Deep Dish Theater Presents Workshop for Johnson's A QUEER KISS, Now thru 1/20

Deep Dish Theater will present a developmental workshop of a new play by Joel Drake Johnson, tonight, January 16-20. Directed by Artistic Director Paul Frellick, the workshop continues the company's twelfth season at University Mall.

The play, A QUEER KISS, is a sharp and compassionate look at two sets of parents and their teen-aged sons. An unexpected kiss ignites a firestorm, with the parents trying desperately to bridge the distance between themselves and their troubled kids in hopes of stopping the brutal bullying of one of the boys. Based on a true story, the play is a keenly observed portrait of love in many forms and a moving exploration of adolescence from the dual perspectives of parent and child.

Playwright Johnson is a Chicago-based writer who will be in residence for the workshop. His plays have been produced at Chicago's renowned Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens Theaters, as well as in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and across the country (his play The Fall to Earth was produced by Durham's Manbites Dog Theatre). He has taught playwriting at Northwestern University, and was for many years a high-school drama teacher.

The workshop will be presented with minimal production values and script in hand, as the text continues to evolve. Audience members will have the opportunity to share their thoughts on the play in post-performance conversations, and actors will be incorporating rewrites throughout the 5 performance run.

Performances begin Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday (matinee) at 2 pm. Deep Dish is located in Chapel Hill's University Mall, on Estes Drive and US 15-501. The performance on Saturday evening, January 19th, will coincide with the theater's annual fundraising gala.

Tickets are priced at $12. Tickets for the Saturday evening fundraiser are $50, or $80 per couple. Call 919-968-1515 for reservations and visit www.deepdishtheater.org for information.

The Deep Dish Theater Company is committed to presenting compelling, human-centered dramatic work that contributes to the cultural richness of the Triangle area and challenges audiences to explore concerns of the community and the world-at-large.

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