FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 15, 2005

NEW STYLE OF PRODUCTIONS TO BRING NEW GENRE TO AUDIENCES

Saint John Theatre Company: Studio Announces First Production The Guys!

The SJTC is proud to add a new series of productions to its 2005-2006 season, SJTC: Studio.  “SJTC: Main Stage and SJTC: Second Stage each have fairly rigid criteria when it comes to the selection of scripts” says Stephen Tobias, SJTC’s Artistic Director.  This often leaves no room for scripts which do not fit into the pre-set mould of either.  SJTC: Studio gives us a highly flexible option for producing these scripts that catch my eye”.

It is not surprising then, that the first production to take place under the SJTC: Studio label is Anne Nelson’s The Guys, a play set in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001. 

“It's an amazingly good script. It's relevant. It's a small play that can be staged in a fairly simple manner. Most importantly: we had a director (Kizzy Kaye) who really believed in the script and was willing to champion it throughout the production cycle,” remarks Tobias of The Guys.  “Rehearsals are going well, and we’re really excited about this project,” he adds.

The setting of the play is simple, an afternoon in the lives of a New York fire chief (Stephen Tobias) and a New York writer (Suzanne Short) as they struggle to write eulogies for fallen firefighters after 9/11.  The true magic of this show comes in the intimate atmosphere that will be provided with the “on-deck” seating of a SJTC: Studio production.  Sitting on stage at the Imperial Theatre, audiences will be closer to and more involved with the actors and story then ever before.

The Guys will be performed at the Imperial Theatre for 2 performances only at 1PM and 4PM on Sunday, September 11th.  Because of the on-deck seating, tickets are limited. The cost is $22 and tickets are available at the Imperial Theatre Box office or by calling 674-4100 or 1-800-323-SHOW (7469). 

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