American Stage Presents STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR

American Stage continues its 2017-18 Season 'WE THE PEOPLE' with STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR written by Andrea Lepcio and directed by Jim Sorensen (directorial debut in St. Petersburg). This Florida premiere is the first play discovered through American Stage's 21st Century Voices: New Play Festival. STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR will have 5 cast members featuring Jordan Mann, Joe Joseph*, Chris Jackson, Mari Vial-Golden*, and Angela Bond*

"Andrea Lepcio's play was selected out of hundreds of new play submissions. As part of our WE THE PEOPLE season theme, the story explores questions about the increasingly high stakes as we struggle to balance our personal freedoms with our fear for the safety of ourselves and our country." - Stephanie Gularte, Producing Artistic Director

"I'm excited to helm this brand-new work for American Stage for so many reasons: It will be the first production to come out of our 21st Century Voices: New Play Festival, along with my first time being a director here in St. Pete. It's also an exhilarating piece of theatre with the feel of a great indie film - an unlikely romance turned political thriller that feels so timely and relevant." - Jim Sorensen, Director

In this sexy romance turned thriller, Miriam, a young American woman, and Sameer, a Muslim man from Morocco, meet at a party and fall in love at first sight. When Sameer tells Miriam he's undocumented, she offers to help, but is everything as it seems? A smart, riveting play that looks at love, truth, prejudice, and civil rights in the age of the Patriot Act.

Playwright, Andrea Lepcia said this about how she came about to write this play, "I felt stupid in 2013 when an NPR report suddenly made me realize how much the Patriot Act had taken away our liberties. How had I missed that? I wrote the play to come to understand what this law has done to our society."

The following includes information on the cast, production, performance dates, and ticketing information, as well as a listing of special events associated with the production.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Andrea Lepcio is best known for Looking for the Pony, a finalist for the Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award and for the NEA Outstanding New American Play Award. It was presented in a "Rolling World Premiere" Off-Broadway at Vital Theatre Company in New York and Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta and subsequent productions. Recent productions include Strait of Gibraltar at Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta, Tunnel Vision at Off the Wall in Pittsburgh and Venus Theatre in Maryland, and Dinner at Home between Deaths at Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. Andrea is a member of the Dramatists Guild, was a Dramatists Guild Fellow and served as the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program Director for ten years. M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing, Carnegie Mellon University. B.A. Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic.

CAST
Jordan Mann (Miriam Rosenberg) Joe Joseph* (Sameer Fakhoury) Chris Jackson (Tripp Bacon/Agent/Guard) Mari Vial-Golden* (Amina/Agent/Denise/Waitress) Angela Bond* (Selma/Guard)

CREATIVE

• Jim Sorensen (Director)
• Katrina Stevenson (Costume Designer)
• Christopher Baldwin (Lighting Designer)
• Stephen Jones (Scenic Designer)
• Jerid Fox (Properties Master)
• Allison Davis (Scenic Painter)
• Rachel Harrison* (Production Stage Manager)

* = Member of Actors' Equity Association; # = Member of the United Scenic Artists Union

*Publicity photo credit: Joey Clay Photography. Archival photo credit: Kara Goldberg.