THE WOLFE TWINS TEAM REUNITES AT STUDIO FOR RACHEL BONDS'S LATEST PLAY, CURVE OF DEPARTURE, DIRECTED BY MIKE DONAHUE

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1 CONTACT: Amy Horan Marketing and Publicity Supervisor x106 DATE: November 10, 2017 THE WOLFE TWINS TEAM REUNITES AT STUDIO FOR RACHEL BONDS'S LATEST PLAY, CURVE OF DEPARTURE, DIRECTED BY MIKE DONAHUE Curve of Departure a new play by Rachel Bonds directed by Mike Donahue The gifted Rachel Bonds has a unique sensitivity to dialogue and modern locutions. DC Metro Theater Arts (about The Wolfe Twins) Up next in Studio's Main Series is the reunion of The Wolfe Twins playwright Rachel Bonds and director Mike Donahue for a production of Bonds s latest, Curve of Departure, which comes to DC with the same director and design team as its world premiere production at South Coast Rep this fall. Curve of Departure welcomes a new quartet of actors to Studio DC-based actor Justin Weaks, who was most recently seen in Theatre Alliance's Word Becomes Flesh (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Ensemble); Chicago-based actor and Steppenwolf company member Ora Jones; recent Yale School of Drama graduate Sebastian Arboleda; and Boardwalk Empire's Peter Van Wagner (SAG Award for Outstanding Ensemble). "It's a pleasure to welcome Rachel Bonds and Mike Donahue back, three years after their first collaboration: Rachel's Studio-commissioned The Wolfe Twins back in 2014," says Artistic Director David Muse. "Rachel applies extraordinary craft to ordinary talk. Her plays give witness to tiny moments that accumulate into an insight that could change your life. They're a perfect match for Studio's intimate theatres."

2 About Curve of Departure Cyrus abandoned his son, wife, and father more than a decade ago, but they ve gathered for his funeral. In a single hotel room far from the rites of wakes and visitation, they share a bathroom and try to keep their secrets or at least the peace. Curve of Departure traces the trajectories of these disparate relatives coming together to say a last goodbye, and test their own familial ties. Straight from its world premiere production at South Coast Rep, the play returns the acclaimed playwright and director of The Wolfe Twins to Studio. About Rachel Bonds Rachel Bonds plays have been developed or produced by Studio Theatre, South Coast Rep, Ars Nova, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, Roundabout Underground, Atlantic Theater Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, New Georges, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, SPACE on Ryder Farm, The Arden, and New York Stage & Film, among others. Her plays include: Curve of Departure, a commission from South Coast Rep, featured as part of the 2016 Pacific Playwrights Festival; Five Mile Lake, winner of the 2013 L. Arnold Weissberger Award from the Williamstown Theatre Festival, which received its world premiere at South Coast Rep, directed by Daniella Topol, and its east coast premiere at The McCarter in May 2015, directed by Emily Mann; Swimmers, winner of the 2015 Sky Cooper Prize, which received its world premiere at Marin Theatre Company in 2016, directed by Mike Donahue; The Wolfe Twins, her commissioned play for Studio Theatre, which received its world premiere in October 2014, directed by Mike Donahue; Sundown, Yellow Moon, commissioned by Manhattan Theatre Club & Ars Nova; Alma, commissioned by Atlantic Theatre Company; Michael & Edie, named a NY Times Critic's Pick, directed by Robert Saenz de Viteri; At The Old Place, which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse and was developed during her 2013 Writer s Room Residency at The Arden in Philadelphia; Winter Games, winner of the 2014 Heideman Award and part of the Ten Minute Plays at the 2014 Humana Festival; and Anniversary, produced in EST s 2010 Marathon of One-Act Plays, winner of the 2012 Sam French Festival and featured on Public Radio s Playing on Air. Ms. Bonds is an Alumna of EST s Youngblood, Ars Nova s Play Group, and SPACE on Ryder Farm s Working Farm Writers Group. She was the Fr. William Ralston Fellow at the 2011 Sewanee Writers Conference. Ms. Bonds has served as a Volunteer at the 52nd Street Project and as a dramaturg for the 2015 Young Playwrights Conference in NYC, and was recently named the 2016 Tow Foundation Playwright in Residence at Ars Nova. She is currently working on commissions for The Geffen and McCarter Theatre. Ms. Bonds is a graduate of Brown University. About Mike Donahue Mike Donahue s previous collaborations with Rachel Bonds include world premieres of The Wolfe Twins at Studio Theatre, Swimmers at Marin Theatre Company, and Curve of Departure at

3 South Coast Rep. New York credits include Matthew Lopez s The Legend of Georgia McBride at MCC, The Geffen Playhouse, and Denver Center Theatre Company (Joe A. Callaway Award, Outer Critics Circle Nomination); Jordan Seavey s Homos, Or Everyone In America at Labyrinth Theater Company; Jen Silverman s Phoebe in Winter at Clubbed Thumb, The Hunters at the Cherry Lane Mentor Project, The Moors and Ethan Lipton s Red-Handed Otter at Playwrights Realm. Regional credits include the world premieres of Jen Silverman s Collective Rage at Woolly Mammoth and The Roommate at Humana and Williamstown. Mr. Donahue is the recipient of a Fulbright to Berlin, the Drama League Fall Fellowship, The Boris Sagal Fellowship at Williamstown, and was the Artistic Director of the Yale Summer Cabaret for two seasons. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Yale School of Drama. Upcoming credits include the world premiere of Matthew Lopez s Zoey s Perfect Wedding at Denver Center Theatre Company. About the Cast Sebastian Arboleda (Jackson) makes his Studio Theatre debut. Recent credits include Blood Wedding, The Oresteia, and Amy and the Orphans at the Yale School of Drama and Lemon Boots at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Mr. Arboleda is a recent graduate of the Yale School of Drama. Ora Jones (Linda) s Broadway credits include Matilda the Musical (also first national tour) and Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Regional credits include Ah, Wilderness, Animal Crackers, Proof, The Beard of Avon, and A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre; Pericles, Henry VIII, Sunday in the Park with George, The Madness of George III, Twelfth Night, and A Flea in Her Ear at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; the world premiere of Rasheeda Speaking at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble; the world premiere of My Kind of Town at TimeLine Theatre; Our Town at Writers Theatre; and Execution of Justice at About Face Theatre. She is an ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where some of her credits include The Wheel, Three Sisters, The Brother/Sister Plays, The Unmentionables, The Violet Hour, The Crucible, and Morningstar. Some film and television credits include Betrayal, Chicago Fire, Were the World Mine, and Stranger than Fiction. Peter Van Wagner (Rudy) makes his Studio Theatre debut. New York credits include A Thousand Clowns at Roundabout, Letters From Cuba at Signature Theatre, The Notebook at Second Stage, and The Chimes at The Public Theater. Regional credits include The White Snake, After The Revolution, and Ah, Wilderness at Baltimore Centerstage; The Cherry Orchard at Yale Repertory; Huckleberry Finn at the Goodman; and Mrs. Warren s Profession at Alliance Theatre. Films include The Post, Annie, Tower Heist, and Arthur. He has guest starred on Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order, The Good Wife, and Rescue Me. Mr. Van Wagner received a SAG Award for Outstanding Ensemble in Boardwalk Empire. Justin Weaks (Felix) was most recently seen in the remount production of Word Becomes Flesh at Theater Alliance (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Ensemble). Other local credits include Bud, Not Buddy and Darius & Twig at The Kennedy Center,

4 The Christians at Theater J (Helen Hayes nomination), Still Life With Rocket and Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea at Theater Alliance, Charm at Mosaic Theater Company, and Lobby Hero at 1st Stage. Mr. Weaks holds a BA in Theatre from Greensboro College. About the Creative Team Lauren Helpern (Scenic Designer) recently designed Curve of Departure at South Coast Rep. Broadway credits include Voices in the Dark. Off Broadway credits include 4000 Miles (Lortel Award) and Disgraced at LCT3, BUG at Barrow Street Theatre (Obie Award), Bad Jews at Roundabout Theatre Company, and The Model Apartment at Primary Stages. Regional credits include Chapter Two at Arizona Theatre Company, A Funny Thing Memorial Sloan-Kettering at the Geffen Playhouse, At the Old Place at La Jolla Playhouse, and The Aeneid at NYU/Abu Dhabi. Ms. Helpern has designed around the country from the Huntington Stage Company to Anchorage Opera. Her production design for Janice Gunter: Ghost Hunter can currently be seen on Facebook. Kathleen Geldard (Costume Designer) has designed costumes for Animal, Choir Boy, Jumpers for Goalposts, Tribes, and Invisible Man at Studio Theatre. Regional credits include Shakespeare in Love and American Buffalo at Baltimore Center Stage; Macbeth at Shakespeare Theatre Company; Shakespeare in Love, All the Roads Home, Little Shop of Horrors, and Mad River Rising at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Peter and the Starcatcher, Humana Festivals 2015, 2016, and 2017 at the Actors Theatre of Louisville; The Year of Magical Thinking at Arena Stage; and Little Shop of Horrors at Portland Center Stage. Other credits include Huntington Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Florida Studio Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Round House Theatre, Imagination Stage, Flashpoint Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Martha s Vineyard Playhouse, Studio Arena Theater, Children s Theatre of Charlotte, and Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Ms. Geldard s awards include a 2012 Bay Area Critics Circle nomination for Ruined at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, a 2012 IRNE Award nomination for Ruined at Huntington Theatre Company and a 2009 Helen Hayes nomination for The Neverending Story at Imagination Stage. Ms. Geldard is an artistic associate for Signature Theatre. Scott Zielinski (Lighting Designer) has created designs for over 300 productions of theatre, dance, and opera throughout the world. He has worked extensively in New York and at regional theaters throughout the U.S. including Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, and previously at Studio Theatre. Internationally he has designed in Adelaide, Amsterdam, Avignon, Berlin, Bregenz, Edinburgh, Fukuoka, Gennevilliers, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Linz, Ljubljana, London, Lyon, Melbourne, Orleans, Oslo,

5 Ottawa, Paris, Reykjavik, Rouen, St. Gallen, Seoul, Shanghai, Shizuoka, Singapore, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna, Vilnius, and Zurich. Roc Lee (Sound Designer) is a DC-based composer and sound designer. Credits include The Price, The Year of Magical Thinking, and Mother Courage at Arena Stage (Helen Hayes Award nomination); Charm, Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies, and Ulysses On Bottles at Mosaic Theater Company; Annie, Thurgood, Fickle Fancy Farce, and Dial M for Murder at Olney Theatre Center; Love & Information at Forum Theatre; Our Town at Faction of Fools; Hello My Name Is... with the Welders at Rhizome DC; and Seneca El Raton de Biblioteca and In the Heights at GALA Hispanic Theater. Mr. Lee holds a Master of Music in Stage Music Composition from CUA. INFORMATION Where: Studio Theatre s Milton Theatre, th St NW, Washington, DC Dates: November 29, 2017-January 7, 2018 Performances: Tuesday-Saturday, 8pm; Matinees: Saturday and Sunday, 2pm; Sundays, 7pm Ticket Prices: Tickets range from $20 - $85 Press Performance: Sunday, December 3 at 2pm STUDIO THEATRE Entering its eighth season under the leadership of Artistic Director David Muse, Studio Theatre is Washington s premier venue for contemporary theatre, where local audiences will find today s edgiest playwrights (Variety). Muse is joined by Managing Director Meridith Burkus. One of the most respected midsized theatres in the country, Studio Theatre produces the work of today s greatest writers, augmented by occasional productions of modern classics, performed by acclaimed actors in intimate spaces. Throughout the Theatre s 39-year history, the quality of its work has been recognized by sustained community support as well as with 363 nominations and 68 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in professional theatre. GENERAL INFORMATION Location: th Street NW (northeast corner of 14th and P Streets). Parking: Studio has a parking partnership with Washington Plaza Hotel at 10 Thomas Circle NW, three blocks south of Studio; patrons who park at the hotel s parking garage can purchase a $13 voucher at concessions. Street parking is extremely limited; arrive early to increase your options. Metro Stops: Red Line: Dupont Circle, Orange/Blue Lines: McPherson Square, and Green/ Yellow Lines: U Street/Cardozo. Accessibility: Studio s theatres are all wheelchair accessible; seats are available by reservation. Assistive listening devices are available for all shows at concessions. Call the Box Office at for more information.

6 Contact Information: Tickets and Subscriptions: Administration: Website: studiotheatre.org ###