Renegade Theatre Experiment Presents The West Coast Premiere of "Americana Absurdum" by Brian Parks

What do you get when you have a funeral home, a high school prom, a tragic plane crash, clowns, and a mother with a heroin habit? You get a show that The Guardian (UK) said is ""like a sick episode of "The Simpsons" played at double speed." You get the West Coast Premiere of Brian Parks' dark comedy, "Americana Absurdum."

San José, CA (PRWEB) August 30, 2007 -- What do you get when you have a funeral home, a high school prom, a tragic plane crash, clowns, and a mother with a morphine habit? You get a show that The Guardian (UK) said is, "like a sick episode of "The Simpsons" played at double speed." You get the West Coast Premiere of Brian Parks' dark comedy, "Americana Absurdum".

"Vomit and Roses" and "Wolverine Dreams", the two respective halves of "Americana Absurdum", celebrate the comic, vertiginous thrill of America in its many, fun-house mirror guises. In "Vomit and Roses", a family-run funeral home business fights back a hostile corporate take-over while the two children of the family face the perils of the Senior Prom. "Wolverine Dreams" takes us into the high-stakes courtroom arena as poet/airline president Wallace Stevens is slapped with a wrongful death suit when one of his pilots intentionally crashes an airplane into The Rocky Mountains, killing just about everyone on board, including a famous golfer. Stevens and his attorney must take on Irish lawyers, leprechauns, and the sole surviving, star witness, a talking wolverine, in this frenetic comedic work.

Winner of both The New York International Fringe Festival's Outstanding Writing award and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe First award, "Americana Absurdum" was also selected the Critics Choice of Time Out London.

"Americana Absurdum" runs July 13th through 28th at the Historic Hoover Theater in San Jose. Performances begin at 8:00pm, except Sunday matinees which are at 2pm. Tickets for AMERICANA ADBSURDUM are $18.00 General Admission (Thursdays and Sundays) and $20.00 General Admission (Fridays and Saturdays). Students and teachers, seniors, and Theatre Bay Area members qualify for discount tickets ($13.00 Thu/Sun & $15.00 Fri/Sat) with valid ID. Tickets and season subscriptions are on sale at www.renegadetheatre.com.

The Renegade Theatre Experiment (RTE), founded in 2001, is the South Bay's voice for alternative theatre.

Publicity Photos: http://www.renegadetheatre.com/press

CONTACT: Elizabeth Arnsdorf Patterson

(408) 351-4440

Fact Sheet

Renegade Theatre Experiment presents The West Coast Premiere of "Americana Absurdum"

WHO: Renegade Theatre Experiment - San José-based theatre company with Bay Area cast, featuring: Violet Ash, Ken Boswell, Molly Gazay, Blythe Murphy, Matt Sameck, Christine Schisano, Charlie Shoemaker, Jack Starr, and Michael Jerome West. Directed by Nichole Y. Hamilton.

WHAT: A frenetic, dark comedy that will make your head spin and your sides ache with laughter.

WHY: Share the magic of live theatre with a Renegade edge.

WHEN: September 7th-22nd. Thursday through Saturday evening performances will begin at 8:00 PM. Sunday matinee performances will begin at 2:00pm.

WHERE: Historic Hoover Theater, 1635 Park Avenue, San José, CA 95126. General Seating.

PRICE: Ticket Prices:

Thurs & Sun: $18.00 General Admission

$13.00 Student/Educator/Senior/TBA Discount Admission

Fri & Sat: $20.00 General Admission

$15.00 Student/Educator/Senior/TBA Discount Admission

Tickets available online (www.renegadetheatre.com) and at the door.

An Invitation to the Media

Renegade Theatre Experiment proudly invites you to attend any of our opening weekend performances for The West Coast Premiere of "Americana Absurdum" written by Brian Parks.

Historic Hoover Theater

1635 Park Avenue

San José, CA 95126.

July 7th, 8th, and 9th

Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 8:00 PM

Sunday matinee begins at 2:00 PM

About Renegade Theatre

Committed to forward-thinking performance, Renegade Theatre Experiment builds creative partnerships with aspiring and established artists to bring unique, outstanding theatre to the Bay Area. Founded in 2001, when a group of alumni from Santa Clara University joined together to develop as actors, RTE continues to explore the human experience through established and fresh performance works which break with convention. RTE's artistic and critical successes have included the World Premiere of "Waiting to Dance" by Erica Hemenway, Roald Dahl's "The BFG", the California Premiere of LORCA IN A GREEN DRESS by Nilo Cruz, Avery Crozier's EAT THE RUNT, Brian Parks' "Goner", "Hear Me Roar: Women's Images of Self", and the first North American production of the critically acclaimed show, "The Dice House" by Paul Lucas.

RTE continues in its tradition of bringing exceptional, avant-garde productions to the South Bay by kicking off its 2007/2008 season with the Bay Area of John Bastian's dark Civil War comedy, "Noah Johnson...". Explore the world of three con artists in the Civil War as they cross and double cross each other in this dark comedy about war, race and the lure of money. This is followed by the West Coast Premiere of "Americana Absurdum" by Brian Parks. "Americana Absurdum" celebrates the dizzying thrill of America in its many, fun-house mirror guises. A family-run funeral home business, a high-stakes courtroom arena, Irish lawyers, leprechauns and a talking wolverine make up this bracing, dark, comic work. In November, RTE presents the Renegade family show with Susan Zeder's "Wiley and the Hairy Man", a traditional African American folk tail told through rhyme about a boy and his worst fears of the swamp. This is a tale of personal triumph the whole family can enjoy. The season finishes strongly with the West Coast Premiere of Neil LaBute's bracing work, "This is How it Goes". Belinda and Cody Phipps appear to be a typical Midwestern couple: teenage sweethearts now married with children and a luxurious home. Typical except that Cody is in almost every respect an outsider - "rich and black and different" in Belinda's words, who finds herself atracted to a (white) former classmate. As the battle for her affections is waged, Belinda and Cody frankly question the foundation of their initial attraction, opening the door wide to bigotry, deception and betrayal!

www.renegadetheatre.com

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