THEATRE

SALEM THEATRE COMPANY WRAPS SEASON EIGHT WITH PAINTING CHURCHES
Tina Howe’s poignant, warmly humorous masterpiece runs May 12 – June 4

SALEM – Salem Theatre Company will conclude Season Eight’s theme “By and About: Women in Contemporary Theatre” with Tina Howe’s Outer Critics Circle Award winning play, Painting Churches.

Called “beautifully written…[with] the shimmer and depth of Renoir portraits” by the New York Times, Painting Churches was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984. TIME raved that it is “a radiant, loving and zestfully humorous play... Howe captures the same edgy surface of false hilarity, the same unutterable sadness beneath it, and the indomitable valor beneath both.”

Set in Boston ’s Beacon Hill, retired and famed poet Gardner Church and his wife Fanny are preparing to move permanently to their summer cottage on Cape Cod . Gardner slips in and out of senility as Fanny valiantly tries to keep them both afloat. Their daughter, Mags – a painter on the verge of artistic celebrity, has come home to help them with the move and come to terms with their relationship as she – hopefully – paints their portrait.

Painting Churches is directed by Janet Neely and features Hazel Grenham, Brian Casey, and Katie Donovan. Set design is by Bruce Greenwald and lighting design is by Larry Devlin. The production is sponsored by Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.

Painting Churches will run May 12 – June 4, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., at the STC Theater at 90 Lafayette Street in downtown Salem .

Tickets are $22 for adults, $18 for seniors (60+), and $12 for students. Tickets are available now at www.salemtheatre.com and may be purchased online up to 24 hours prior to the performance. Tickets may also be reserved for pick up at the Box Office by calling 978-790-8546 or by e-mailing info@salemtheatre.com. Cash and checks are accepted at the Box Office, which opens 30 minutes prior to curtain. Visit www.salemtheatre.com/ticket_partners.htm to learn about available discounts and package deals.

Special Events for Painting Churches

Thursday, May 12 – Special Opening Night performance and post-show reception to benefit the Salem Arts Association. Tickets are $35.

Sunday, May 15 – “Name Your Own Price” matinee performance

Thursday, May 19 – Post-show Q&A with the cast and director, included with ticket price.

About the STC

The Salem Theatre Company - a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization – was founded in 2002 and enriches the artistic, cultural, and economic life of the Greater Salem region through the performance of classic, contemporary, and new works of exceptional theater. The STC hopes to move and inspire, and to build connections with new, diverse audiences and theatre artists through the performing arts and arts education outreach.

Now completing its Eighth Season – “By and About: Women in Contemporary Theatre” – the Salem Theatre Company is led by Artistic Director John Fogle, Executive Director Gary LaParl, and Board President Peg Howard. Details about tickets, the new STC Theater, and the announcement of Season Nine coming this June are all available at www.salemtheatre.com.