Press Information
Inquiries please email mike@thirdrailrep.org
Dead Funny
Release date: October 18, 2008
Kill date: November 2, 2008
Third Rail Repertory Theater Presents
Dead Funny
By Terry Johnson
Directed by Slayden Scott Yarbrough
Details:
Cast: Maureen Porter, Tim True, Damon Kupper, John Steinkamp, and Stephanie Gaslin
Dates: October 3rd - 26th Thursday - Saturday 7:30pm, Sundays 2pm. Pay What You Will
Preview, Thursday, October 2nd 7:30pm
Location: World Trade Center Theater 121 SW Salmon Street, Portland
Price: Adult: $29 Fri/Sat, $26 Thurs/Sun Seniors: $25 Fri/Sat, $22 Thurs/Sun Students $16
Tickets: www.thirdrailrep.org or 503-235-1101 or Hollywood Theater Box Office (Walk up)
Press Photos: Available 9/15, go to www.thirdrailrep.org/press.php
Production Photos: available 10/1, go to www.thirdrailrep.org/press.php
Press Contact: Mike O'Connell @ 503-753-0565
This play has adult scenes of a sexual nature, nudity. Not suitable for children.
The Play:
Third Rail starts its third season in a new space with the West Coast premiere of an adult, smart, and surprisingly touching play. Set in middle-class London in the 1990's, Terry Johnson's Dead Funny slams raucous comedy into heartbreaking tragedy. Exploring the failure of a marriage, it evokes happy memories interspersed with crushing moments as human relationships break down. What do you do when your husband cares more about a bunch of dead comedians than saving your relationship and your sex life? Eleanor finds herself in this very position as she battles it out against her husband, Richard, and the other members of the Dead Funny Society, a group of misfits who meet to celebrate the memory of the dead comedians. And tonight, Bennie Hill died. Let's throw a wake... Winner of the Drama Critic's Circle for Best New Play.
The Playwright:
Third Rail is thrilled to bring another unsung playwright into the Portland theatrical community.
Terry Johnson (born 1955) is a British dramatist and director working for stage, television and film. He is a Literary Associate at the Royal Court Theatre. At The Court he directed Dumb Show by Joe Penhall and opened his play Piano/Forte.
Johnson's stage work has been produced around the world. He has won nine British Theatre awards including the Olivier Award for Best Comedy 1994 and 1999, Playwright of the Year 1995, Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for Best New Play 1995, two Evening Standard Theatre Awards, the Writers' Guild Award for Best Play 1995 and 1996, the Meyer-Whitworth Award 1993 and the John Whiting Award 1991.
He has had many West End productions as director and/or writer including: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Hitchcock Blonde, Entertaining Mr Sloane, The Graduate, Dead Funny, Hysteria, Elton John's Glasses and The Memory Of Water.
He has worked with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, directing John Malkovich in The Libertine (nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Awards including Best Production) and Lost Land, both plays by Stephen Jeffreys.
He has written and directed television drama that has been broadcast worldwide, most recently Not Only But Always for Channel 4, which won five International Award nominations, Best Film at Banff, and a BAFTA for Rhys Ifans.
The film version of his play Insignificance (directed by Nicolas Roeg) was the official British Entry at Cannes Film Festival in 1985.
Other Terry Johnson Plays:
Days Here So Dark (1981, Paines Plough, Edinburgh)
Insignificance (1982, Royal Court Theatre) (Plays & Players Award Best Play, Evening Standard Award Most Promising Playwright)
Cries From The Mammal House (1984, Leicester Haymarket/Royal Court)
Unsuitable For Adults (1984, Bush Theatre)
Imagine Drowning (1991, Hampstead Theatre)
Hysteria (1993, Royal Court, Mark Taper Forum, Duke of Yorks) (Olivier Award Best Comedy 1993)
Dead Funny (1994, Hampstead, Vaudville, Savoy) (Writers' Guild Award Best West End Play 1994, Drama Critics Circle Best Play 1994, Lloyds Private Banking Playwright of the Year 1994 and Time Out Drama Award 1994)
London Cuckolds (adaptation from Edward Ravenscroft)(1998, Royal National Theatre, Lyttelton)
Cleo, Camping,Emmanuelle and Dick (1998, National Theatre) (Olivier Award: Best Comedy 1998)
The Graduate (adaptation from novel by Charles Webb and screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry)(2000, London, Australia, New York, UK & US tours) (Touring Broadway Award Best Play)
Hitchcock Blonde (2003, Royal Court/The Lyric, West End, South Coast Repertory, Costa Mesa, California)
Piano/Forte (2006, Royal Court)
The Company
"The Playwright is First"
Third Rail is doubling its seating capacity and budget. What do we do? We start with a play no one has heard of. Portland is smart and appreciates being exposed to new, challenging writers from around the world. Portland gets it that cutting edge doesn't mean you can skimp on craft. We are a collaborative company with fierce design leaders, passionate and seasoned actors and a director who knows how to get the best out of everyone. We've won a bunch of Drammies. But our best work will always be ahead of us.
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