences demand that our actors live in a moment of truth, despite the peril and the violence that such honesty demands. Armed with our bare-knuckled acting style, Exile attacks these three stories, digging deeper into our desires, promising to deliver our most dangerous and exhilarating season yet.

dark play or stories for boys by Carlos Murillo
Directed by Deborah Block
Featuring: Robert DaPonte, Doug Greene, Katie Gould and Dave Johnson
Design: Adam Riggar (set), Chris Colucci (sound), Alison Roberts (costume)
First preview: Thursday November 13, 2008
Opens: Wednesday November 19, 2008
Closes: Sunday December 7, 2008
Where: The Theatre at The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival 2111 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19103

Blackbird by David Harrower
Directed by Joe Canuso
Featuring: Pearce Bunting and Julianna Zinkel
Design: Matt Saunders (set), Paul Moffitt (lights), Chris Colucci (sound), Rachel Moffat (costumes and props)
First preview: Thursday February 5, 2009
Opens: Wednesday February 11, 2009
Closes: Sunday March 1, 2009
Where: Plays and Players 1714 Delancey Street Philadelphia, PA 19103

American Buffalo by David Mamet
Directed by Matt Pfeiffer
Featuring: Joe Canuso and Pete Pryor
Design: Matt Saunders (set), Tom Weaver (lights), Alison Roberts (costumes)
First preview: Thursday April 9, 2009
Opens: Wednesday April 15, 2009
Closes: Sunday May 3, 2009
Where: Plays and Players 1714 Delancey Street Philadelphia, PA 19103

TICKET INFO:
Call 215-922-4462 or on the web at www.theatreexile.org.
Ticket prices are $15-$40, call for specific prices and dates.
Student tickets are available and substantial savings are offered for groups of 10 or more, please call for details.

Theatre Exile is a nonprofit theater company dedicated to enhancing the cultural experiences of all Philadelphians through the staging of works that engage the imagination. We produce risky and challenging plays that contain a sense of true Philadelphia grit and passion. We are constantly striving to reach out to new theater audiences throughout the community by presenting both new works as well as established plays that are often reinterpreted in original ways and/or held in unique site-specific locations.

We believe in freedom of expression formulated through innovation, exploration and provocation. At the same time, we provide a safe and creative environment in which local artists can grow and experiment and ultimately, find their own voice.