Friday, October 24, 2008

"The Road To Bethlehem" by Robert A. O'Connell: December 12-21 2008


"Deftly uses humor to deliver its ultimately sincere message. Entertaining, endearing, and funny."
-- Martin Brady, Nashville Scene

Behold! A Christmas comedy!

GroundWorks Theatre presents its latest World Premiere: "The Road To Bethlehem," an original Christmas comedy written and directed by company co-founder Robert A. O'Connell. "The Road to Bethlehem" tells the story of two simple shepherds following an unlikely path to witness a miracle, meeting along the way a well-meaning but bumbling angel, a conscientious Roman Centurion, a young couple on the verge of delivering a very special baby, local revolutionaries, an overworked innkeeper, and a certain little drummer boy.

GroundWorks Theatre presents "The Road to Bethlehem" at the Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, from December 12-21 2008. Performances are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. SPECIAL: All tickets on Tuesday nights are $10! Call 615-262-5485 for reservations, or purchase tickets online HERE.

Check out the Tennessean preview here!

Check out the CityPaper preview here!

Check out the Nashville Scene review here!




Square Poster



Tuesday, September 9, 2008

"Chesapeake" by Lee Blessing: October 3-18 2008



"Chambers narrates the story with wit and sincerity... He's animated and active all over the stage."
-- Martin Brady, Nashville Scene

"The best show of any kind that I have ever seen."
-- Melinda Doolittle, American Idol finalist

Art. Politics. Dogs.

Lee Blessing spins a magical-realist fable about a New York performance artist, a firebrand Conservative Southern politician, and the dog that unites their fates forever. Directed by Robert A. O'Connell, starring Jack E. Chambers. Contains some adult language and content.

GroundWorks Theatre's production of Lee Blessing's "Chesapeake" runs from October 3-18 2008 at the Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue. Performances Tuesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. All tickets Tuesday nights - $10.

For reservations, call 615.262.5485. Or, purchase tickets online here.


Nashville CityPaper Preview!

Tennessean Preview!

Program (PDF)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Season Tickets Made Easier!

GroundWorks Theatre announces the introduction of our own version of a Season Ticket -- the 4-Show FlexPass. It's like buying a Season Ticket anywhere else, only immensely better. Why?

1. It's a great deal -- 4 tickets for $50 ($40 for seniors and students), which is a big huge savings over individual tickets.

2. You can purchase in person or online via PayPal, which is super convenient for you!

3. You can use the 4 passes to any show this season, in any combination, with no restrictions on dates!

4. It's a paperless ticket, which means no dead trees, no waste materials, and nothing to lose!

5. It supports the GWT mission of bringing only the finest Nashville premieres to you, including the newly-announced season: "Chesapeake" by Lee Blessing, "The Road to Bethlehem" by Robert A. O'Connell, "Marry Me A Little" by Stephen Sondheim, and "O Jerusalem" by A. R. Gurney.

Look for the Season Ticket / PayPal link soon!




full text

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Auditions: "The Road to Bethlehem" by Robert A. O'Connell

GroundWorks Theatre announces auditions for Robert A. O'Connell's "The Road to Bethlehem," to be directed by the author. Auditions will be held on Saturday, September 6 2008, from 3:00-5:00pm, and Sunday, September 7 2008, from 12:00-2:00pm, at the Darkhorse Theater. The play will run December 12-21 2008, also at the Darkhorse.

Description: In this light-hearted but reverent story, a collection of some of the lesser-known and behind-the-scenes characters from the original Christmas get their moment in the spotlight, including a couple of philosophical shepherds, a Roman Centurion, a second newborn child, an overworked innkeeper, and a certain little drummer boy.

Roles are available for 11 men (20s-50s), 4 women (20s-40s), one boy (who can play approximately 7), and one angel (gender and age not specified). Actors of all ethnicities encouraged to audition. Appointments are not necessary, headshots and resumes are helpful but not required, and auditions will be by cold readings from the script.

For more information, visit www.groundworkstheatre.com or contact Robert A. O'Connell (playwright/director) at 262-1832.



Posters:

Show Poster

Audition Poster

Monday, August 4, 2008

Friday, August 1, 2008

GroundWorks Theatre Announces 2008-2009 Season

GroundWorks Theatre proudly announces their 2008-2009 season, including a one-man show, original Christmas story, the company's first musical, and an incisive look at the Middle East. Since 2004, GWT has presented a slate comprised exclusively of Nashville premieres at the Darkhorse Theater, including four world-premiere productions.

The new season opens October 3 with Lee Blessing's one-man-show "Chesapeake," directed by company co-founder Robert A. O'Connell and starring Jack E. Chambers.

"Basically, we'd like to be able to say three words and leave it at that. Art. Politics. Dogs. Anyone who finds each word intriguing on its own and the three irresistible together should be transported by the shaggy Blessing story." (Newsday)

The company continues its run of original holiday entertainment with the premiere production of O'Connell's own "The Road To Bethlehem" (which he will also direct), a light-hearted yet tender look at some lesser-known characters from the story of the original Christmas -- two shepherds, a drunk, another newborn child, a Roman Centurion, an inkeeper, and a certain little drummer boy.

March 2009 brings GroundWorks' first-ever musical offering, Stephen Sondheim's "Marry Me A Little," a collection of outtakes and lesser-known songs from the acknowledged master of the modern American musical theatre. The songs were collected and assembled by Craig Lucas (who also wrote "Prelude to a Kiss") and Norman Rene, and tell the story of a young man and woman living in the same apartment building, each unaware of the other, whose lives are more interconnected than they could know. Jack E. Chambers will direct the production, with Brian T. Hill providing the musical direction.

The season closes in May with A. R. Gurney's "O Jerusalem," a seriocomic take on diplomatic and interpersonal relationships in the modern-day Middle East, centered around a novice diplomat who falls in love with a woman whose son is a member of Hamas. The New York Times called it "deeply touching in [its] urgency." Melissa Bedinger Hade will direct the production.

GroundWorks also announces the addition of online ticket sales (through a partnership with BrownPaperTickets.com), and the introduction of season tickets in the form of 4-ticket FlexPasses, which will be available at the Box Office and through www.groundworkstheatre.com.



Contact Information

Robert A. O'Connell -- Co-Founder, Artistic Director -- home 615-262-1832
Jack E. Chambers -- Marketing Director -- home 615-300-5560


Thursday, July 31, 2008

Friday, July 18, 2008

Wait For It... Wait For It...



The 2008-2009 GroundWorks Theatre Season has been set, and the announcement will be coming soon, including audition and production dates and the addition of online ticket orders and credit card payments. Yay!

Check back starting August 1 for all the details!


Tuesday, March 11, 2008

"Sunday on the Rocks" by Theresa Rebeck: May 2-10 2008



On a beautiful Sunday morning in mid-October, three housemates decide to have scotch for breakfast in this play by the author of "Spike Heels," "The Family of Mann," "Loose Knit," and "Bad Dates" (produced by GroundWorks Theatre in May 2007). Elly is pregnant and considering an abortion, Jen is being harassed by a co-worker who is obsessed with her, and Gayle just feels a bit lost. Their problems are compounded by a fourth roommate, Jessica, a religious young woman who has little compassion for their confused attempts to make sense of life in the 90s. As they drink, joke, and argue, it becomes clear how difficult it is to make a moral decision in an increasingly complex world.

Directed by Melissa Bedinger Hade (GroundWorks Theatre's "Enchanted April" and "Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge," ACT1 / Actors Bridge's "Who Loves Judas").

"It's rare to encounter a domestic comedy that speaks to an entire generation, but 'Sunday on the Rocks' hits a raw nerve for today's generation of Angry Young Women." --Boston Globe.

"Sunday on the Rocks" runs May 2 - 10 at the Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Avenue. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturday at 7:30pm, with a Sunday matinee (May 4) at 2:30pm. Reservations can be made by calling 262-5485; further information (including a map to the theatre and the full schedule) can be found at www.groundworkstheatre.com.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Auditions: "Sunday on the Rocks" by Theresa Rebeck - March 1 2008

GroundWorks Theatre announces auditions for Theresa Rebeck's "Sunday on the Rocks," to be directed by Melissa Bedinger Hade. Auditions will be held on March 1, 2008, from 1:00-5:00pm, at the Darkhorse Theater. The play will run May 2-10, also at the Darkhorse.

Description: On a beautiful Sunday morning in mid-October, three housemates decide to have scotch for breakfast in this play by the author of "Spike Heels," "The Family of Mann,""Loose Knit," and "Bad Dates" (produced by GroundWorks Theatre in May 2007). Elly is pregnant and considering an abortion, Jen is being harassed by a co-worker who is obsessed with her, and Gayle just feels a bit lost. Their problems are compounded by a fourth roommate, Jessica, a religious young woman who has little compassion for their confused attempts to make sense of life in the 90s. As they drink, joke, and argue, it becomes clear how difficult it is to make a moral decision in an increasingly complex world.

"It's rare to encounter a domestic comedy that speaks to an entire generation, but 'Sunday on the Rocks' hits a raw nerve for today's generation of Angry Young Women." --Boston Globe.

Roles are available for four women, aged late 20s - late 30s. Appointments are not necessary, and auditions will be by cold readings from the script.

For more information, visit www.groundworkstheatre.com.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

"The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh: February 8-16 2008

"McDonagh's bleak, tightly-written script gets its due in a successfully disconcerting mounting."

--Martin Brady, The Nashville Scene


“A writer in a totalitarian state is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of child-murders that are happening in his town…”

Thus does writer Katurian Katurian describe his own precarious situation in Martin McDonagh’s brilliant, award-winning “The Pillowman.” The show premiered at London’s Royal National Theatre, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Play, before transferring to Broadway. That production, featuring Billy Crudup and Jeff Goldblum, won the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play (Foreign), 2 Tony Awards, 2 Drama Desk Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award. Ben Brantley in The New York Times called it a “spellbinding stunner … [the] season's most exciting and original new play.”

The story opens with Katurian’s interrogation at the hands of investigators Tupolski and Ariel. The two carry out an often-funny, often-brutal variation on the “good cop, bad cop” routine, attempting to force Katurian into admitting some connection to a series of child murders which have striking similarities to his dark, Grimm-inspired stories. The stakes are raised even higher by the revelations that one child is still unaccounted for… and that the investigators have Katurian’s child-like brother Michal in a holding cell, ready to torture him for further information…

Nate Eppler leads the cast as Katurian. A playwright recently commissioned by the Kennedy Center and White House Historical Association, Nate has performed in the Karl May Festival in Elspe, Germany, and locally in “Sorry, Wrong Chimney” at Chaffin’s Barn. GroundWorks veteran Jack E. Chambers (Tupolski), appeared most recently in the BoilerRoom Theatre original “Billy Bob’s Holiday Hoedown,” and has appeared in many GWT productions, including “Closer,” “Enchanted April,” and “Blackbird.” J. Dietz Osborne (Ariel) has worked on the road with Martina McBride’s Joy of Christmas tour and in “Singing In The Rain” (Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, Little Rock), and at the BoilerRoom Theatre (“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Gypsy”). Alex Vernon (Michal) appeared in Lamplighters’ “Guys and Dolls,” as well as in “The Country Wife” and “Hay Fever” at MTSU.

Director Megan Murphy is herself a veteran of several GroundWorks productions, appearing in “Tape,” “Blackbird,” and “Enchanted April,” and co-producing “Closer.” “The show is relevant and yet abstract, and a true page-turner, in the classic sense,” says Murphy. “It’s the truest examination of how we defend what we value and what the responsibility of an artist is.”

GroundWorks Theatre presents Martin McDonagh’s “The Pillowman” at the Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue. Performances are February 8-10 and 11-16 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15, $12 for students and seniors. For reservations, contact the GroundWorks information line at 615.262.5485; for further information, check out www.groundworkstheatre.com.

"The Pillowman" Publicity Materials

Downloadable publicity materials for our production -- please distribute freely.

Pillowman Poster 1 (Pillow)

Pillowman Poster 2 (Nate)

Pillowman Program 1 (Pillow)

Pillowman Program 2 (Nate)

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

GroundWorks Theatre Production History

Shows are ordered from the most recent backwards. Links are to published
reviews, Best of Nashville mentions, or artwork and promotional material.

Unconditional (Myra Stephens) - 3/2012

The Very Different Christmas Dinner (Robert A. O'Connell) - 12/2011

The Fall to Earth (Joel Drake Johnson) - 5/2011

The Very Different Christmas Dinner (Robert A. O'Connell) (staged reading) - 12/2010

The Conscientious Objector (Michael Murphy) - 5/2010

Fat Pig (Neil LaBute) - 3/2010

Christmas on the Pecos (Robert A. O'Connell) - 12/2009

Eat the Runt (Avery Crozier) - 10/2009 [scene review] [broadwayworld.com review]

O Jerusalem (A. R. Gurney) - 5/2009 [scene review] [stagecritic review]

Marry Me a Little (Stephen Sondheim, Craig Lucas) - 3/2009

The Road to Bethelehem (Robert A. O'Connell) - 12/2008 [scene review]

Chesapeake (Lee Blessing) - 10/2008 [scene review]

Sunday on the Rocks (Theresa Rebeck) - 5/2008 [scene review]

The Pillowman (Martin McDonagh) - 2/2008 [scene review]

American Christmas (Robert A. O'Connell) - 12/2007 [scene review]

Of Cabbages and Kings (Robert A. O'Connell) - 10/2007 [scene review]

Bad Dates (Theresa Rebeck) - 5/2007 [scene review]


Closer (Patrick Marber) - 2/2007 [scene review]


Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge (Christopher Durang) - 12/2006 [scene review]

Why The Sea Is Boiling Hot (Robert O'Connell) - 10/2006 [scene review]

Enchanted April (Matthew Barber) - 4/2006 [scene review][photos]


Blackbird (Adam Rapp) - 1/2006 [scene review] [scene BON]


Merry [BLEEP]ing Christmas (Original Collaboration) - 12/2005

The Pavilion (Craig Wright) - 10/2005 [scene review]

Hellcab (Will Kern) - 12/2004 [scene review]

Nocturne (Adam Rapp) - 10/2004


Tape (Stephen Belber) - 4/2004 [scene review]

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