Village Theatre Project to present World Premiere Comedy
February 21, 2006
Contact: Troy Siebels (781) 640-5625

The Village Theatre Project will produce its first fully-staged professional production at the Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center in April, according to co-founder and co-Artistic Director Troy Siebels. “Better Off Dead,” a contemporary farce by Village Theatre Company member Shawn Sturnick, was honed during the group’s summer 2005 Ashby Retreat, a two-week intensive residency for the development of new plays.

Christopher Chew, who shares artistic direction of the ensemble with Siebels, directed the play during the summer 2005 Retreat and describes it as “quick, smart and funny. It’s about the playwright of a very bad Broadway play, who is mistakenly reported dead in a freak accident on opening night. Despite the horrible reviews, everyone wants to see ‘the play the dead guy wrote,’ and it becomes a huge success. When the playwright’s producer and agent discover that he’s still alive, they plot to kill him to keep the money flowing in.”

“Besides just being a funny play, it really makes you laugh at how we get manipulated by the media,” relates Chew, who will play a variety of roles in the April production; ‘quick-changing’ from one to the next.

The cast for “Better Off Dead” will include Village Theatre Company members Shelley Bolman, Christopher Chew, Laura D. DeGiacomo, Cheryl McMahon, Dale Place and Jennifer Valentine; Troy Siebels will direct.

The production will be performed in the group’s 200-seat ‘black box’ theatre, constructed on the stage of the Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center. “The auditorium is much bigger than we need or want,” explains Siebels. “In a more intimate performance space, everything about the experience is better – the audience is more engaged; the laughs are funnier; the characters really come to life.”

Performances begin April 20 and run through April 30. Tickets are $35 for adults; $29 for seniors and $15 for students, and will be on sale beginning March 1.

In the meantime, the Village Theatre Project’s “On-Tour” performance series will continue with a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 17 at Lawrence Academy in Groton. For more information, or to purchase tickets or join the mailing list, visit www.villagetheatreproject.org or call (978) 456-7898.