[NEohioPAL] Opening April 10th: CPT presents A KILLING GAME - "the most fun you'll ever have dying!"

[Cathleen O'Malley]

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Cathleen O'Malley
216.631.2727 ext. 212
comalley at cptonline.org<mailto:comalley at cptonline.org>



March 25, 2014



Theatre-meets-party game at the Cleveland Public Theatre

A KILLING GAME by dog & pony dc
Onstage April 10 -26



Cleveland, OH -Cleveland Public Theater's Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan is proud to present A Killing Game by acclaimed Washington, DC-based theatre ensemble, dog & pony dc, onstage at CPT's James Levin Theatre from April 10-26.



The dog & pony dc ensemble is known for their wild and wacky productions that blend live theatre with a fun, party-like atmosphere. The company arrives in Cleveland on the heels of a successful New York run of their interactive Beertown ("Exceedingly good hearted - a combination of "Our Town" and a Christopher Guest film." - New York Times), rave reviews of A Killing Game at Washington DC's Capital Fringe Festival ("Spirited and hilarious." - Washington City Paper) and a "Producers' Pick" award at the 2013 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, where the show was dubbed "an infectious entertainment experience" by Cincinnati's CityBeat.

A Killing Game promises audiences "the most fun they'll ever have dying" and The Washington Post noted that "the gratification is immediate." A Killing Game (and the party game within it) begins with the outbreak of a mysterious plague that is killing all the citizens-"inexplicably, indiscriminately, and fast." Guided by "action packets" and playing cards distributed upon entering the theatre, audience members play along with performers in a series of scenes, contests and songs led by game show host, Mr. Chrome (Jon Reynolds), and his cohort, "Our Friend in Black" (Adelaide Waldrop). The whimsical production design (by Colin K. Bills and Ivania Stack) is styled after board games and fashion from the 1960s.

Ultimately, A Killing Game celebrates life while playing at death. "The show invites the audience to play alongside the performers," says director Colin K. Bills. "In fact, A Killing Game openly and warmly challenges everyone to see how far they'll go and how hard they'll play. It's entirely up to the audience...and their spontaneity and enthusiasm is one of the joys of the show for everyone." DC Theatre Scene proclaimed, "It's all grand fun...not to mention inventive theatre," and Bills is quick to add, "Like any great party game, the fun is just as much in the playing as it is the winning."

A Killing Game creates a thrilling, playful brand of storytelling that takes its inspiration from Eugene Ionesco's Jeu de Massacre ("Killing Game"), Orson Welles' War of the Worlds 1938 radio broadcast, and the games Clue, Fluxx and Werewolves.
"Audience Integration" versus Audience Interaction
All of dog & pony dc's productions explore the elastic relationship between performer and audience with "Audience Integration"-the engagement of audience in the narrative or experiential arc of a performance.

A Killing Game extends Audience Integration into the world of "transmedia" technology, weaving smartphone-based media-Twitter, texts, good old-fashioned calls-into the narrative. In fact, dog & pony dc invites tech-savvy audience members to bring a smart device (iPhone, Android, iPad, tablet, etc) when attending the show, to engage with cast members and each other throughout the A Killing Game experience. As in a real emergency, these unrehearsed and surprising elements add to the fun and unpredictable nature of the production.

For insight into the creation of A Killing Game, visit dogandponydc.tumblr.com, #killinggame or @dogandponydc on Twitter or online at www.dogandponydc.com<http://www.dogandponydc.com>.


About dog & pony dc

dog & pony dc (d&pdc) is an ensemble-based devised theatre company focused on providing audiences new ways to experience theatre. Through a collaborative process, d&pdc creates ("devises") new plays as a collective ("ensemble"). The d&pdc company has been recognized as a trailblazer for audience engagement in the field of contemporary theatre. The company was highlighted in Washington Post for "broadening playgoers' understanding of the riddles theater can unravel." d&pdc's Beertown was the first ensemble-devised play to receive a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding New Play (2011) and Beertown's re-mount made the Washington Post's Top 10 shows list for 2012. Arena Stage invited d&pdc to workshop A Killing Game as part of The Kogod Cradle Series in advance of the show's December 2012 premiere. d&pdc has presented about their work locally (Shakespeare Theatre, Capital Fringe) and nationally (Theatre Communications Group, Animating Democracy, and Association for Theater in Higher Education). Most recently the company was included in American Theatre magazine's March 2013 cover story on ensemble theatre. The company is currently developing its next theatre piece, Toast, for 2014.



Cast and Crew of A Killing Game
A Killing Game was originally developed and scripted by: Colin K. Bills, Rachel Grossman, Lorraine Ressegger-Slone, J. Argyl Plath, Jon Reynolds, Rebecca Sheir and Gwydion Suilebhan.
A Killing Game features performers Max Freedman (Mr. Blue), Yasmin Tuazon (Miss Pink), Wyckham Avery (Miss Green), Karen Lange (Miss Orange), Rachel Grossman (Miss Purple), Jon Reynolds (Mr. Chrome) and Adelaide Waldrop (as "Our Friend in Black").

A Killing Game is directed by Colin K. Bills. Complete creative team includes Jenn Larsen (Social Media Conductor), Colin K. Bills and Ivania Stack (Production Designers), Zachary A. Dalton (Lighting Designer), Christopher Baine (Original Sound Design), Ellys Abrams (Stage Manager) and Melanie Harker (Production Stage Manager).


Ticket & Show Information

A Killing Game performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday at 7:00pm in CPT's James Levin Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102.



Tickets are $12 - $28.

All Thursday and Monday shows are just $12! Student and Senior discounts ($3 off) are available for Friday and Saturday performances. The CPT bar will be open before, during and after the show.



**Every Friday is FREE BEER FRIDAY at CPT. Audience members are invited to mingle with the artists after the show and enjoy a drink or two on CPT.**


Tickets are available for purchase at www.cptonline.org<http://www.cptonline.org> or by phone at (216) 631-2727 x 501.


For more information about A Killing Game by dog & pony dc or other upcoming CPT productions, please visit cptonline.org<http://www.cptonline.org> or contact Cathleen O'Malley, Director of Audience Engagement & Media Relations at (216) 631-2727 x 212 or comalley at cptonline.org<mailto:comalley at cptonline.org>.

Cathleen O'Malley
Director of Audience Engagement & Media Relations
Cleveland Public Theatre
(216) 631-2727 x 212

See what's playing tonight, go to www.cptonline.org<http://www.cptonline.org/>

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