Quince Productions Presents R. Eric Thomas in ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID, 8/5-6

Quince Productions re-teams with beloved storyteller and performer R. Eric Thomas for the world premiere of Always the Bridesmaid, a new solo show that takes on love, marriage equality and the next best thing.

Using his signature blend of humor and heartbreak, seen in the sold-out runs of Will You Accept This Friend Request? (2011 First Person Festival and Quince’s Full House series), and this year’s Quince production Overexposed: A Slightly Awkward Peep Show, Thomas questions what the real definition of marriage is—what it means to the gay community, what it means to the individual and what it means to God.

“This show is about the next step, not only for gay rights but for all people at a certain point in life.” Thomas says. “You stop getting invited to keggers and start getting invited to showers. The feeling is a peculiar mix of joy and absolute dread. That’s pretty much where I live my life most of the time.”

In an 80-minute journey that is by-turns side-splitting and searing, the popular performer takes the audience on a journey that begins in the pew of a black church in Baltimore and ends at an altar, stopping along the way to tell hilarious tales of dating disasters, crises of faith and massive consumption of wedding cake.

In a performance style that is urgent and shockingly honest, Thomas has wowed East Coast audiences with four hit shows this year, including the two-person comedy Normal at Nite, with Kelli Dunham, a TimeOut NY Critic's Pick which premiered at Stonewall in Manhattan. Quince Productions presents Always the Bridesmaid as an exclusive addition to GayFest! 2012, a month-long festival of plays, staged readings and one-night stands that kicks off August 3, 2012 with The Bang Group in Misters and Sisters.

Always the Bridesmaid runs August 5 and 6, 2012 at Plays and Players, located at 1714 Delancey Place in Philadelphia. Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.quinceproductions.com.

R. Eric Thomas (@oureric), a playwright and teaching artist, has been hailed as “one of the best queer storytellers in Philly” by thePhiladelphia Weekly. His solo show, Will You Accept This Friend Request? premiered to a sold out run in November 2011 as part of the First Person Festival. Overexposed, a three-person storytelling show Eric co-created with Daniel Student and Jennifer MacMillan was produced by Quince Productions in February 2012. Eric has also read or performed work throughout the country and was honored to give a talk at the TEDxPhilly conference in 2011. He is a frequent host and performer at First Person Arts Story Slams, at which he is a 6-time winner.

Founded in 2008, Quince Productions is dedicated to bringing Philadelphia shows it might not otherwise see: an eclectic collection of theater, music, dance and performance art. Nominated as the “Best Theater Company in Philadelphia” in the Philadelphia Gay News, Quince regularly produces Full House: A Series of Cabarets and GayFest!, the Philadelphia region’s only LGBT theater festival. Past hits include Mister, Mister by Günter Grass, and the Philadelphia premieres of Just Say Love by David Mauriello,Slipping by Daniel Talbot and The Beebo Brinker Chronicles by Kate Moira Ryan and Linda S. Chapman.

Photo credit: Jay Olsen