• 2023-10-09

Good People press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Publicity photos are available here.

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
THE BAY AREA PREMIERE OF
DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE’S NEW PLAY
GOOD PEOPLE

BROADWAY HIT AND MOST POPULAR PLAY IN AMERICA
OPENS MTC’S 2013-14 SEASON;
WRITTEN BY PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING DRAMATIST;
FEATURES TRACY YOUNG,
OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL REGULAR,
DIRECTING CAST OF LOCAL ACTORS

Limited Engagement! August 22 – September 15, 2013
Opening Night: August 27

MILL VALLEY, CA—Marin Theatre Company opens its 2013-14 Season with the Bay Area premiere of the national and Broadway hit play Good People by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. Running for a limited time from August 22 to September 15, this “poignant, brave and subversive” (New York Post) new play will be directed by Tracy Young, an Oregon Shakespeare Festival regular, and feature a local cast that includes Bay Area and Sacramento veterans Amy Resnick, Mark Anderson Phillips, Anne Darragh and Jamie Jones. Opening night is Tuesday, August 27. Based in Mill Valley, MTC is a 47-year old professional nonprofit theater that is a destination for exhilarating performances, inspired new American plays and powerful theatrical experiences.

“David Lindsay-Abaire’s tough-yet-tender Good People is the perfect play to launch our 2013-14 Season,” artistic director Jasson Minadakis said. “It’s an insightful look at the difficult choices good people are forced to make when the well-being of their family is threatened. Margie, Mike, Kate and company are likable, relatable characters, though not without their flaws (like you or me), who just want to earn the best opportunities for their families.”

In this “thoroughly absorbing… tough and tender play about the insurmountable class divide” (Variety), Margie, who has spent most of her life down on her luck, has never had it this bad. A middle-aged single mother with a disabled adult daughter at home, she is now unemployed, facing eviction and cut off from opportunity in South Boston, her insular working-class neighborhood. When Margie discovers that a high school flame is now a successful doctor, she swallows her pride and seeks his help, sparking questions about class, commitment and what it means to be a “good person.”

Seen in 17 different cities during the 2012-13 season, Good People is currently the most produced play in America and has been hailed as “enthralling, utterly gripping, remarkable” by the Los Angeles Times, “painfully funny and gut wrenchingly real” by Washingtonian Magazine and “masterful and oh-so-compelling” by The Boston Globe. Staged by the Manhattan Theatre Club, the play premiered on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in 2011 and ran for 128 performances. It won the 2011 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best play and was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for best play, 2011 Drama Desk Award for outstanding play and 2011 Outer Critics Circle Award for outstanding new Broadway play. The play was largely written in response to the playwright hearing “Where are the American plays about class? Why don’t American playwrights write about class?” Lindsay-Abaire told The Boston Globe, “With the economy being what it is, it seemed like there’s not a more relevant time to talk about the struggles of the working class,” adding in an interview with The New York Times, “Class is something I know about. I’ve lived it every day of my life, and it shaped me in my identity.”

Good People is Lindsay-Abaire’s first play set in his hometown of South Boston. A smart, artistic, but poor youth, he earned a scholarship when he was 11 years old from the local Boys & Girls Club to attend Milton Academy in a wealthy Boston suburb. The playwright attributes much of his future success to this milestone – and tapped that experience to write Good People: “From a young age, I was rubbing elbows with a very different kind of person and social class and I felt a lot of tension and conflict in my identity because of that” (Boston Globe). Lindsay-Abaire won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for drama for his play Rabbit Hole (2006), and his most recent work, Oz: The Great and Powerful, is the sixth highest grossing American film thus far this year, earning $491 million in revenue worldwide. MTC previously produced his play Fuddy Meers (1999) in 2011.

Good People features the MTC debut of Tracy Young. After “climbing to a place of prominence in the LA theater world and carving a loose niche for herself as a philosophical and somewhat post-feminist director” (LA Weekly) during her 14 years with Tim Robbins’s the Actors’ Gang, she has become a traveling regional theater director. Most notably, she has directed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival for four seasons – Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella (co-adapted and co-directed with OSF artistic director Bill Rausch), The Imaginary Invalid and The Servant of Two Masters (both co-adapted with Oded Gross), and Luis Alfaro’s Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

MTC’s production features a cast of local actors, including returning MTC veterans Mark Anderson Phillips (last seen in February at MTC in Waiting for Godot), Amy Resnick (2006’s Orson’s Shadow), Anne Darragh (2007’s The Good German) and Jamie Jones (2006’s Displaced). Good People also features the MTC debuts of actors Ben Euphrat (Killing My Lobster, OpenTab Productions) and ZZ Moor (BATS Improv, National Theatre Conservatory graduate).

FACTS & CALENDAR INFORMATION

WHAT
Good People | Bay Area Premiere

WHO
Marin Theatre Company
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Tracy Young (of Oregon Shakespeare Festival)
Featuring Mark Anderson Phillips,* Anne Darragh,* Ben Euphrat, Jamie Jones,* ZZ Moor and Amy Resnick* * denotes member, Actors Equity Association

WHEN
August 22 – September 15, 2013
Opening Night: Tuesday, August 27
Previews: Thursday, August 22 - Sunday, August 25

Performance Days
Tue, Thu, Fri & Sat 8:00 pm
Wed 7:30 pm
Sun 7:00 pm
Matinees: Every Sun 2:00 pm | Sat 8/31 & 9/14, 2:00 pm | Thu 9/5, 1:00 pm

Check marintheatre.org or call the box office at (415) 388-5208 for exact performance dates and times.

WHERE
Marin Theatre Company | 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941

ABOUT
“Enthralling, utterly gripping, remarkable” – Los Angeles Times
“Poignant, brave and subversive” – New York Post

Margie has spent her whole life in South Boston and most of it down on her luck, but she’s never had it this bad. A middle-aged single mother with a disabled adult daughter at home, she is unemployed, facing eviction and cut off from opportunity in her insular working-class neighborhood. Or is she?

When Margie discovers that a brief high school flame is now a successful doctor, she swallows her pride and seeks his help, sparking questions about class, commitment and what it means to be a “good person.”

Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist of Rabbit Hole, this huge Broadway and nationwide hit is finally coming to the Bay Area.

2011 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award | Nominated for 2011 Tony Award for best play

TICKETS
$37–$58, details below (discounts available)

Subscriptions on sale now for $120-306, see marintheatre.org for more information

Ticket Prices
Previews: $37 all
Opening Night & Sat Evenings: $53 side | $58 center
Tues: $37| $42
Wed, Thu, Sun Evenings & Matinees: $42 | $47
Fri: $48 | $53

Discounts available
RUSH tickets: $20, available one hour prior to show, based on availability
Under 30: $20, all performances
Seniors: $4 off, all performances
Military personnel, their families & US veterans: $5 off, all performances, must show ID

For group sales, contact Julie Knight, (415) 388-5200, ext. 3302

ENGAGE
“MTC Engaged” invites patrons to join MTC’s artistic staff, designers and casts in conversation.

After Words – A member of MTC’s artistic staff (often with one or more members of the cast) hosts a Q&A talk back after every performance, except Saturdays and Opening and Closing Nights.

MTC Engaged Special Events:

• Theater Lecture Series – FREE public lectures by MTC artistic staff, all start at 7:30 p.m.
        - Tues, 8/6 – Belvedere-Tiburon Library, 1501 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon
        - Wed, 8/7 – Mill Valley Public Library, 375 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley
        - Thurs, 8/8 – Larkspur Library, 400 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur
• Perspectives: pre-show topical lecture: Thu 9/5, 12:00 p.m.

ACCESS
“MTC All Access” strives to make theater accessible to all audiences. For visually impaired patrons, Large Print playbills are available at the box office at all performances, Digital playbills that are compatible with screen reader software are available online starting one week before the first performance of a production, and Braille playbills are available with two-weeks advance notice through partnership with LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. To request a Braille playbill, call MTC’s Box Office, (415) 388-5208, or use the California Telecommunications Relay Service by dialing “711.” For hearing impaired patrons, amplified sound Listening Devices are available.

CONTACT
marintheatre.org | (415) 388-5208 | boxoffice@marintheatre.org

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

David Lindsay-Abaire (playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter, lyricist and librettist whose play Fuddy Meers was previously staged by MTC. Premiering on Broadway, his play Rabbit Hole went on to receive the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Spirit of America Award and five Tony nominations. He was also nominated for a Grammy Award (Best Musical Show Album) and two Tony Awards (Best Book of a Musical and Best Score) for his work on Shrek the Musical. Prior to that, Lindsay-Abaire was awarded the 2008 Ed Kleban Award as America’s most promising musical theater lyricist. His other plays include Kimberly Akimbo, Wonder of the World and A Devil Inside, among others. His play Good People premiered on Broadway, starring Frances McDormand, and was nominated for a 2011 Tony Award. In addition to his work in theater, Lindsay-Abaire’s film credits include his screen adaptation of Rabbit Hole (starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckart and Dianne Wiest; directed by John Cameron Mitchell), as well as Guardians of Childhood (Dreamworks), and Oz: The Great and Powerful (Disney, directed by Sam Raimi). A New Dramatists alum and a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Juilliard School, he is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Dramatists Guild Council.

Tracy Young (director) makes her MTC debut with Good People. Having worked for four seasons with Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she has directed and co-adapted Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella (also Yale Rep), The Imaginary Invalid (also Great Lakes Theater) and The Servant of Two Masters, as well as directed Luis Alfaro’s Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. Her other directing credits include Clybourne Park at Playmakers Rep in North Carolina, Taming of the Shrew at Idaho Shakespeare Festival, The Winter's Tale at Ten Thousand Things in Minnesota, Michael Schlitt’s Jesus Ride at the Marsh and LA Fringe Festival, Alison Tatlock’s Jolly Good Fellow at Chalk Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles, The Wide Open Ocean Ate Aimee Semple Whole at Los Angeles Theatre Center and Hysteria, Euphoria and DreamPlay at the Actors’ Gang in Los Angeles, where she was a resident director from 1992 to 2001. She was assistant director for The Clean House at Lincoln Center Theater. She’s also been an associate artist at Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles from 1996 to 2002. Young has received awards for direction from Connecticut Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly and Backstage West Garland; as well been a finalist for the Alan Schneider Directing Award, CTG Robert Sherwood Directing Award and the P.E.N. West Playwriting Award.

Mark Anderson Phillips (Mike) has appeared at MTC in Waiting for Godot, Edward Albee’s Tiny Alice, Happy Now?, The Last Schwartz and Sockdology. Recently, he was seen in The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus at San Jose Rep. Locally, he has appeared in roles at TheatreWorks, Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, SF Playhouse, Cal Shakes, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Center REP and Word for Word. Regionally, he has appeared at A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle, Arizona Theatre Company and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Anderson Phillips has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Joan Rivers - a work in progress by a life in progress and the New York International Fringe Festival in Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party, which won Best of Fringe. He is the recipient of three San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards for best performance by a male in a leading role. His film and TV credits include Nash Bridges, the children’s video project Flummox and Friends,This is Macbeth and This is Hamlet with Reinventing the Wheel Productions and Joan Rivers - A Piece of Work with Break Thru Films. markandersonphillips.com

Anne Darragh (Dottie) has previously appeared at MTC in The Good German, Charlie Cox Runs with Scissors, Communicating Doors, The Crucible and Shadowlands. She has performed in numerous world premieres including Tony Kushner’s Angels in America and Peter Nachtrieb’s T.I.C. (Trenchcoat in Common) with Eureka Theatre Company, Anthony Clarvoe’s Our Practical Heaven at the Aurora Theatre Company, Brian Thorstenson’s Over the Mountain at Brava Theater Center and Michelle Carter’s Ted Kaczynski Killed People with Bombs at Magic Theatre. Locally, she has also performed with A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, Campo Santo, Porchlight Theatre, San Jose Rep, Stephen Pelton Dance Theatre Company and TheatreWorks. She performed with Good People playwright David Lindsay-Abaire in Heartbreak House at Downtown Art in New York. Darragh’s film credits include Chris Brown’s award winning Fannie, Annie and Danny. She grew up in Oakland and lives in Lagunitas with her family.

Ben Euphrat (Stevie) makes his MTC debut with Good People. His recent credits include KML Learns a Lesson with Killing My Lobster, Status Update at Center Rep and Enron and Assistance, which he directed and produced for OpenTab Productions where he is co-founder and artistic director. He has performed in the Bay Area with Cal Shakes, TheatreWorks, Berkeley Playhouse, Shotgun Players and 42nd Street Moon. Euphrat’s film credits include Saltwater, which will be released later this year. He composes music; plays the drums, guitar and piano; has studied improv with the Groundlings and IO West in Los Angeles; and has even trained to be a corporeal mime. His upcoming productions include Ideation at SF Playhouse and HIR at Magic Theatre. beneuphrat.com

Jamie Jones (Jean) has previously appeared at MTC in Displaced and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Her Bay Area credits include The Underpants at Center Rep, A Delicate Balance at Aurora Theatre Company, for which she received a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award nomination, and Encore Theatre’s The Typographer’s Dream at Thick House, as well as appearances at A.C.T. and Berkeley Rep. In Sacramento, she is a member of B Street Theatre acting company, co-director of the B Street Theatre Conservatory and has acted at Capital Stage, California Musical Theatre and Sacramento Theatre Company. Her regional and New York credits include Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Connelly Theatre, Theatre at St. Clements and the Lincoln Center Director's Lab at HERE space. Jones has appeared on the television in Law & Order and the mini-series Gone But Not Forgotten. She holds an MFA from A.C.T.

ZZ Moor (Kate) makes her MTC debut with Good People Locally, she is a guest company member with BATS Improv and has appeared in The Mountaintop at Capital Stage, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at African American Shakespeare Company and Race at San Jose Stage. Her regional credits include Richard III at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Clybourne Park at Curious Theatre Company in Colorado, and several productions at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, including For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, for which she received the Denver Post Ovation Award for best supporting actress in a drama. Moor has appeared in television and films in NBC’s Trauma, VH1 Soul, Link TV, Nat Geo TV, Rent, as well as national and regional commercials. A Bay Area native, she received her MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory in Colorado. zzmoor.com

Amy Resnick (Margaret) has previously appeared at MTC in Orson’s Shadow, Two for the Seesaw, Sockdology, The Loman Family Picnic, A Shayna Maidel and Lemon Sky. Her local credits include God of Carnage at San Jose Repertory, for which she won the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for best principal female actor), Body Awareness and Collapse at Aurora Theatre Company, She Stoops to Comedy and Dead Man’s Cell Phone at SF Playhouse, The Laramie Project at Berkeley Rep, Yellow Face and Brooklyn Boy at TheatreWorks, Why We Have a Body and House of Yes at Magic Theatre and The Clean House and Around the World in 80 Days at B Street Theatre. Regionally, she has appeared in God of Carnage at Arizona Theatre Company, The Laramie Project and Laramie: Ten Years Later at Arena Stage in Washington DC, Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston and Pride & Prejudice at Alliance Theatre. Resnick’s film and television credits include Haiku Tunnel, The Californians, Law & Order, Back To the Streets of San Francisco, St. Elsewhere, Picket Fences, Paper Chase, Midnight Caller and Paper Dolls. She is the recipient of four Drama-Logue Awards, two SFBATCC Awards, the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship and a Hugh O’Brian Acting Award from UCLA.

ABOUT MTC
Founded in 1966, Marin Theatre Company is the Bay Area’s premier mid-sized theater and the leading professional theater in the North Bay. We produce a six-show season of provocative plays by passionate playwrights from the 20th century and today in our 231-seat main stage theater, as well as a five-show Theater Series for Young Audiences in partnership with the Bay Area Children's Theatre in our 99-seat studio theater. We are committed to the development and production of new plays by American playwrights, with a comprehensive New Play Program that includes productions of world premieres, two nationally recognized annual playwriting awards, readings and workshops by the nation’s best emerging playwrights and membership in the National New Play Network. Our numerous education programs serve more than 6,000 students from over 40 Bay Area schools each year. MTC in a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

PRESS CONTACT

Sasha Hnatkovich, Communications Director

(415) 388-5200, ext. 3313 | email

– #### –