- 2023-10-09
The Whipping Man extends press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Production photos are available online.
TOP-RATED, “MUST-SEE”
THE WHIPPING MAN EXTENDS ONE WEEK
AT MARIN THEATRE COMPANY
Extended through April 28, 2013
MILL VALLEY, CA—Marin Theatre Company announced today that, due to enthusiastic audience response, strong ticket sales and unanimous critical acclaim, the company will extend Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man by eight performances. Bay Area audiences now have the opportunity to experience this top rated Civil War drama through Sunday, April 28, at the 47-year-old professional nonprofit theater located in Mill Valley.
Receiving “wild applause” from San Francisco Chronicle and “five stars” from Marin IJ, The Whipping Man is currently one of the Bay Area's top rated plays. It has been heralded as a “must-see” by the Marinscope Community Newspapers, Mill Valley Patch and For All Events blog. “Small wonder [Matthew] Lopez's debut play is one of the most widely produced plays in the country: it's a concentrated dose of potent history as seen from a unique angle; he succeeds with a mix of humor and intense drama that [director Jasson] Minadakis exploits with the light touch,” writes the Chronicle's critic Robert Hurwitt.
The production has also been receiving nightly standing ovations and a high level of audience engagement, with 33-50% of each performance's patrons staying after the nearly two-hour production to discuss the play with MTC's artistic staff. Audience members are saying, “I’m floored;” “I’m blown away;” “It took my breath away;” and “Besides being spellbound for the entire play, I was challenged to re-think some comfortable historical and cultural myths. Bravo!”
The Whipping Man takes place in Richmond, Virginia, in April 1865 – just days after the South surrendered to the Union. Two emancipated slaves find themselves caring for their former owner’s son, a Confederate captain who was seriously wounded during the final battle of the Civil War. When the three Jewish men share an uneasy, improvised Seder to mark Passover, they discover that, though they are no longer tied by ownership, they remain bound by faith, history and explosive secrets.
MTC's artistic director Jasson Minadakis directs this “fresh and exciting; one-of-a-kind powerhouse.” “The Whipping Man attacks with passion and muscle,” writes the Marinscope Community Newspaper critic Woody Weingarten. “There’s no question that it burned into my brain and resonated long after I left the theater... A rare theatrical must-see.”
L. Peter Callender, Nicholas Pelczar and Tobie Windham, all local actors and MTC veterans, “are powerful. Together, they create a tour de force that sears into the mind and heart and remains in the memory long after the curtain has fallen,” writes Footlight Reviews blogger Bonnie Weiss. An opinion echoed by Marin IJ critic Sam Hurwitt: “The cast brings the characters to life beautifully – you ache when they ache... It's impossible not to get caught up in it.”
A co-production with Virginia Stage Company, The Whipping Man previously ran in Norfolk, Virginia, from February 26 to March 17, 2013.
FACTS & CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT
The Whipping Man | Bay Area premiere
WHO
Marin Theatre Company
Co-produced by Virgina Stage Company | In association with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
By Matthew Lopez
Directed by Jasson Minadakis
Featuring L. Peter Callender,* Nicholas Pelczar* and Tobie Windham*
* member, Actor’s Equity Association
WHEN
EXTENDED! Now through April 28, 2013
March 28 – April 28, 2013
Performance days:
Tue, Thu, Fri & Sat 8:00 pm
Wed 7:30 pm
Sun 7:00 pm
Matinees: Every Sun 2:00 pm | Sat 4/20 & 4/27, 2:00 pm | Thu 4/11, 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
TOP RATING! “Complex, resonant… The Whipping Man‘s a concentrated dose of potent history; with a mix of humor and intense drama that ensure the standing ovation.” – SF Chronicle
Days after the South surrendered to the Union, two emancipated slaves find themselves caring for their former owner’s son, a Confederate captain who was seriously wounded during the final battle of the Civil War. When the three Jewish men share an uneasy, improvised Seder to mark Passover, they discover that, though they are no longer tied by ownership, they remain bound by faith, history and explosive secrets.
FIVE STARS! “The cast brings the characters to life beautifully – you ache when they ache… It’s impossible not to get caught up in it.” – Marin IJ
“One-of-a-kind powerhouse; a rare theatrical must-see.” – Mill Valley Herald
TICKETS
$36–$57, details below (discounts available for Seniors and those Under 30)
Ticket Prices
Previews: $36 all
Opening Night & Sat Evenings: $52 side | $57 center
Tues: $36 | $41
Wed, Thu, Sun Evenings & Matinees: $41 | $46
Fri: $47 | $52
Price subject to change.
Discounts available:
RUSH tickets: $15, available one hour prior to show, based on availability
Under 30: $20, all performances
Senior discounts: varies by performance, please call
Military personnel, their families and 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. 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 Saturday matinees and evenings, and Opening and Closing Nights.
MTC Engaged Special Events:
• Theater Lecture Series at Belvedere-Tiburon Library: FREE public lecture by MTC artistic staff; 1501 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon; 4/9, 7:30 p.m.
• Perspectives: pre-show topical lecture: Thu 4/11, 12:00 p.m. at MTC
• Panel discussion on “Passover and American Slavery:” Sun 4/14, 4:15 p.m. at MTC
• Director’s Night: post-show conversation with director: Wed 4/17
at MTC
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
ABOUT MTC
Founded in 1967, 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 intimate 231-seat proscenium theater. We are committed to the development and production of new plays by American playwrights, with a comprehensive New Play Program that includes two nationally recognized annual playwriting awards, new play readings and workshops by the nation’s best emerging playwrights and a leadership position in the National New Play Network. Our numerous education programs serve more than 6,000 students each year. MTC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
PRESS CONTACT
Sasha Hnatkovich, Communications Director
(415) 388-5200, ext. 3313 | email
– #### –