THE PLAY COMPANY

PRESENTS

THE U.S. PREMIERE OF
“RAINBOW KISS”

 
WRITTEN BY SIMON FARQUHAR
 

DIRECTED BY

WILL FREARS



LIMITED OFF-BROADWAY RUN
MARCH 12 - APRIL 13

OFFICIAL OPENING NIGHT: SATURDAY, MARCH 22



59E59 THEATERS

(59 EAST 59TH STREET)

 
 
The Play Company proudly presents the U.S. premiere of Simon Farquhar’s Rainbow Kiss as the next production in its 2007-2008 season.  Directed by Will Frears, Rainbow Kiss will play a limited Off-Broadway run from Wednesday, March 12 – Sunday, April 13 at 59E59 Theaters (Theater B / 59 East 59th Street).  Official Opening is set for Saturday, March 22 @ 8:15 PM.
 
 
Rainbow Kiss starts with a kiss and ends in blood.  Keith, raising his infant son alone while holding down a dead-end job, stakes his future on a one-night stand with Shazza, an upwardly mobile beautician he meets at a club.  She has a master plan and he doesn’t belong.  Yet she keeps coming back for more.  Set in Aberdeen, Scotland’s “Granite City,” Rainbow Kiss paints a stark portrait of life and love on the dark side of the city’s oil-fueled boom. Will Frears directs the American premiere of Simon Farquhar’s acclaimed debut play, which garnered much attention when it premiered in the Royal Court Theatre’s fiftieth anniversary season in 2006.
 
 
 
One of Scotland’s freshest new voices, Simon Farquhar is from the North-East of Scotland and has lived in both London and Aberdeen.  A graduate of the University of Aberdeen, he wrote and performed in the drama group Centre Stage, and his early plays were staged at the Aberdeen Arts Centre.  He was commissioned by the BCC Radio 4 to write the radio script “Candy Floss Kisses.”  This was followed by his radio drama Elevenses with Twiggy, set during the dying days of the 60s and featuring a cameo performance by Twiggy herself.  Rainbow Kiss, his debut stage play, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in April 2006 as part of the 50th anniversary season.  In October 2006, he was invited to take part in the Old Vic 24 Hour Plays Celebrity Gala, for which he wrote a ten-minute play overnight -- Dream Me a Winter featuring Patricia Hodge. In 2007 he wrote and presented the film documentary Razor Sharp: The Story of Peter McDougall.  He is currently working on his first novel.
 
 
 
Director Will Frears’ recent credits include Off-Broadway’s The Water’s Edge (Second Stage), Pen (Playwrights Horizons), Omnium Gatherum (Variety Arts), Where We’re Born and God Hates The Irish (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), Get What You Need (Atlantic 453), Kid-Simple (Summer Play Festival).  For The Play Company, he directed Terrorism (a co-production with The New Group). His other New York directing credits include The Party Come Here (New York Musical Theatre Festival), various projects at Naked Angels, The Manhattan Theatre Company, The New York International Fringe Festival, HB Playwrights Foundation and New Dramatists.  Select regional work includes Romeo & Juliet, Bus Stop, The Water’s Edge, A Servant Of Two Masters (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Pillowman (George Street Playhouse), Hay Fever, The Price (Baltimore CenterStage), Sleuth (Bay Street Theatre), Our Lady of 121st Street (Steppenwolf Theatre), Omnium Gatherum (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville).   He was Artistic Director of Yale Cabaret (1999-2000).  He is the recipient of Boris Sagal and Bill Foeller directing fellowships. He earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.  
 
 
 
Rainbow Kiss stars Michael Cates (Off-B’way: Blue Man Group), Robert Hogan (B’way: Further Than the Furthest Thing, A Few Good Men; Off-B’way: Romania. KISS ME! – The Play Company; Regional: A Moon for the Misbegotten – Arena Stage), Charlotte Parry (Me, Myself & I – McCarter Theater, Howard Katz – Roundabout, Cymbeline – The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Importance of Being Earnest and As You Like It – Theater Royal Bath and BAM/Peter Hall Company) and Peter Scanavino (B’way: Shining City; Off-B’way: SubUrbia – Second Stage).  This production includes Set Design by Thomas Lynch (B’way: A Raisin in the Sun, Contact; Regional: Me, Myself & I – McCarter Theater), Costume Design by Sarah Beers (Gone Missing – The Civilians, Terrorism – The New Group/The Play Company), Lighting Design by Tyler Micoleau (Gutenberg! The Musical!, Heddatron, Orson's Shadow, Eat The Taste, BUG – OBIE Award/Lortel Award, Carnival Knowledge, The Attic, Romania. KISS ME! – The Play Company) and Sound Design by Drew Levy (Shipwrecked – Long Wharf Theatre, Emergence-See – The Public).
 
 
 
The Play Company is a New York City not-for-profit theater that develops and produces adventurous new plays from the U.S. and all over the world.  Recognized for bringing some of the finest international work to the New York stage, The Play Company boasts an impressive roster of American and New York premieres.  The company kicked off its 2007-08 season with the U.S. premiere of Robert Farquhar’s Bad Jazz directed by Trip Cullman.  Other productions include the English-language premiere of Yoji Sakate’s The Attic directed by Ari Edelson; Romania. KISS ME!, six short plays from Romania’s new wave; Roland Schimmelpfennig’s Arabian Night directed by Trip Cullman; Leslie Ayvazian’s Lovely Day directed by Blair Brown; the Presnyakov Brothers’ Terrorism directed by Will Frears (co-production with The New Group); Vijay Tendulkar’s Sakharam Binder directed by Maria Mileaf; Gary Mitchell’s Trust directed by Erica Schmidt; Brooke Berman’s Smashing directed by Trip Cullman; and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran directed by Maria Mileaf.  The Play Company was launched in 1999 by Kate Loewald, Jack Temchin and Mike Ockrent, and was honored with an OBIE Theatre Award grant in 2007.   
 
 
 
Rainbow Kiss will play Tuesday – Saturday @ 8:15 PM, with matinees on Saturday @ 2:15 PM and Sunday @ 3:15 PM.  The 59E59 Theaters are located at 59 East 59th Street.  Tickets are $35.00 (general) and $24.50 (59E59 members).  Tickets can be purchased through TicketCentral at (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com <http://www.ticketcentral.com> , or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office. A limited number of $5.00 student rush tickets are available at the Box Office prior to each performance (cash only, with valid Student ID).