Theatre Exile Announces 2012-13 Season: Adam Rapp, THE ENGLISH BRIDE and More

Theatre Exile has announced its 2012-2013 season. They have introduced Philadelphia to the work of Tracy Letts, Adam Rapp, Noah Haidle, Rona Munro, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, Annie Baker, Rajiv Joseph, and many other nationally acclaimed playwrights. Theatre Exile produces new works of theater and brings new voices to the Philadelphia arts community. For their 16th season of boundary-breaking productions, Exile will present two world premieres, Lucile Lichtblau’s The English Bride and Bruce Graham’s North of the Boulevard, as well as two Philadelphia premieres, Adam Rapp’s The Edge of Our Bodies and Jason Wells’ The North Plan.

Theatre Exile will launch their 2012-2013 season with the Philadelphia premiere of The Edge of Our Bodies by Adam Rapp. The Edge of Our Bodies marks the return to the work of Adam Rapp, a playwright Exile first brought to Philadelphia with Red Light Winter in 2006. This “carefully sculptured solo play” (New York Times) premiered at the Humana Festival in 2011 to rave reviews and critical acclaim. Theatre Exile brings this sensitively crafted show to life starring Nicole Erb who has dazzled audiences all over Philadelphia most recently with her portrayal of Juliet in the Lantern Theater Company’s Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Matt Pfeiffer, this play gives its audience a brief but stunningly clear window into the life of a young woman in transition from innocence to maturity, told with grace and insight. The Edge of our Bodies will run in conjunction with the Philly Fringe from September 6th through the 23rd in Exile’s intimate Studio X, with a press opening on September 12th at 8pm,

Next, Theatre Exile presents the world premiere of exciting new playwright and New Jersey resident Lucile Lichtblau. Her newest work, The English Bride is a political thriller wrapped up in a savage comedy that deals with terrorism, reality, lies and suspicion. Following a failed bombing attempt on an El Al flight out of London, the search for the truth becomes an elusive chase during the interrogation of an Englishwoman and the Arab man with whom she has fallen in love. This world premiere is a sharply carved plot-driven piece, directed by Deborah Block. The English Bride will run November 6th through December 2nd with a November 14th 2012 press opening at 8pm in Exile’s Studio X.

This winter, Theatre Exile presents the Philadelphia premiere of Jason Wells’ The North Plan, a dizzying thrill ride that asks: What would ordinary Americans do if the U.S. government fell into tyranny? In a small-town Missouri jailhouse in the not-too-distant future, a wrongly imprisoned federal bureaucrat is desperate to thwart a looming constitutional crisis. Exile’s own Joe Canuso directs the dark comedy The Chicago Tribune called “fun, smart, involving and just disturbing enough.” The North Plan runs from February 14th through March 10th with a press opening on February 20th 2013 at 8pm in Christ Church Neighborhood House.

To close their season, Theatre Exile is proud to present the world premiere of North of the Boulevard written by Exile favorite and Philadelphia’s native son Bruce Graham. Exile first presented this seriocomedy as a reading during the 2011-2012 Studio X-hibition, Exile’s New Play Development series, and received rave responses. Director Matt Pfeiffer will develop that reading into its first full scale production. North of the Boulevard celebrates the struggle of The Common man trying to provide for his family and do right by his friends in the harsh face of the current economic climate. With Graham’s distinctive rough charm, razor sharp insight and dark sense of humor, this play is sure to delight those familiar with Grahams’ work and inspire new followers. The show runs April 25th through May 19th. The press opening is on May 1st, 2013 at the Christ Church Neighborhood HousE. North of the Boulevard is the perfect finale to another season in Exile.