PeopleÂ's Light & Theatre Presents Fallow

People's Light & Theatre presents the World Premiere of Fallow, by Kenneth Lin, running January 11 – February 5, 2012 on the Steinbright Stage. Jackson Gay directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets call 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org. Fallow has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.

In Fallow, award-winning playwright Kenneth Lin (Intelligence-Slave, Po Boy Tango) explores what holds us to the families we are born into and how we seek new families of our own. Upon discovering a cache of unsent letters, Elizabeth Hayes rushes to rural California on a quest to meet the men who murdered her son, Aaron, a young man who abandoned his Ivy-League pedigree to work as a beekeeper and migrant farm worker. A haunting and surprising drama about the love between a mother and son, and their travels through some nearly invisible parts of our country.

"This is the most personal play I've ever written. The character of Aaron is based on my own experiences backpacking through China on a Fulbright Scholarship in search of my own identity," Lin reveals. "Also, as a writer I'm often receiving input from the world and certain things just land. All throughout my life, I can remember hearing tragic stories in the news-a black man who was lynched in Texas, a Latino immigrant in Rhode Island who was beaten. These events deeply affected me and helped to inspire this play."

Lin will be reuniting with Director Jackson Gay on Fallow, their fourth collaboration. "We met in graduate school at Yale and I asked her to direct my thesis. We're great friends and collaborators, and I feel like my work is better in her hands." For People's Light, Gay previously directed successful productions of Dale Wasserman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 2010 and Deborah Zoe Laufer's End Days in 2009.

The cast of Fallow includes Robert Montano, a newcomer to People's Light's stage, in the role of Happy Lugo. Montano's extensive acting career includes roles on Broadway (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Cats), film (Chicago, It Runs in the Family), and television (Army Wives, Sex and the City). Joining him in the cast are George Olesky, Laura Giknis, and Joe O'Brien, as well as People's Light company members Stephen Novelli and Mary Elizabeth Scallen.
In conjunction with the play and its many themes, People's Light will feature a series of free events to enhance audience members' experience. The events include a special conversation with Kenneth Lin about the subject of identity, a panel discussion on bees and their impact on our livelihood, and a panel discussion entitled "The Road Not Taken," featuring members of the community who have taken unusual paths in life.
"Fallow brings up many issues concerning the state of our nation," Lin continues. "I'm grateful that People's Light, which is so focused on education and community, will be producing this play."

TICKET INFORMATION

Fallow previews on Wednesday, January 11th and Thursday, January 12th at 7:30pm. The play opens on Friday, January 13th at 8pm and runs through February 5th. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after each Thursday evening performance for a conversation about the production.

Single tickets range in price from $25 – $45. For tickets, call the box office at 610.644.3500. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610.647.1900 x134 or email charles@peopleslight.org. Actors, prices, performance dates and times are subject to change. Additional service charges will apply. Contact the box office for more details.

Subscription tickets are still available for the 2011-2012 Season. Productions in the 6-Play Series include Fallow (January 11 – February 5, 2012), Of Mice and Men (February 15 – March 25, 2012), Shakespeare's Will (May 30 – June 24, 2012), and Mr. Hart and MR. Brown (July 18 – August 19, 2012). Productions in the PNC Arts Alive Family Discovery Series include Shipwrecked! (March 22 – April 15, 2012) and A Wrinkle in Time (April 26 – May 20, 2012).

SPECIAL EVENTS

The following events are free, but reservations are requested. For reservations, contact the box office at 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org.
Finding One's Identity: A Conversation with Playwright Kenneth Lin