PRESS CONTACTS: Bryan Joseph Lee, 240.644.1386 BLee@roundhousetheatre.org Sarah Randall, 240.644.1387 SRandall@roundhousetheatre.org ROUND HOUSE THEATRE CONTINUES 2016-2017 SEASON WITH A NEW PRIDE AND PREJUDICE STORY MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY Performances run November 23 - December 18, 2016 Gunderson [writes] with bursts of smart, infectious humor. San Francisco Chronicle Bethesda, Md. (October 25, 2016) Round House Theatre is thrilled to continue its 2016-2017 Season with the rolling world premiere of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, directed by Eleanor Holdridge. Miss Bennet runs from November 23 to December 18, 2016. Press night is Monday, November 28, 2016. Please see below for complete program details and ticket information. Set two years after the iconic Pride and Prejudice, Miss Bennet follows your favorite characters as they gather at Pemberley, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. But this holiday, all eyes are on Mary Bennet, who has come into her own as a confident woman with curiosity, wit, and talent and perhaps even a love story. Miss Bennet is a Christmas story of family, young love, and bright futures you won t want to miss! Director Eleanor Holdridge returns to Round House Theatre after directing The Who & The What last season. As I ve started to work on Gunderson and Melcon s shimmering script, I ve been pulled into a delightful alternate world that sparkles with wit and humor, Holdridge says of Miss Bennet. I ve always loved Mary, and she is certainly a heroine for today: a woman who strives for a sense of worth outside the narrowness of her world. I can t wait to tackle these beloved characters, a moving love story, and a celebration of the holiday spirit. 1
The cast features Katie debuys, Danny Gavigan, Katie Kleiger, Brandon McCoy, Miranda Rizzolo, Kathryn Tkel, William Vaughan, and Erin Weaver. The artistic team includes Scenic Designer Daniel Conway, Costume Designer Kendra Rai, Lighting Designer Nancy Schertler, and Sound Designer Matthew M. Nielson. Tickets start at $30 and may be purchased by calling 240.644.1100, ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org, or in person at the box office. Round House Theatre is located at 4545 East-West Highway, one block from Wisconsin Avenue and the Bethesda station on Metro s Red Line. Lauren Gunderson (Playwright) is one of the most produced playwrights in America, and the winner of the Lanford WIlson Award, Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Her work has been commissioned, produced and developed at companies across the US including South Cost Rep (Emilie, Silent Sky), The Kennedy Center (The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful And Her Dog!), The O Neill, Denver Center, Berkeley Rep, Shotgun Players, TheatreWorks, Crowded Fire, San Francisco Playhouse, Marin Theatre, Synchronicity, Olney Theatre, Geva and more. Her work is published at Playscripts (I and You, Exit, Pursued By A Bear, and Toil And Trouble) and Samuel French (Emilie). She is a Playwright in Residence at The Playwrights Foundation, and a proud Dramatists Guild member. She is from Atlanta, GA and lives in San Francisco. Margot Melcon (Playwright) is a theater artist, administrator and writer. She was the Director of New Play Development at Marin Theatre Company for seven years, where she dramaturged over 30 productions - including six world premieres - and administered the company s two annual new play prizes and commissioning program. She has developed plays with TheatreWorks, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Crowded Fire Theater, Shotgun Players, Berkeley Rep s Ground Floor, the Kennedy Center, the New Harmony Project, and The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. She is currently the Program Executive for Promoting Culture at the Zellerbach Family Foundation. Margot is a graduate of California State University, Chico. CALENDAR INFORMATION MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY 2
By Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon Directed by Eleanor Holdridge Featuring Katie debuys, Danny Gavigan, Katie Kleiger, Brandon McCoy, Miranda Rizzolo, Kathryn Tkel, William Vaughan, and Erin Weaver, Scenic Designer Daniel Conway, Costume Designer Kendra Rai, Lighting Designer Nancy Schertler, and Sound Designer Matthew M. Nielson. WHERE: Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway in Bethesda (one block from Wisconsin Ave. and Metro s Bethesda station) For directions, parking, and public transportation info, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/visit- us/ ABOUT THE PLAY: Set two years after the iconic Pride and Prejudice, Miss Bennet follows your favorite characters as they gather at Pemberley, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. But this holiday, all eyes are on Mary Bennet, who has come into her own as a confident woman with curiosity, wit, and talent and perhaps even a love story. Miss Bennet is a Christmas story of family, young love, and bright futures you won t want to miss! DATES AND TIMES: Miss Bennet runs from November 23 to December 18, 2016. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Opening night is Monday, November 28, 2016 at 8pm. TICKETS: Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased by calling 240.644.1100, ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org, or visiting the box office. Available ticket discounts include: PLAY IT FORWARD free tickets for all High School students throughout the DC- Metro area: Round House wants to make attending our shows an integral part of a Montgomery County education. To that end, we have a unique program: Play It Forward. In Play It Forward, all High School students throughout the DC-Metro area can reserve a free ticket to the performance of their choice during the 2016-2017 Season. For details and information, visit www.roundhousetheatre.org/buy- tickets/play-it-forward/ or call 240.644.1100. 3
$20 Tickets for Kids: In additional to our Play It Forward initiative, $20 tickets are available to Miss Bennet for all kids age 18 and under. Pay-What-You-Can performances: Wednesday, November 23 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, November 26 at 2 pm. PWYC tickets go on sale in person at the box office one hour prior to curtain. Cash and exact change only. Limit of 2 tickets per order. PWYC tickets are subject to availability. Age 30 & Under, Senior Citizens, Military, and Veterans: Patrons under 30, seniors over the age of 65, and active duty military personnel and veterans qualify for a $10 discount off the single ticket price. Single Ticket fees apply. Discounts can be redeemed in person at the box office, or by calling 240.644.1100. $10 Tuesday: For our Tuesday, December 6 and Tuesday, December 13 performances, all Section B seats are available at the discounted price of $10. Tickets can be purchased in person at the box office, online, or by calling 240.644.1100, while supplies last. Group Sales: Groups of 5 or more can save 10% off the single ticket price and are exempt from single ticket fees. These tickets must be reserved and purchased in advance by calling 240.644.1100 or emailing groupsales@roundhousetheatre.org. ABOUT ROUND HOUSE THEATRE Round House is one of the leading professional theaters in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, producing a six-show season of modern classics, new plays and musicals for more than 40,000 patrons each year at our 400-seat theater in Bethesda. Round House has been nominated for 146 Helen Hayes Awards (including six in 2015) and has won 27 (including three in 2014). Its productions have won Outstanding Resident Play four times. Round House s educational programs serve more than 2,500 students of all ages at its six-classroom Education Center in Silver Spring and in schools throughout Montgomery County. Its many innovative education programs encompass Full Day Programs for Youth, including Summer Programs for K 12; a Teen Performance Company, with classes and events for teens throughout the year culminating in The Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, the only play produced by a regional theater that is directed, acted and designed by high school students; School Outreach, including Intersections, Student Matinees, and Play It Forward, a program that allows Montgomery County high school students to attend Round House shows for free; and Classes for Adults & Youth. 4
Round House is a member of LORT (League of Resident Theatres) and LOWT (League of Washington Theatres). The theatre is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization with major support from Montgomery County, the Maryland State Arts Council (an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts), and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. ### 5